Rich Armstrong: healing arts for our furry friends

By Phyl Newbeck

A son of the south, veterinarian Rich Armstrong moved to Vermont in 2000 and has never looked back. He and his wife Kristin Haas, also a veterinarian, were living and working in Virginia, roughly 60 miles outside of Washington, D.C., when they felt the urge to escape the suburban sprawl. They interviewed at practices across the country from Tallahassee to aOregon, but were intrigued by Vermont. “Neither one of us had ties to the state,” Armstrong said “but something about Vermont just rang true. We visited over the July 4 holiday and got to experience Vermont at a wonderful time.”

Armstrong happily settled into work at the Animal Hospital of Hinesburg where he is now one of the owning partners. Kristin worked at another facility but is now the State Veterinarian at the Agency of Agriculture. A combination of factors led Armstrong to his current profession. “Love for animals is an obvious reason,” he said “but I was also interested in the healing arts. I considered medical school for a short time but with my interest in animals, this seemed like a good fit.”

Armstrong cares about all his patients, but the ones he finds the most rewarding are those who seem to understand what he’s doing. “They know we’re trying to help and they are so cooperative,” he said. “We get energy from that kind of patient and they become so affectionate when they’re feeling better, purring or wagging their tales. That’s so rewarding.” Of late, Armstrong has developed an interest in laser surgery for animals, crediting colleague Kurt Kenney for bringing a machine into the practice. “It’s really helpful,” said Armstrong. “In most cases it’s a bloodless, faster surgery. We have evidence that it’s less painful because, in layman’s terms, it seals the nerves.”

Armstrong went to school in the musical mecca of Athens, Ga. which may explain why in his spare time you’ll find him on drums in a Burlington-based band called Chasing Days which plays original rock and roll. “I’m by far the oldest band member,” he said. “They’re very nice to keep me around.”

Three dogs and two cats share the Hinesburg home where Armstrong resides with his wife. “I like dogs because they are so transparent with their emotions,” he said. “It’s very rare that you don’t know what a dog is feeling. Body language is so obvious.” By contrast, Armstrong enjoys cats because it’s a more of a challenge to understand them. “I like the mystery of cats,” he said. “I like their beauty, their grace, and their smaller size.”

One of the issues veterinarians face is trying to achieve a balance between what will help the patient and what will help the client in terms of cost. “There is this perception that veterinarians are very expensive,” Armstrong noted “but people often don’t see the full picture. Sometimes I don’t get home until 10pm and we all lose sleep over some cases. It’s a tough balance to serve the people as well as the animals. We all struggle to walk that line.”