Albany County Veterinary Hospital

Albany County Veterinary Hospital is located in Albany, New York, in the town of Guilderland, right across the street from Stuyvesant Plaza. ACVH was founded in 1922 as a mixed large and small animal practice by John J. Wermuth, a Cornell University veterinarian. Dr. Milford Becker purchased the practice in 1952 and made the transition to a primarily companion animal practice in the 1960's, before selling the hospital to Dr. Donald Dries in April 1977. Dr. Dries then "passed the torch" to Dr. Virginia Jarvis in August of 2006. Our friendly, courteous healthcare team seeks to provide the best quality medical, surgical and dental care for the pets of Albany and Schenectady County and the Capital District Area. Our patients include not only dogs and cats, but rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, other small mammals and reptiles. We treat every pet as if it were our own. Please take a moment to contact us today, to learn more about our veterinary practice. Find out why ACVH is Albany's Choice for Veterinary Healthcare!
  • 1506 Western Avenue
  • Albany,NY 12203
  • Phone: (518) 456-6333
  • Fax: (518) 456-3694
  • Email Us
  • Mon-Fri: 8:00am - 5:00pm
  • Sat: 8:00am - Noon
  • Sun: Closed
  • After Hrs: CDVRC 785-1094

  • Dr. Virginia R. Jarvis, DVM

    Dr. Jarvis is from Valley Stream, NY. She obtained both her BS and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from Cornell University, in 1989 and 1993. She has practiced in the Albany area since then, and purchased ACVH in August 2006. Her professional interests include Internal Medicine, and she has received advanced education in echocardiography and abdominal ultrasound. She also enjoys treating small mammals and reptiles.

    Dr. Jarvis lives in Duanesburg with her husband, Bruce, and two daughters, Rose and Nicole.  Her family also includes a German Shepherd, Rainer, a Doberman mix named Diamond and two cats, Raisin and Penny! Dr. Jarvis enjoys hiking (especially Adirondack high peaks), wine tasting, gardening, and traveling with her family.

  • Dr. Danielle P. Pokorny, DVM

    Dr. Pokorny is from Altamont, New York and attended High School in Guilderland. She worked as a Veterinary Technician in the Albany area from 1994-2002. After receiving her BA at Hampshire College, Mass, she went on to obtain her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Kansas State University in May 2004. Afterward, she qualified for an internship position at Garden State Veterinary Specialists in New Jersey. There, she had an opportunity to gain advanced experience in multiple specialty fields including Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Oncology, Neurology, Dermatology, and Surgery.

    Dr. Pokorny enjoys working not only with dogs and cats, but also small mammals and freshwater fish (especially goldfish). Her professional interests include canine geriatric care and raising orphaned wildlife.

    Her pets include Ester the Boston Terrier, Max, a toothless rescued Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Belle a rescued geriatric Labrador Retriever. She also has four cats Fire, Kitty Kat, Nu-Nu, and Oreos, She enjoys hiking and camping, and would like to someday hike the Appalachian Trail.

  • Kirsten Tarica, LVT

    Kirsten is ACVH's Practice Administrator. She obtained her degree in Veterinary Technology from SUNY Delhi, graduating at the top of her class. Her professional interests include animal behavior, maintaining a standard of excellence in patient care and treatment, and creating a harmonious and productive work environment. In her free time, she enjoys reading and hiking with her family.

    She lives in Fort Plain, NY, with her husband, Gabe, and children, Booker and Birdie. Her furry family members include Walnut and Vanilla, two felines with a penchant for trouble, her protective pooch Strawberry, and four guinea pigs that are as cute as their names imply (Apple, Orange, Carrot, and Licorice). Around the house, you can find the pest control team consisting of various chickens, who have a voracious appetite for ticks, and a rotund miniature horse called Ginger who loves nothing more than to give pony rides.

