An animal hospital is opening in Liberty Hill this month with a unique model that gives pet owners access to healthcare seven days a week.
The new hospital, Liberty Hill Animal Hospital, is located next to Access Health Urgent Care on State Highway 29. It is a sister clinic to New Hope Animal Hospital in Cedar Park, which opened in 2017, and Daylily Animal Hospital in Hutto, which opened in 2020. A fourth location has already been chosen in Leander. All the clinics are under the direction of Dr. Matt Brooks.
“Dr. Brooks opens his hospitals with not just the Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. idea,” said Lydia Hernandez, administrative coordinator for the animal hospitals. “The hospitals are open seven days a week with extended hours from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., as well as weekend and night hours.”
In addition to extended access to healthcare, Hernandez said part of Brooks’ model is also to have veterinarians available to customers and their pets at all times during those hours, as well the option for customers to walk in with their pets when needed.
“We feel like our prices beat the more expensive options in the area, because we believe in keeping the wellness care low and allowing people to afford that care, so that way they will have the money when they need it for major illnesses or surgeries,” Hernandez said.
Dr. Matthew Lane will be the lead veterinarian at Liberty Hill Animal Hospital. Lane has over 16 years of experience in the veterinary field, and specializes in helping animals, namely dogs, with rehabilitation work related to chronic pain or arthritis.
The animal hospital will only service house pets, mainly dogs and cats; however, Lane does have ample experience in caring for much larger animals. He actually started his career in equine, working with raced horses, and over the years has narrowed his focus to just the most popular house pets. He learned rehabilitation in 2006, and since then has been able to work with dogs who have arthritis, lameness or chronic pain.
“I can do laser therapy for dogs, and I can also do post op fracture rehabilitations with people,” he said. “I love helping people with their older dogs who have arthritis.”
Lane also has a heart for emotional support dogs, and said he hopes to set up a program through Liberty Hill Animal Hospital to help take care of those dogs, particularly those who serve military veterans who suffer from PTSD.
“We have a strong military presence in this area because of our proximity to Killeen, and it can be a huge deal to veterans when their pets are sick, because that’s their emotional support,” he said.
Since the onset of Covid in 2020, pet ownership has gone up exponentially, Hernandez said, as well as the way people care for their pets.
“People are adopting animals more because they are staying home more and working from home more now, and since they are home, they are noticing them more and noticing when something is off,” she said. “Before Covid, we weren’t booked out weeks in advance, and now that is the norm.”
To accommodate that, the 6,000-square-foot animal hospital will eventually be staffed with six doctors, Lane said, but for now it will be him and Dr. Christine Tripp at the Liberty Hill location.
“This building has a large, beautiful reception area and large treatment rooms,” he added. “We have a lot of exam rooms so people won’t ever have to wait too long.”
Boarding services will also be offered at the hospital, but primarily for animals that need medical care.
“Medical boarding is the niche we want to stick with,” Hernandez said.
Liberty Hill Animal Hospital is located at 13100 W. SH 29. For more information, visit libertyhillah.com.
