ULusófona is committed to animal welfare with a new veterinary surgery hospital

Lusófona University is strengthening its teaching, research and veterinary care provision to the community with the creation of two new facilities:

• The new University Veterinary Clinic for Companion Animals, in Lisbon;
• And the Catapereiro Livestock Hospital, currently under development at Companhia das Lezírias.

The new University Veterinary Clinic, scheduled to open in October on Avenida da Igreja, is being established in response to the growth of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine's activities, the increase in the number of students and the high demand for the services provided by the University Veterinary Hospital.

The new facility will have ten consultation rooms, new radiology facilities and dedicated spaces for oncology, enabling it to expand its provision in areas such as dermatology, oncology, ophthalmology, diagnostic imaging, general medicine, outpatient care, exotic animals, cardiology, haematology, behaviour and animal welfare.

In addition to its clinical role, the facility will strengthen the Faculty's academic component. The consultation rooms will also serve as teaching spaces, allowing students to follow real clinical cases and gain direct experience in different areas of veterinary practice. The facility will be open to the community and will increase capacity to provide care to animals from Greater Lisbon and other regions of the country.

“This new facility will allow us to expand what we already do at the hospital, responding to demand that has already exceeded the capacity of the current facilities. But it is also an extension of our teaching hospital model, allowing students to have direct contact with real cases and with the diversity of situations that are part of the reality of Veterinary Medicine,” says Laurentina Pedroso, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Lusófona University.

At the same time, Lusófona University is developing the Catapereiro Livestock Hospital at Companhia das Lezírias, a new facility dedicated primarily to livestock and medium- and large-sized animals, including cattle, horses, sheep, goats and pigs.

With its opening scheduled for November 2026, the future hospital will provide medical, surgical, reproductive and inpatient care, as well as a necropsy room with a teaching component and approximately 500 square metres of research laboratories.

The location at Companhia das Lezírias will bring teaching, research and veterinary care closer to the agricultural and livestock farming reality, while also creating a support structure for field veterinarians, particularly in cases requiring resources or specialist expertise that are not available through local practice.

The Catapereiro project will also incorporate the Animal Rescue and Resilience Competence Centre, designed to respond to crisis, emergency or disaster situations, with the capacity to accommodate, treat, rehabilitate and relocate animals affected by large-scale incidents.