When Dr. Nancy Isbell, DVM, decided to become a veterinarian nearly three decades ago, she combined her interest in science and her empathy for animals with her “deep feeling of obligation to heal the wounds people cause animals.” Now an industry veteran with 26 years as a veterinarian, Isbell says all those passions still drive her, but over the years have evolved to include enjoyment from watching the bond between pets and humans.

Seeing as many as 500 or 600 patients a month, Isbell believes she has witnessed that bond a thousand times over. She says the most difficult part of her job is working with a patient whose human doesn’t value the pet’s wellbeing as much as she does and she can’t say anything about it. Fortunately, those cases are rare.

Isbell is the owner of Belfair’s Belltowne Veterinarian Center — previously called A Country Veterinarian — which she bought more than two years ago. After working in other practices, including most recently in Port Orchard, she saw the opportunities to buy her own. One aspect that attracted her to this business was the staff, she says — and they’re the ones she credits with her success.

“I really don’t do it by myself,” she says. “The patient flow has happened because of the support staff around me… I would be totally nonfunctional if I didn’t have those people around me, they’re the ones making things possible.”

The clinic has grown by leaps and bounds, and about two months ago moved to a 3,000-square-foot facility (not including generous storage), tripling the old space.

“We were already exceeding our capacity to see clients,” she says. “This allows me to give people the privacy and comfort of a consultation room, the peace and solace where we can have a conversation, and an euthanasia room where we don’t have to be disturbed.”

Isbell also expanded the clinic’s computer capacity by 60 percent, and expects to convert to electronic medical records within the next three to five years. To help with the number of animals, Isbell just brought in a full-time associate vet, Dr. Aaron Maderia, who moved here from Ohio. Her staff has also grown, with nine employees in addition to the vets.

The new facility, located off State Route 3, has five examination rooms including a private consultation room, a laboratory, pharmacy area and digital radiology. A surgery suite has an anesthetic monitoring system that measures oxygen, CO2, EKG, blood pressure and respiration at the same time. The facility also has a surgical prep area and a contained isolation ward, as well as separate recovery areas for dogs and cats.

The digital X-ray system required a substantial investment, but it not only enhanced capabilities, it has also created a healthier environment for the staff as well being more environmentally friendly.

Isbell does everything from well-kitten checkups to some chemotherapy treatments and end-of-life care, and integrates Western and Eastern medicine (including herbal therapy).

About 30 percent of her work is in surgeries that range from the routine spaying and neutering to fixing wounds, bladder stones and spleen tumors. Although she performs many general surgeries, her specialty is orthopedics and thoracic.

A decade ago, Isbell started offering acupuncture, and is certified by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. Patients come for the sessions from as far as Gig Harbor and Bainbridge, getting acupuncture treatments for arthritis, immune system problems, anxiety, sinus problems, and all sorts of other conditions.

Asked if she has a lot of pampered patients, Isbell says with a smile: “I do get a lot of pampered pets. It’s very sweet, especially when the pampering is done for the benefit of the animal.”

Isbell, who once had a job at the Woodland Park Zoo, used to treat exotic animals and has worked with birds, snakes, wolves, tiger cubs and such. But as veterinary medicine became more sophisticated, she decided to specialize in dogs and cats about 15 years ago because she didn’t want to compromise her quality of care. “My standards are high, and if I can’t do it well, I will not do it,” she says.

Treating cats and dogs are two different stories, she says — “cats are not miniature dogs” — but working with animals in many ways is like working with humans. One primary difference is the lack of the insurance red tape, which is both good and bad. “In some ways, it’s harder (to practice) because I can’t run every test and treatment I could, with no insurance company to cover it,” she says. “But on the other hand, my hands are not tied (by the insurance restrictions).”

Isbell says she doesn’t detach herself emotionally from her patients, not even when she performs euthanasia. By that point, the decision has gone through a process and has been selected as the best step. “It hurts emotionally and it hurts my heart, but it’s the right decision for the animal — that’s part of the reason I’m in veterinary medicine, having the ability to help let go and provide peace,” she says.

The other reason, of course, is that she simply has a soft spot for all sorts of creatures. A pet lover who’s now “down” to one cat, one dog and two birds (she had more than a dozen cats and five dogs at peak time), she has a special touch with her four-legged charges — no doubt a reason why their humans have followed her from her previous practice, and continue referring their friends.

“I have known many of the pets for many years,” she says. “I watch them grow up and go through the parts of their lives, the good and the bad. They end up embedded in my heart and I carry each one with me — even after they’re gone.”