When Jennifer Hufnagle and Kristy Bledsoe opened Furdunkin, they set out to revolutionize veterinary care for pets and owners. Located just outside Lancaster City, Furdunkin offers mobile veterinary care, urgent care and a customized wellness approach rooted in prevention.  Add cat hammocks, a pet patio serving doggie ice cream and iced coffee, a reforestation in memoriam program that plants a tree for each lost pet and a supportive work environment for their employees, and it’s fair to say that Hufnagle and Bledsoe are well on their way to meeting, and exceeding, their mission.

We believe mobile is the future of veterinary care,” says Bledsoe. “The world has grown accustomed to having everything at their doorstep with the click of a button. Why should vet care be any different?”

Furdunkin’s mobile veterinary unit travels throughout Lancaster County and is equipped with a full surgical suite for dentistry and surgery. Having access to curbside vet care helps owners navigate demanding schedules and lessens the anxiety pets frequently experience in a car or crowded waiting room.

“Pets do much better when being cared for at home,” explains Bledsoe. She notes that decreased stress often leads to improved test results and pet health outcomes.

Soon after launching their mobile unit in September 2019, Hufnagle and Bledsoe recognized the need to add a physical location to their business. This would allow them to treat more complex health needs without referring to an additional provider. With wait times reaching four to six hours at emergency centers and a growing number of families adopting pets during the pandemic, Furdunkin’s opening of the first pet urgent care center in the county was, as Bledsoe describes, “a win for the entire pet community.”

Furdunkin handles most pet emergencies including foreign body extractions and mass removals in their state-of-the-art facility designed to soothe both pets and their owners. The hospital boasts velvet, pet-friendly couches and cat hammocks in exam rooms and a spa-inspired lounge.

Bledsoe explains, “Urgent care is stressful for all involved so we created a space that can bring some serenity to the entire experience.” While walk-ins are accepted, urgent care clients are encouraged to call in advance to allow staff to better assess the pet’s needs and decrease wait times common at pet emergency centers.

As a veterinary manager for many years, Hufnagle saw firsthand the pet care industry’s profit-over-patient approach to care, the absence of a living wage for support staff and a failure to provide adequate ownership and leadership opportunities for women.

"It was a burn-and-churn model where everyone in the system was rewarded for output versus quality of care,” says Bledsoe, who notes that Furdunkin offers the best benefits in the industry including flexible family scheduling policies, paid volunteer days, free vet care services for employees’ pets and paid maternity leave. 

“We are entirely different from any other veterinary provider out there,” Bledsoe concludes. “I hope people can feel the difference from the moment our truck rolls up to their house or they pull up to our urgent care center. We’ve poured our hearts into every aspect of Furdunkin to create something really special.”

Lauren Sophia Kreider is a frequent contributor to Natural Awakenings, Lancaster–Berks magazine.