Bluegrass Veterinary Specialists began as a vision. Dr. Antu Radhakrishnan, Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, saw the need to create a state-of-the-art regional referral center for small animals where services would be provided by board certified specialists. Prior to the formation of Bluegrass Veterinary Specialists in 2005, there were no board-certified small animal veterinary internal medicine specialists in Lexington. If a dog or cat needed a referral, pet owners had to travel to Louisville or Cincinnati.
Initially, the referral practice operated out of a remodeled 800 square foot section of Sheabel Animal Medical Center. As a referral-based business, general veterinary practitioners refer patients to the practice. Patient follow-up care is coordinated with the referring veterinarian and all general care continues to be provided by the primary referring veterinarian.
The practice quickly outgrew its space. In January 2008, Dr. Radhakrishnan approached the Bluegrass Small Business Development Center for assistance in developing a business plan and financial projections for the business expansion. Ultimately a loan package was created that was submitted to Commerce Lexington’s Access Loan Program.
Through the assistance of the Access Loan Program, Dr. Radhakrishnan was connected with local lenders. The professional and experienced staff of the SBDC enabled Dr. Radhakrishnan to create a complete, customized, and ultimately successful business proposal. The Access Loan Program simplified and expedited the ordinarily inefficient, time-consuming “loan shopping” process by providing a “one-stop loan shop” opportunity for Dr. Radhakrishnan to present his proposal to multiple lenders at one sitting. In the fast paced world of business, the SBDC and Access Loan Program provided Dr. Radhakrishnan with invaluable guidance and time management opportunities.
Today, Bluegrass Veterinary Specialists operates out of a 3,600 square foot hospital located at 1591 Winchester Road, Suite 106. The focus of the practice continues to be individualized, progressive care with an emphasis on minimally invasive diagnostics and procedures. Internal medicine services include evaluation of any and all internal organ systems, oncology evaluation and treatment, endoscopy, rhinoscopy, bronchoscopy, cystoscopy, laparoscopy, stent placement, and laser ablation. The hospital provides 24-hour care for all of its hospitalized patients. The hospital also offers board- certified specialty veterinary care in surgery and dermatology and will be offering I-131 treatments for hyperthyroid cats in the next few months.