On the night of January 20th, 2025, during a bitter cold snap, a water pipe burst in the Stewart Building at the University of Guelph, flooding the Ontario Veterinary College’s Health Sciences Centre and causing major damage to the Large Animal Hospital (LAH). Both operating suites and all five recovery and induction rooms had to be shuttered — and currently remain closed.
For over a century, the LAH at the OVC has provided life-saving care to thousands of equine and bovine patients in distress. It is also the only hospital in Ontario offering 24/7 emergency care for horses. Following the flood, staff moved medical supplies and equipment to set up a surgery suite in a nearby research building and by Jan. 23rd, clinicians were called in to operate on a horse in critical condition. However, most non-emergency patients have had to be turned away.
University donor relations manager Cynthia Fobert estimated the cost of renovating the five surgery prep and recovery rooms at approximately $500,000 — around $100,000 per room. “Any equipment damaged in the flood, including all donor-funded equipment like the high-tech dispensary received through the Caird F. Wilson Estate, will be replaced through insurance,” she added.
The renovation project is taking place over the summer, but it hinges on external funding. “We have had some donor interest [which] gives us some confidence to move forward.” She notes that the timing for these upgrades is actually perfect. “If we were ever going to do these renovations to the induction/recovery rooms, this would be the time, when the surgeries are closed. We would have to do the project piece-meal and at greater cost otherwise. Also, the noise would be disruptive for our patients.”
Dr. Luis Gaitero, Chief Medical Officer, emphasized the urgency in a recent fundraising letter: “Funded on a cost-recovery basis, the Large Animal Hospital has suffered a substantial loss of income — not covered by insurance or a cash-strapped university — and it will be months before the facility returns to full operation. Undoubtedly, after more than 35 years without substantial renovation, the LAH is also overdue for significant upgrades. But with resources stretched thin, the prospect of rebuilding something better during this crisis is out of reach for us unless you answer this call. For the first time in a very long time, the Large Animal Hospital is asking for your help.
“However, this unprecedented closure of the operating suites at OVC’s Large Animal Hospital presents an extraordinary opportunity: the chance to renovate all five worn and outdated surgery prep and recovery rooms at once. Upgrading our facilities while the hospital is substantially closed allows us to capitalize on rare efficiencies, reducing costs in time, money, and disruption.
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