1. Jodi Wiktorowski, Eugene Animal Hospital, 1432 Orchard St. 541-342-1178, EugeneAnimal.com.
2. Kristina Garretson, VCA Delta Oaks Animal Hospital, 1020 Green Acres Road. 541-345-7970, VCAHospitals.com.
3. Cameron Jones, Amazon Park Animal Clinic, 725 E. 25th Ave. 541-485-0161.
It’s been one day since a patient last pooped in the lobby. The record is 21 days, a true feat for any veterinary clinic, and one that Eugene Animal Hospital displays on its walls with pride.
This is the second year that Eugene Weekly’s Best Veterinarian category focused on individual providers rather than clinics, and it’s the second year that Dr. Jodi Wiktorowski has won. “That has been the best reward for me,” Wiktorowski says, “because it’s coming from the community. That means I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do, taking care of the animals.”
Wiktorowski knew she wanted to be a veterinarian from a young age, she says, when her neighbors would bring her baby birds or give her a call when their cat was limping. By the time she finished high school, Wiktorowski already had her wildlife rehabilitation license.
Although Eugene Animal Hospital says it has been around for 80s years,, Wiktorowski didn’t take sole ownership until 2015. She’d always wanted to own her own clinic, she says, so when the business went on the market, she jumped on the opportunity.
“I worked in every position, and I wanted to be able to have a business that was a team that treated the staff the way they should,” Wiktorowski says. “I can’t do my job if I don’t have a good staff. Each of those members are just as important as me.”
The trust the clinicians have in one another is apparent in their joint ownership of Jessica the clinic bird. Jessica was brought in by PetCo when she fell ill, and went back to the store following her rehabilitation, Wiktorowski says. However, everyone working at Eugene Animal Hospital kept visiting the bird at the chain store until they finally adopted her as a collective. Now Jessica can be seen riding on techs’ shoulders or snuggled up in hoods as they work in the back rooms.
The care Wiktorowski shows her own animals, including Jessica, is not dissimilar to the care she shows her patients — and their owners.
“I think you have to really pay attention to the needs of the owner as well as the animal,” she says, “because that’s where it comes down to. If you can figure out what they need to take care of their pet and help them with that, then that’s doing the right job.” — Emma J Nelson
This story has been updated.