Vet starts practice after seeing need in local area

JEFF GRANIT staff Dr. Steven E. Hornstein and Carolyn Miller examine Pagoda, a 4-year-old domestic shorthair, at the Monroe Animal Hospital, which has begun seeing patients at its Prospect Plains Road office. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for May 12. MONROE - Dr. Steven E. Hornstein jokes that it's "a long, complicated story" as to why he decided to go into veterinary medicine.

"I was 5 years of age, and I went to the veterinarian with my parents, and I decided right then and there that's what I wanted to do with my life. I've never changed my mind since then," he said.

Hornstein, who grew up in Marlboro with pets that included dogs, "occasional wild animals that we found that needed help," ferrets and fish, has followed his dream ever since. That dream has landed him in Monroe, where he has just opened the Monroe Animal Hospital at 179 Prospect Plains Road.

The new office is the result of a lot of hard work on Hornstein's part. A 1996 graduate of theMichigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, where he was a founding member of the Canine Club and was inducted as a member of the veterinary honor society Phi Zeta, Hornstein has worked at the Cranbury Veterinary Hospital in East Brunswick and more recently at the Englewood Animal Hospital in Englewood.

Over time, he and his wife Dana, who have two children, ages 4 and 5, decided they wanted to move back to the area, where Hornstein said there was a need for veterinary care.

"It's not too far from where I grew up," he said of Monroe, "and there's a large need for veterinarians in this area.Alot of residents actually told me that some of them are driving 20-25 minutes for veterinary care. So, it seems like a good fit."

The practice opened after the Hornsteins bought and substantially renovated an existing house - the process of which is captured with many photos on the hospital's Web site, www.monroevet.net.

"It was owned by Nancy Chamberlain. Alot of people know it as the Chamberlain house. She and her husband lived here for 60 years," Hornstein said.

Hornstein began seeing patients on April 26, though an official ribbon-cutting will take place withMayor Richard Pucci at 3:30 p.m. May 12.

Hornstein, who in March was named president of the 1,600-member New Jersey Veterinary Medicine Association, said the hospital provides comprehensive health care for pets. Hismain areas of interest are anesthesia, pain management and dentistry. He noted that the office has a fully stocked pharmacy, and the ability to conduct blood tests in house to get answers quickly on seriously ill animals.

He also made note of the hospital's paperless records system, and the fact that both regular and dental X-rays are digital.

"It's more efficient," he said of the paperless system. "It eliminates any questions about handwriting. It allows formore rapid transfer of records if the need arises. With digital X-rays, there are a couple selling points. One, it's almost instantaneous, so there's no need for chemicals, which could be damaging the environment. There's no need for a dark room.Also, the digital X-ray systems use less radiation than traditional X-ray machines, so there's less radiation to the animals that are being X-rayed and the quality of the image is vastly superior too."

Hornstein also commented on his employees.

"I think I have a wonderful, compassionate and caring staff," he said.

Among them, in time, will be Dana Hornstein, who will function as practice manager and bookkeeper once the family completes its move to the area, he said.

More information about the practice, the facility and the staff are available on the Web site. The office can be reached at (609) 655-1717.

Hornstein said he is happy to be back in his native area, doing what he loves.

"It's quite exciting. It's an opportunity that I'm really enjoying, having the ability to provide high-level veterinary medical care to a new area really is something that excites me," he said.

- Brian Donahue