Flagstaff Featured Business: Iron Creek Veterinary Hospital
(as published in the August 7 edition of The Community Press)
The Flagstaff Region Featured Business is a monthly newspaper and web feature presented in partnership by Flagstaff County and The Community Press.
Iron Creek Veterinary Hospital
8 Spruce Dr.,
Sedgewick, Alberta
780-384-0003
From farm animals such as horses and cows to the family dog or cat and “everything in between” – including the occasional rabbit and pot-bellied pig – doctors and staff at the Iron Creek Veterinary Hospital treat a wide array of patients.
The selection of services available is even more diverse than the clientele: surgery, digital radiology, ultrasound, medicine, in-house lab work (blood, urinalysis and culture), advanced anesthesia, dental treatments, and dog grooming and boarding.
The Sedgewick-based vet hospital even stocks a large range of pet food and various cattle and equine supplies.
“We like to offer very thorough care because we are so far out into the country,” explains Dr. Evelyn Duplain, co-owner of the Iron Creek Veterinary Hospital with husband Dr. Jarrett Ferrier.
“We try to make sure that we provide as many services as possible in this rural environment so people don’t have to go to the city as often. We’ve done that through sometimes bringing in referral surgeons. We have a great in-house lab, ultrasound and X-ray machines, so that we can provide all levels of care to our clients.”
The couple opened their mixed animal practice in 2013.
For Jarrett, who grew up on his family’s farm south of Sedgewick, it was an opportunity to return to his roots. The Sedgewick school grad studied at the University of Alberta for three years and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon – where he and Evelyn met – for four years before honing his vet skills for a combined 11 years in Wetaskiwin and Camrose.
Meanwhile, Evelyn, raised on a market garden and bedding plant farm in Red Deer, studied at Red Deer College and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, before honing her vet skills in Leduc and Camrose.
“Evelyn and I were both at a stage where we were starting our family and decided that Flagstaff would be a great place to raise a family and start a business,” Jarrett says.
Unlike the complexities of some of the issues they deal with, their business goal has been simple and straightforward from the start: to provide professional, compassionate care in everything they do.
“We always want to provide the best products and the best services,” Jarrett notes. “We want to make sure that people feel we are compassionate and caring, and that they trust us and our opinions.”
Evelyn adds: “The main goal is to provide compassionate care and to support the community. We want to just really be part of the community and just really offer great care that our clients deserve, even though we are so far out from the centre.”
The husband-and-wife vet team employs two other doctors, four technicians, one receptionist and one dog groomer. Throughout the year, they also take on high school students and veterinary students.
Jarrett refers to the team as “highly driven, highly motivated, compassionate and caring.”
Evelyn agrees: “Our people are great. You know, just from the moment the clients walk through the door, they’re greeted by warm, friendly staff, to the moment that they’re being checked out with somebody, making sure that they understand what’s been done, and understand the course that is to proceed, and that if they have any concerns that they can call back and there’s follow-up.”
Both owners also agree that the community has been incredibly supportive – for which Jarrett and Evelyn are truly grateful.
“It’s such a supportive environment,” Evelyn says. “We’ve found through all aspects of life here in the county that the community is just so strong and so supportive.”
For more information on the Iron Creek Veterinary Hospital, watch the video and full feature below, visit www.ironcreekvet.ca and find “ironcreekvet” on Facebook and Instagram.
As published in the August 7 edition of The Community Press – on newsstands today. Never miss an issue, become a SUBSCRIBER today!
The Flagstaff Region Featured Business is a monthly newspaper and web feature presented in partnership by Flagstaff County and The Community Press. For more information, contact Jenalee Blackhurst, Economic Development Coordinator, at 780-384-4152.
