Clinic Profile: Red Hills Veterinary Hospital

On April 2014, Red Hills Veterinary Hospital (RHVH) opened its doors to the community. Before they opened, Fur Kids Foundation sent Garry Gotfredson, DVM, or Dr. G to his clients, some questions to answer about himself, his clinic and his veterinary practice philosophy. 

First, let’s tell you a little bit about Dr. G. 

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Dr. Gotfredson was born and raised in Worland, Wyoming, and raised cattle, sheep and horses—and this is where his interest in veterinary medicine began. 

“My favorite part of raising animals was "doctoring" the sick ones. It was from these experiences that my desire to help animals and people grew,” he said. 

After attending the University of Wyoming, he was accepted to veterinary school and graduated with a DVM in 2008 from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. Since graduation he has practiced in both emergency and mixed animal hospitals in Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota.

An outdoorsman, Dr. G says he tries to spend as much time with his wife, Janell, and his two-year-old son, pictured above. 

Dr. G describes Red Hills Veterinary Clinic as a modern, high-quality, full-service veterinary clinic that focuses on individual pet and pet owner needs, as well as livestock and equine services. He enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine and working on a variety of patients—he especially enjoys orthopedic surgery, anesthesia and internal medicine. He has taken several advanced courses in orthopedic surgery, anesthesia, dentistry and ultrasonography.

“I want people to know that I strive to communicate well and do my best for both the pet and the owner when they are at my clinic,” Dr. G said. 

There are three unique procedures that pet and livestock owners will have with RHVH. They are:

1. Orthopedic Surgery: The most common knee injury in a dog is the rupture of the Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL), also frequently called the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), and it can only be corrected with surgery. To help repair this injury, Dr. G and his staff perform Tightrope and Tibial Tuberocity Advancement (TTA). These procedures can be successfully done on most dogs, and is a treatment of choice of many surgeons. The Clinic also performs bone plating with the SOP plate system for long bone fractures.
2. Video Otoscopy: This is a nifty tool that displays live video (on a computer monitor) of what the vet sees in your pet’s ears. This allows pet owners to see the severity and progression, for either the better or worse, during the treatment period for ear infections—this in turn, provides better treatment for your pet as you are partnering with them to help heal the ear infection.
3. Regenerative stem cell therapy: This is a new medical treatment for pets where the clinic collects fat tissue and grows regenerative stem cells to be placed in areas in need of treatment. This is a treatment option that is primarily used for dogs with arthritis and pain, and do not respond to traditional medications or are unable to be on the medications. It is a natural, ethical mode of treatment that can provide care to elderly care with minimal side effects and relieve areas of pain and inflammation—ultimately improving their quality of life. 

The Clinic also plans to offer pet wellness programs to allow preventative care for their clients’ pets. 

“Much like the health care for humans, we feel that preventing disease is much more cost effective and better for our pets, rather than simply treating the disease,” Dr. G says. “Owners are able to choose various package levels to meet their budget and pet needs. By providing this service, we see pets receiving medical care much earlier than the average pet.” 

Fur Kids Foundation is happy to report that Dr. G will also participate in our program to help families in Campbell County pay for veterinary care they may not have expected. The Clinic also plans to set goals to donate and provide services to organizations that support pet care in the area. 

We did ask Dr. G what makes him happy to be a veterinarian. To which, he responded: 

“There are many cases that are rewarding. To me, cases where animals have a life-threatening injury and I am able to deliver treatment or medical techniques that save the animal’s life within minutes are quite memorable. For example, when an animal has been hit by a car and is clearly having trouble breathing. This is because they have chest trauma resulting in free air around the lungs. Veterinarians can step in and "tap" the chest to remove this free air, which will immediately resolve the restriction, and allow the pet to breath with ease.”

There you have it, folks! Dr. G is a great guy who clearly has a passion for helping animals and the people who care for them. We’re excited to have Dr. G and Red Hills Veterinary Hospital in Gillette, and hope you are as well. 

Red Hills Veterinary Hospital is located at 2007 S. Douglas Highway next to Aarons Furniture in Gillette. Below is RHVH’s contact information and where you can go to learn more about their services and staff. 

P: 307.696.2525
E: info@redhillsvet.com
www.redhillsvet.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/redhillsvet 
Twitter: @redhillsvet