Frosted Faces Foundation opens new veterinary clinic at rescue

Older pets face a number of barriers to adoption, with one of the biggest being the increasing cost of veterinary care. 

Frosted Faces Foundation — a nonprofit rescue dedicated to helping senior pets and the people who love them — has taken a step to remove that obstacle with the Sept. 6 opening of their Community Veterinary Center.

Located at the organization’s facility at 1448 Pine St., the center provides a number of free services to those animals adopted from Frosted Faces. 

“By reducing financial burdens, including vet care, Frosted Faces makes it possible for more families to welcome senior pets into their homes, keeping them healthy, happy and loved,” said Kelly Smisek, chief executive officer and co-founder, along with her husband, Andrew Smisek, who is chief operating officer.

“This clinic is not just about rescuing pets — it’s really about keeping families together and ensuring senior pets receive the specialized care they deserve.”

The full-service clinic provides wellness exams, vaccines, bloodwork, cytologies, X-rays, ultrasounds, soft tissue, dental and orthopedic surgeries, integrative therapies and critical care. 

“We get to do things in-house that a general vet practice might refer to another clinic,” said Neil Russell, chief medical officer and one of two veterinarians at Frosted Faces. “The job is unique in that we’re not having to withhold services because of financial situations and no one is paying for it except the supporters of Frosted Faces.”

Russell received his doctorate in veterinary medicine from the Royal Veterinary College in London, where he was born and raised. He has been working in the states for the past eight years. 

He said he loves all aspects of vet medicine, and especially enjoys ultrasound, dermatology and preventative healthcare. One of his favorite parts of having the new clinic, he said, is the continuity it affords the dogs and the volunteers.

“Since all the dogs pass through the clinic — any new intakes receive their initial exam here — it’s not scary for the animals,” Russell said. “And although we are here initially for the dogs, in a big way it’s a service to the community of people who might not otherwise be able to have a dog or care for one.”

When not working at the clinic, Russell enjoys traveling with his wife, Jenn, also a veterinarian working in marine animal rescue and rehabilitation and their daughter, Sadie. 

Kelly Smisek said in the beginning, they never imagined they would be able to open their own vet clinic in conjunction with the rescue.

“We wanted to partner with a clinic that would offer deep discounts to the animals,” she said. 

But Smisek said some of the local vet clinics they were using showed them the expenses and demand for care the Frosted Faces pets needed while noting that the rescue animals competed with privately owned pets for appointments, and suggested they consider opening up their own clinic. 

The Smiseks started the long permit process for a clinic in 2020, after opening six years prior.

“We didn’t have any idea what it would cost, but after talking to various contractors, we thought $800,000 would be appropriate and we built around that budget,” Kelly Smisek said, adding they wanted to “stretch the donor dollars” and funds raised for the project. 

Five years later, she said, “We didn’t stray much over that budget.”  

“Now that all the vet care is on site, we’re spending the same amount of funds but seeing double the patients and providing three times the number of tests,” she said. 

The clinic has all the lab machines, medications and supplies as a standard clinic, as well as an X-ray and ultrasound machine. 

“Last year, we believe we have saved more than $1 million in medical costs, and over the years have also grown our team’s understanding and management of both common and uncommon senior animal ailments,” Andrew Smisek said.  

In 2024, he estimated the rescue provided 5,848 exams, took 1,506 X-rays, completed 842 senior blood panels and performed 441 surgeries, ranging from mass removals to splenectomies. 

Two full-time veterinarians work at the clinic, along with five veterinary technicians and two full-time interns. The clinic also relies on the help of four volunteers, who “all work in the medical field in their real jobs,” she said. 

Appointments at the new clinic are handled similar to a regular clinic, Kelly Smisek said, with cases triaged based on which dogs are the most sick. Hours are Mondays to Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with three days a week dedicated to surgeries. 

Free medical care isn’t anything new at Frosted Faces, which has been providing comprehensive annual exams, diagnostics, chronic illness management, dental work and soft tissue surgeries for the past 11 years at no charge.

Although the medical services were originally done at various veterinary offices throughout the years, since 2021, many vet services took place at a bedroom-turned-veterinary clinic on the rescue grounds.

Years ago, when she worked at an animal rescue shelter as a foster coordinator, Kelly Smisek said she always wanted the senior dogs to get out of the kennels. 

“No one wants to see the old dogs in kennels when they’ve had loving homes before,” she said. 

Their advanced age, increased medical care and sometimes their special needs often prevented these dogs from easily finding homes.

At Frosted Faces, Smisek said they average 50 dogs on site at any given time and the rescue plans to continue to break down the barriers that prevent senior pets from finding their forever homes. So far this year, they’ve placed 800 dogs.

“We’re very proud and very grateful to have a beautiful clinic, built by donors and people who believe in what we do,” she said. 

But she points out the veterinary work does require funds. She also hopes more people will donate and get involved with any of the rescue’s programs aimed at helping senior animals and their owners, she said.

“Having the clinic is a feeling of relief but also brings a new set of responsibilities, which brings more excitement than pressure. The vet services are having an impact now and we look forward to all the things we haven’t even started yet,” she said.

Frosted Faces Foundation offers drop-in adoption hours Mondays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., as well as Open House and tours on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, visit: frostedfacesfoundation.org, 1448 Pine St, or call 858-304-02024.