Gunnison’s newest emergency vet, opened in November, is run by Gunnison local Darby Sullivan. Once known for her mobile large animal practice, Sullivan says this new space is for animals of all sizes, emergency or regular visit.
Sullivan moved to the valley in 1976 when she was just 11 years old, busing from Crested Butte to Gunnison every day for school. She had always been fascinated by horses, even purchasing a government adopted mustang just a year after moving to the valley. The horse lived in the valley until its death at 31.
After graduating from Colorado State University with a bachelor’s in Equine Sciences in 1988 and CSU vet school in 1993, Sullivan moved to Nebraska for work. A few years there and she was pulled back to the Western Slope of Colorado, working at Town and Country, now Mountain Legacy, for five years, and then at a homeopathic vet in Montrose for four.
Sullivan eventually settled back in the valley, opening Rocky Mountain Veterinary Service in 2003, then as a strictly mobile practice, working mainly on larger animals.
Now brick and mortar, Sullivan is ecstatic to help animals of all sizes. The transition to a physical clinic has allowed Rocky Mountain Veterinary Service to significantly upgrade its capabilities. The clinic provides anything from vaccines, to surgical work and even end-of-life services.
“Since I didn’t have a building I couldn’t do a lot of those small animal emergencies before, but now we have all that and there’s two of us,” said Sullivan, referring to Mandy Doolittle, another CSU vet school alumni who graduated with her Doctor of Veterinary Science just last year. Doolittle grew up on a farm in northeastern Colorado, working with livestock and cultivating a love for animals.
Sullivan noted that the majority of the animals she sees are still larger, horses and cattle, because she can’t shake her old reputation.
While her mobile practice served the large animal community effectively for two decades, the permanent location offers stability and a central hub for all services.
Rocky Mountain Veterinary Services provides 24 hour emergency service.
“We’d love for people to come take a tour of the facility,” said Sullivan, hoping to get the community as involved as possible, and remind folks that she’s no longer strictly mobile.
Sullivan stressed that people in the Gunnison valley seem to treat their animals differently than anywhere else she’s worked.
“We have very well educated, caring pet owners that are willing to treat their animals appropriately.” She attributes that to ranching culture that is ingrained deeply into the community. People are more educated, and more willing to treat their animals with care. Community members seem to be more empathetic towards their livestock, as many ranches are a cow-calf operation, meaning they want to keep the animals as healthy as possible so they can continue to produce more cattle.
“We would love to help more small animals in the valley,” Sullivan said. “We’re completely equipped.”
Rocky Mountain Veterinary Services is located at 1705 Highway 135 in Gunnison.
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