HOURS / PHONE / WHAT WE DO

Our name "Farmhouse Vet" comes from our building's history. It was once a farm with horses, cattle, and a red "farmhouse." We are today a full service VETERINARY HOSPITAL for DOGS, CATS and EXOTIC animals and is operated as family business run by. . .
Dr. Michael L. Widener
Farmhouse Family Pet Practice!

What We See . . .

We see SMALL ANIMAL SPECIES ONLY especially DOGS AND CATS with 30+ years experience. We also see EXOTIC SMALL MAMMAL species including: CHINCHILLAS, FERRETS, RATS, HAMSTERS, RABBITS, GUINEA PIGS, and SUGAR GLIDERS. We see a variety of AVIAN psitticine species including Amazons, Conures, African Greys, Senegals, Cockatoos, Macaws, Cockatiels, Budgies, Love Birds, Quakers and more. We see POULTRY like CHICKENS, DUCKS and GEESE. Included in our exotic animal species repertoire are MINI PIGS like the Juliana and other mini pig varieties for routine exams and non-surgical care. We also see LAND TURTLES (tortoises) like Russian Tortoises, but not water turtles. WILD ANIMALS such as opossums, raccoons, squirrels, and wild rabbits are occasionally seen at FVH, but almost always direct you to licensed wild animal care facilities for their rehabilitation.
REGARDING ALL SPECIES ABOVE: NOTE: We see all the animals listed above for medicine and surgery, however there are certain procedures and surgeries we do not do for various reasons including THE DOCTOR'S ALLERGIES, or complexity, experience, logistics. iN THESE CASES WE WILL REFER TO SPECIALISTS AT OTHER FACILITIES TO ASSIST YOU such as BLUE PEARL IN TACOMA, OR THE AVIAN AND EXOTIC CLINICS in Tacoma or SEATTLE, WHO HAVE BOARDED SPECIALISTS TO ASSIST YOU with YOUR EXOTIC PETS NEEDS.
We do not see : feeder pigs, horses, sheep, goats, cattle or other large farm animals. For these animals please contact your local large Animal Veterinarian.

Who We Are . . .

We are a privately owned FAMILY RUN full service Small Animal and Exotic Pet Veterinary Hospital with Doctor Michael L. Widener. We offer ALL THE MAJOR SERVICES large practices do with the rare ADVANTAGE OF SEEING ONE DOCTOR CONSISTENTLY. We place an emphasis on education, doctor time, and personal approach in our doctor-patient-client relationships unique and beyond what many corporate, large multi doctor, or consortium of practices do.
Dr. Widener is owner, operator and Principle Veterinarian at Farmhouse Veterinary Hospital (FVH) aka Farmhouse Family Pet Practice since 1994 for canine, feline and exotic animal medicine and surgery.

What We Do . . .

SURGERY : Full Spectrum Surgical Experience including select Spay-Neuter, Wounds, ophthalmic, tumor-cancer, etc..
MEDICINE: All Systems Medicine - Ear, Eye, Cardio, Urology, Gastrointestinal, Respiratory, Dermatology, Neurology, etc..
DENTISTRY and ORAL CARE: surgery, ultrasonic cleaning, extractions, polishing, sealants - doctor performed.
ALLERGY AND SKIN : Treatment for dermatology conditions and allergies.
BOARDING: FELINE and certain Exotic pets only.
VETERINARY SERVICES : All Routine and Select Veterinary Services, and Care - nail trims, vaccines, anal glands, beak trims, microchips, health certificates, lion cuts, etc.
PHARMACY and PRESCRIPTION DIETS : All Major Medications, Foods, and products either in stock or by prescription.
EMERGENCY CARE: Three nearby Emergency Clinic choices for 24 hour emergency coverage.
MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS: X-RAY, ZOETIS REFERENCE LABOROTORY, Avian Diagnostic Laboratory, etc..
CONSULTATIONS / REFERRAL: All VETERINARY SPECIALISTS - Oncology, Internal med, Orthopedic, Derm, Eye, etc.
PARTNERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS - CONCERN FOR ANIMALS, ANIMAL SERVICES, THURSTON COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY

What Makes Us Different . . .

In addition to the advantage of SEEING ONE DOCTOR CONSISTENTLY, we uniquely present to each client and pet a warm at home feel ambiance that may RELIEVES STRESS and FEAR for pets. Sometimes this is difficult to achieve in large multi-doctor facilities.
At Farmhouse Vet Hospital we emphasize CLIENT EDUCATION with more time afforded our client visits than is usually accommodated in some veterinary hospitals.
We take a Step by Step approach to medical practice using modern state of art techniques and medications. This approach may save on financial resources that can extend quality of care diagnostics and services. Always discuss your medical approach in detail for your pet's care with your doctor and feel free to ask any questions.
Difficult decisions are often needed to be made in the practice of medicine and we will often use NATURE as a guide to quality of life and decision making. By using the template of nature, many of these difficult decisions are often made easier, better understood and accepted. This is one our philosophical approaches to our practice designed to maximize patient well being and quality of life.
We do not advertise our being a holistic clinic, neither do we practice acupuncture or Chinese medicine. However we do employ some naturapathic, holistic medicines and techniques when proven effective by science based evidence as part of our full service practice spectrum and armamentarium.
We strive to keep costs down all the while providing the best quality medical care whenever we can. If you go to more than one practice then you know that practices like people are all different, and so too are their prices. Although we are not a low price discount clinic, keeping costs manageable while providing up to date exceptional care is always our goal.
What is perhaps most unique about FVH is our Doctor. FVH employs one doctor, but whether you have one doctor or 10 in a facility, it is the one doctor you see that counts most, not the size of the building or the number of doctors and techs employed. For more information about Dr. Widener and his Practice Philosophy - see page 2 of this website. Also see page 2 for our QUIZ & QUESTIONS to see how you do on general knowledge. For our "Where the Heart Is" Photo Gallery see page 3 of this website.
As a single doctor practice our appointments fill up fast and also as a single doctor practice we cannot be open 24/7, but we do our best to schedule you when your pet is in need often quicker than some multi-doctor practices are able to do.

Quotes: We rarely provide quotes over the phone other than for basic exam and office fees, vaccine costs, and select procedures, etc. because quotes many times cannot be accurately provided without an examination. People may not understand the medical variations in animals such as age factors, risk factors, or the need for diagnostics or additional diagnostics, health status or condition of a pet. An examination is almost always needed for accurate quotes. Even simple things like how much is a rabbit neuter can vary depending on physical issues and status. Many clinics will give ranges in quotes from the low to the high especially for dentistry when it is nearly impossible to know accurately the oral and teeth conditions present prior to anesthesia. We strongly encourage you make an appointment to accurately determine your pets needs when you need to know in advance your total costs. This means you must first establish care at one of many hospitals in our region. When a veterinarian has established care and is familiar with your pet, he or she can more accurately quote you. While we consider our costs competitive as compared to other facilities in our area, we are not a "low cost" facility. If this is what you are looking for there are several available in our area and in Tacoma.

The following are some of the animals at Farmhouse Vet: