The Cooke Difference

Dr. Denette Cooke opened The Cooke Veterinary Medical Center in 2002 and designed the facility to be patient and client centric. The mission being to minimize the stress of our patients while also providing a concierge level of customer and medical service. We strive to consistently create an exceptional environment of healing and ensure both patients and their owners have the best possible experience at our medical center. We don’t overschedule so we can offer each patient our undivided attention to solve the medical problems presented in a state of the art, relaxed, friendly and caring environment. “It’s different here” is not just a tag line. We actually live by it!!

HOW is it different here?

Checking In/Out – Typically, we assign clients a spacious exam room immediately upon their scheduled arrival to help limit the usual waiting room struggle with multiple pet owners and multiple pets. Our goal is to create a safe and relaxed environment for all pets, clients, and staff. When your visit is done, we will process your payment in the exam room so that you can leave directly from there and not have to navigate the checkout process at the front desk.

Exam Times – ”Get ‘em in and get ‘em out” is not our style. The Cooke Veterinary Medical Center schedules longer exam times to allow time to thoroughly examine patients, answer client questions, and discuss treatment options that are best for both the pet and the client. Medical visits should not be “quick fixes”, We don’t just treat the symptoms without identifying and addressing the source and root causation of the problem. Our focus is on true preventative medicine that includes a whole pet mind, body, and spirit approach.

Surgery Standards – We utilize only the highest standards regarding surgery, including; monitoring blood pressure, monitoring heart rate, monitoring and regulating body temperature, IV catheters, fluids, pain management, and maximizing patient comfort, before, during and after surgery. We focus on an individual surgery for that day, as opposed to scheduling multiple surgeries each day. This allows us to closely monitor our patient before, during and after a surgery. Absolutely no cutting corners here, ever!

Western & Eastern Medicine – Often the best approach to healing is a mixture of both Western and Eastern medicine and modalities. In many situations, using a combination of drugs, surgery, Chinese herbals, dietary changes, and acupuncture/chiropractic manipulation will often produce better results than limiting your options to just one or the other. Dr. Cooke is certified in veterinary acupuncture from the Chi Institute of Chinese Medicine, an affiliate of University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, and has successfully integrated Eastern medicine modalities into the treatment options available at our center. Your pet will receive the very best of BOTH worlds here,

Excellent Staff – A large part of our success can be directly attributed to the level of care and time that our staff offers to both pets and pet owners. We are proud to have a tenured core staff of well trained, highly skilled, compassionate people, who have deep rooted passions for caring for and helping animals.

Our Facility – The Cooke Veterinary Medical Center’s hospital was designed with pet and pet owner comfort in mind. Most of our spacious exam rooms have great natural light with large windows, large dog kennels with front glass doors and a private hospitalization “visitation suite” for our clients to sit and relax with their sick or injured pet. These are a few things that set us apart from other veterinary centers. Our hospital is also kept immaculately clean. Reducing the amount of animal smell allows pets to be more relaxed in our facility.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment and to learn more about why we are ‘The Place for Healing’. We are conveniently located in Chesapeake, Virginia, which is central to Southside Hampton Roads and Northeastern North Carolina.

Missed Appointment Policy —

Our goal is to provide world class veterinary medical care in a timely manner. When you book your appointment, you have reserved a treatment room, the doctors time and the time of our licensed veterinary medical staff specifically for the treatment of your pet.

No-shows, last minute cancellations and late arrivals prohibit us from helping other animals requiring medical attention by leaving the appointment slot reserved for you and your pet empty.

A missed appointment is when you fail to show up for your scheduled appointment without a phone call, or cancel without at least 24-hours’ notice.

As a courtesy to help prevent this, we provide reminder calls/emails/texts before your appointment which ask you to re-confirm your appointment.

There will be a $41.50 charge if you do not show up for your scheduled appointment and have not called the hospital with a 24-hour notice to cancel. We will send a link for payment or place this charge on your account. This will need to be paid prior to booking future appointments. If this happens more than 3 times in a six-month period you may be asked to pre pay for future appointments.

Thank you for your cooperation in assisting us in helping as many pets in need as we possibly can.

 In Service,

The Doctors and staff of The Cooke Veterinary Medical Center