Dr. Catherine MacLean has high ideals and a vision for what exceptional veterinary care should look like, and Sugar River Animal Hospital was founded on those dreams in 2013. With her history of working at other small animal practices, including some emergency practices, Dr. MacLean began taking notes on which aspects of veterinary care worked and which didn’t work so well. She has combined all of the very best practices she has encountered in her plan for Sugar River Animal Hospital.
Sugar River Animal Hospital became the first American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) accredited practice in the Upper Valley in 2015. In order to become an AAHA accredited practice, Sugar River Animal Hospital has to meet over 900 standards of care and have to be re-accredited every three years. Only about 15% of veterinary practices in North America are accredited. This was an important goal for Dr. MacLean when she first opened the practice.
Sugar River Animal Hospital is also the only Feline Friendly Accredited practice in the Upper Valley. Again, certain standards were met based on the American Association of Feline Practitioners guidelines to help make visits less stressful for cats when they come to Sugar River Animal Hospital. Some of the things that Sugar River Animal Hospital does to make feline visits less stressful are having a cat only exam room, cat only waiting area, cat only hospital ward, and special handling techniques.
Sugar River Animal Hospital is not just a hospital, but is also a full-service clinic, able to provide care for sick pets as well as wellness and preventive care for pets in any stage of life. In addition to our wide array of services, we partner with a board-certified surgeon and internist, Dr. Erik Peterson. Dr. Peterson travels to Sugar River Animal Hospital to perform echocardiographic and ultrasonographic studies as well as internal medicine consultation for some of our more difficult medicine cases.
Our doctors and staff are continually motivated to provide the absolute best care to our clients and patients in Grantham and the surrounding areas, from Enfield to New London and Lebanon to Newport. As a small, privately owned practice, we make our pet care recommendations based on each pet’s needs. We will guide you to the best option for your pet’s treatment, considering all aspects of their needs and your lifestyle.
When I started Sugar River Animal Hospital in 2013, my vision was to provide high-quality veterinary care while treating my clients and patients like family. I set out with some ambitious goals, the first of which was to become an accredited practice by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). To achieve this, a hospital must meet over 900 standards of care. Less than 15% of animal hospitals in North America are accredited, and this was important to me as it validated our commitment to high quality.
Dr. Catherine MacLean
Sugar River Animal Hospital
In 2014, we reached another milestone by becoming a cat-friendly certified practice. This required us to create a more accommodating environment for our feline patients, including separate waiting areas, two designated cat-only rooms, and a dedicated ward for hospitalized cats, along with staff trained in cat-friendly handling techniques.
The year 2021 marked a significant change for us as we expanded from a 4,000 square foot space to a 7,000 square foot facility. This expansion allowed us to maintain our quality of medicine while adding more doctors and services. We introduced a boarded surgeon and a boarded internist to our team, offering procedures like abdominal ultrasounds and echocardiograms locally, saving our clients the inconvenience of long drives.
I am passionate about veterinary dentistry and have pursued additional training post-graduation. We're proud to offer full dental X-ray capabilities, a service not commonly found in many practices. Good oral health is crucial as it can impact overall health, including the heart and kidneys.
As a full-service hospital, we cater to every aspect of veterinary care. At Sugar River Animal Hospital, we support your pet through all life stages, from administering the first set of vaccines and spaying/neutering to handling emergencies and managing chronic conditions. We're conveniently located off Highway 89, making us easily accessible to the Grantham community and surrounding areas.
Over the past ten years, our growth has been remarkable, even necessitating the construction of a new building. Our success is largely due to word-of-mouth recommendations from our clients, and we're now serving areas further than I ever imagined. It's a privilege to serve a community that loves their pets so much, and we eagerly look forward to welcoming new pets and their families to our hospital.
If you have questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (603) 287-1181, or you can email us at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram