SIGN UP FOR OUR 
A growing demand for pet health services in Costa Rica is driving the growth in private veterinary hospitals. Many are open round the clock, 365 days a year.
The Veterinary Practitioners Professional Association has five such complexes registered. Those include the San Rafael Hospital and Veterinary Clinic in Heredia; the San Antonio Veterinary Hospital, also in Heredia, and the Intensivet Veterinary Hospital in San José.
San Antonio Hospital opened July 3 in San Antonio de Belén with an investment of more than $ 1 million, said the veterinary association. Natalia Bolaños, hospital director, said that the staff includes seven veterinarians and four assistants who provide a wide array of services such as check-ups, surgery, endoscopy, ultrasound, dentistry, x-ray and more.
“Our goal is to offer a new option to Costa Ricans who love their pets. Our facilities have the touches of a human medical hospital,” said Bolaños.
Hospital Intensivet, in western Sabana near the Los Anonos bridge on the old road to Escazú, opened in 2014 in response to the growing demand for specialized veterinary services for emergencies and critical cases.
“The only 24-hour veterinary hospital that existed at the time, was the UNA Veterinary School hospital. We noticed the need for a hospital to care for animals, which are increasingly important for families,” said Beatriz Gutiérrez, administrator of Hospital Intensivet.
This animal medical center offers general consultations, as well as emergency and specialized care, and is equipped with ultrasounds, centralized oxygen therapy, endoscopies, and can also run laboratory tests, as well as digital radiographs.
Its facilities have an isolation room for infectious patients, as well as a swimming pool for physical therapy, exclusive room for felines, and an operating room for equines.
The San Rafael Hospital and Veterinary Clinic in San Rafael de Heredia opened in 2005 as a clinic, and in 2016 received permits to operate as a hospital.
Juan Solís, director of the San Rafael animal hospital, said they give general and specialized consultations, as well as prenatal controls, artificial insemination, and laboratory tests and diagnoses.
“There has been an increase in demand for all services of approximately 12 percent per year. This increase, we believe, is due to offering an increasing variety of services, but mainly due to an increased awareness among clients on how to treat their pets,” added Solís.
