YOLO SPOTLIGHT - Keith rode

Mild mannered saver of animals by day, acting phenom by night? That would be Dr. Keith Rode!

Keith Rode, co-owner of Woodland Veterinary Hospital (WVH), is Napa born and raised. While attending UC Davis for undergraduate school and veterinary school, he met his wife, Jen, and they enjoyed the area so much that they decided to stay after graduating.

Woodland Vet Hospital opened in 1975 and was eventually purchased by Dr. Bruce Dennie in 1996. It originally was housed in the small building just south of the current facility. Dr. Dennie built the new building in 2000 and then enlarged the facility to include boarding and training space. He was the sole owner of the practice until 2012 when Drs. Ellie Johnson and Keith Rode joined him as part of the ownership team (Keith actually began working as a vet at WVH in 2006). The new doctors learned the art of running the business while working at the practice and eventually took over just recently.

The COVID19 pandemic made running a business more interesting and has required different ways of accomplishing things, but it has also forced business owners to make smarter choices that will help in the future.

Image provided by KLJ Studios

FUN FACT #1

Not surprisingly, Keith was a studious “nerd” in high school, loved science and always loved animals. He also enjoyed being in the choir and carried his high school love of music to singing in the UCD University chorus and was in an a capella group as an undergrad. He always liked going to the theater and his family is now very active in the historic Woodland Opera House, with son Noah being a breakout star during his last minute role in A Christmas Story and in Aristocats and daughter Abigail earning a role in the junior productions of Frozen Junior and Aristocats. Keith is also burnishing his stage creds with his walk on role in Elf at the Opera House and a role in A Christmas Story.

FUN FACT #2

With the addition of new vets at the hospital Keith is finally able to find more personal time such as coaching his son’s baseball team and becoming even more involved in the community. (As well as his stage debut as previously mentioned.) Keith firmly believes in the importance of being a supporter of community groups and is active with Rotary and other organizations. This commitment extends to professional groups as well, an important way to keep up with new advances in his field. Keith is also President of the California Veterinary Medical Association serving for one year. For the future, one bucket list item is to be on stage for a role in Les Miserables.

FUN FACT #3

Being accepted to UCD Veterinary School was extremely hard, but very gratifying. The class size was only 120 and there were 800 applicants. Keith explains there are more women entering the field now than ever before. In his class, only 20 of the 120 were men. He has said that if you go down the hall at the department at UCD that showcases the class photos you can see the ever-increasing number of women over the years in each class. Keith also reads a lot and loves to travel. The most unique place he has been is in central Africa for an externship. He has also travelled to Seoul, Australia, New Zealand, and northern Europe. Very infrequently, he is able to fit in a round of golf.

WHAT IS GOING ON AT WOODLAND VET HOSPITAL?

1.       The start of the pandemic in March of 2020 really hit home for most businesses, creating an abrupt change in the way things are done. Considered an essential business, the hospital was able to remain open but had to make many adjustments. It didn’t take long for the national veterinary organization to develop protocols to keep pet owners and staff safe, such as masking during all contact, frequent cleaning and sanitizing (something already in their repertoire), and curbside drop off and pick up for all clients. It’s been easier since things have opened up over the past year or so and things are almost back to normal but there a larger volume of clients needing services. They set up a phone tree to triage calls (something Keith doesn’t prefer, but concedes is a necessary evil right now) and still offer curbside service for those who prefer it, as many people found it fits their needs. End of life services were allowed from the beginning and clients were always allowed in for this sad, but vital service. Clients actually liked some of the changes.

2.       Keith loves being an independent business. It allows them to be a big part of the community and he loves the idea of being able to help your pets from puppy (or kitten) hood through their final days. So many vets have sold to corporations and Keith likes to see businesses remain local if possible. He particularly enjoys the cooperative attitude amongst the area’s veterinarians because they all help each other out by finding appointment times or exchanging the use of equipment as needed. While the pandemic changed many things, some of the new policies and innovations changed things for the better and they will maintain those items going forward.

3.       There really is no typical day in the life of a veterinarian. Keith sees appointments in the morning then does procedures (teeth cleaning, spay and neuter, etc.), then sees appointments again in the afternoon. The most crucial thing is to remain flexible. Keith has found from experience, personal as well as professional, that the end of a pet’s life is the hardest time for everyone and is the most difficult decision a pet owner must make. Keith firmly believes your pet’s last day should be a good day. It is a delicate subject and needs to be handled with the utmost grace and dignity for all concerned.

While many people were delighted by the shelters having record numbers of pets being adopted during 2020, the down side is that many pets were not able to be properly socialized when everyone was home, working and/or in quarantine. And, sadly, many pets are ending up in the shelters again when people are going back to work at the office and their pets haven’t been trained to adjust to being home alone for periods of time. Before giving up on your pet, try finding a good trainer and see if both you and your pet can make the necessary adjustments for a happy life together.

On a lighter note, you can also catch Keith on Tuesday nights at Blue Note trying his hand at the weekly trivia challenge. Play some trivia, grab some local beverages, win-win!