Meet Our Members ~ Casey and Adrien Cloutier of Sandwich Animal Hospital

7/18/2021

The Sandwich Animal Hospital, photo by Janina Lamb

What is your name and the name of your business?
Drs Casey and Adrien Cloutier, Sandwich Animal Hospital.

How did you get to Sandwich, NH?
We moved here in 2017 from North Dakota, after purchasing Dr. Dolan's practice and former residence. We had been looking to move closer to family - Adrien is from Stark, NH and Casey is from southern CT - and we missed New England. When Adrien found Dr. Dolan's advertisement in the back of a veterinary journal, it felt like it could not have been a more perfect fit for us and our growing family, with its distance to our family and the ability to have a small farm on the property.

The Cloutiers, minus the newest addition to the family. Photo by Karissa Gray

What got you started in this profession?
Both Adrien and I wanted to be veterinarians since we were children. We met while attending veterinary school at Tufts University. We both worked on the school's farm for several years and enjoyed working with both small and large animals. I worked solely as a cattle veterinarian, working in local sales barns and in the countryside of North Dakota, for nearly two years before switching to mixed practice. Adrien has worked in mixed practice since graduating veterinary school.

Casey examines a patient. Photo by Shayna Purdy

Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service?
We are a mixed animal veterinary clinic. We offer both in-clinic, farm and house call services, when possible, and see everything from guinea pigs to pigs on a farm! In addition to Adrien's surgical skills, we are able to have a board-certified surgeon in-house for some more complicated procedures and we recently have begun working with a mobile veterinarian who provides ultrasound services in-house, with advance appointment.

Shayna in the office. Photo by Janina Lamb

How did your business get started?
We were lucky enough to buy an existing practice from Dr. Dolan, who built the business over several decades of hard work and compassion. In addition to the excellent preventative and general practice care that Dr. Dolan provided, we have been slowly adding more services to the clinic - like basic large and small animal ultrasound capability and in-house labwork. We hope to continue to build our skillset and offer more to the community in the next few years, such as acupuncture and laser therapy.

The front door. Photo by Janina Lamb

What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your job?
Being able to care for the animals, the furry family members, of our community is the most satisfying - we love seeing happy, healthy, thriving patients around town.

What is the hardest?
Medicine and health care is not one-size-fits all, both from a lifestyle and a financial perspective. We work hard to make treatment plans that adhere as closely to the established standard of care while taking into consideration the family's budget and expectations, as well as the animal's quality of life. This is hardly ever easy but it is one of the most important parts of our profession.

Adrien and Shayna clipping the hoofs of a baby goat. Photo by Janina Lamb

What has happened to your business in this last Covid year?
Like many businesses, we have been operating as a curbside service since March 2020. While our clientele all took this in stride, and adapted to curbside care as we did, we miss the quality time we spend with owners inside the exam room. We have always felt strongly about working as a team with owners to guide care and we enjoy getting to know owners as more than just a person attached to a pet - this has been much harder to do with social distancing and curbside care.

We have also halted our house call services for the time being. We were proud to offer house call service for our elderly/home bound clientele, as well as for our elderly patients. It was a much appreciated service and we know it is missed.

We are lucky to have remained open (and busy!) this past year but, as our children have remained home since March 2020, have been limited to one doctor in the clinic at a time. By the fall, we should be back to operating with two veterinarians in the clinic at least three days a week.

What are your goals and hopes for the future?
We hope to continue providing high quality personalized care for the animals in Sandwich and surrounding areas.

The farm. Photo by Janina Lamb

What else can you tell us about yourself and your business?
People can't help but notice, whether they are driving by or visiting the clinic with a pet, that in addition to the clinic, we manage a small farm. We raise Angora goats and a handful of Shetland sheep, in addition to innumerable chickens, geese, pigs, Maremma sheepdogs, and the occasional bottle calf.

Our kids love helping out with chores and are often running around the place, making mud pies or building fairy houses. We feel truly lucky to be able to both work and raise our family here in Sandwich and are grateful to this community for their support.

Sandwich Animal Hospital
477 Whiteface Road
North Sandwich, NH 03259
O: 603-284-6206
F: 603-284-6110

Derek C. Marshall link

7/19/2021 11:51:35 am

Sandwich and surrounding towns are extremely fortunate to have two resident veterinarians. Anyone who looks after animals small or large will someday need the services of professional health care workers who understand the needs of this large variety of domestic animals.

Dr. Adrien helped us with the final days of our small but much beloved little cat who, coincidentally, was born in their facility when Julie Dolan was the proprietor.
Dr. Adrien was most understanding but left the decisions to us as we, together, helped Jigs depart this planet in a painless and peaceful way after 14 years of a wonderful life.

To have someone understand the emotional trauma of losing a close pet was a great comfort. We will be forever grateful for that, even as we bring our two new kittens to the Sandwich Animal Hospital for their first checkup.