  • Kristin Miller, LVT

    Kristin is from Naperville, IL. She obtained her B.A. in English from Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, and her Associates in Health Science from Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton, SC. She has practiced in the capital district since 2008. Her professional interests include behavior and geriatric animal care. 

    Kristin lives in Scotia with her husband, Kristopher, and son Zachary.  Her pets include two cats, Barney and Picasso, as well as as two guppy fish. Kristin's hobbies include reading, traveling, watching sports (Go Hawks! Go  Bears), and hanging out with her son and husband. She loves all types of music, especially Willie Nelson! 

  • Jody Sluus, LVT

    Jody has lived in the Capital District her whole life and graduated from SUNY Ulster Community College in December 2014. She fulfilled her dream of becoming a Licensed Veterinary Technician and strives to give the best care to every patient she encounters. She is always willing to learn and will go above and beyond to make sure every pet gets the very best care and the owner receives great service too! Currently, Jody and her boyfriend have 3 cats Scooby, Daphne and Mr. Miyagi Ninja Cat. Mr. Miyagi spends his days and nights wreaking havoc and blaming it on his other housemates. One day she hopes to have a house filled with animals! In her free time, Jody enjoys cooking, spending time with friends and when the opportunity arises, horseback riding. But her most favorite activity is spending time with her kitties!

  • Grace Liebers, LVT

    Grace is a lifelong resident of Schenectady. While she is currently a member of our kennel staff, she is making it a priority to become familiar with all aspects of the hospital. She is taking college classes and applying to schools to earn her degree in Veterinary Technology and plans to be a Licensed Veterinary Technician by the age of 23. She loves to work with exotics, and would love to one day work at a zoo or wildlife center. 

    She shares her home with two mischievous Miniature Schnauzers called Casper and Fritz, as well as Pickles and Piggins the guinea pigs. She spends her spare time reading and skiing. Grace has told us if she had more time, she would hope to spend it in a variety of ways: traveling, camping, horseback riding, rock climbing, kayaking, and other outdoor sports.  She would also like to pursue agility training and therapy dog certification with Casper. 

  • Tammy Ballestero,Customer Service Representative

    Tammy began working in the Veterinary field in 1975, assisting cardiologist  Dr. N. Joel Edwards. In 1982, after Dr. Edwards began practicing out of ACVH, Tammy joined the ACVH staff as well. Tammy is a 1985 graduate of Siena College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry.
     
    Tammy is the Technical Director for Saratoga County NELAC approved Lab and Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator! She is also a board member of the Ballston Area Community Center, and is on the Wastewater Exam Committee for the Association of Boards of Certification for Wastewater Operators. She lives with her husband, Tony, and has one daughter, Victoria. Victoria is in her first year as an engineering student at Lehigh University. She has a Chocolate Lab, Benelli, and a German Shorthair Pointer named Lucy.

    Tammy also keeps busy with gardening and landscaping, outdoor activities, a family-owned construction business, and is involved with the Girl Scouts and Elks Club. We are fortunate to have her help with Client Service and Medical Records at ACVH!

  • Cindy Emerson, Veterinary Assistant

    Cindy Emerson has been part of the ACVH team since August 2006. She is especially good at making sure that our boarders and hospitalized patients have a perfect "home away from home" during their stay.

  • Michelle Richard, Veterinary Assistant

  • Rebecca Collins, Veterinary Assistant and Customer Service Representative

    Rebecca joined ACVH in the summer of 2019. She lives in Delanson NY, growing up on a 65 cow Dairy Farm. She and her family have gone through some hard times on the farm, including when their third generation farm burned down, but they rebuilt! While working on the farm, Rebecca's duties included feeding calves and milking the cows. What she loved best there was playing with and seeing all the new baby animals. She has one cat named Callie. Callie is the love of her life, besides her husband! She enjoys camping, hiking, and being in nature.

  • Rose Jarvis, Veterinary Assistant

  • Nicole Jarvis

  • Mikayla Dufresne, Veterinary Assistant