WOBURN, Mass., June 8, 2006 - Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital (Mass Vet), a leading specialty animal hospital in New England, today dedicated a new 26,000 square foot veterinary facility that is the largest privately owned hospitals of its type in the region.

"This purpose-built facility has been the culmination of a lifelong goal to provide the New England veterinary community with the finest specialty and referral hospital of its kind," said Dr. John K. Prentiss, DVM, President & CEO. "This new building will allow us to increase our services and staff, and add medical technologies currently in high demand in the region, including a CT scanner and a linear accelerator for veterinary radiation oncology."

Prentiss' remarks came during a dedication ceremony attended by Woburn Mayor, Thomas L. McLaughlin, Gary Magnuson, Executive Vice President and Director of Commercial Banking at Citizens Bank of Massachusetts, members of local government, officials from Citizens Bank, the hospital's lender, and members of the local veterinary community.

Mass Vet was the first veterinary hospital on the east coast to offer 7 day a week on-site MRI imaging, in addition to already providing state-of-the art surgical and diagnostic capabilities, including digital radiography, ultrasonography, endoscopy, electrodiagnostics and an in-house laboratory. The new building, located at 20 Cabot Road in Woburn, more than doubles the amount of treatment space of the former hospital located directly across the street.

"The City of Woburn is extremely fortunate to be chosen as the location of the Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital. With its fully-equipped, state-of-the-art facility, the hospital will serve the emergency and referral needs associated with high quality veterinary care in the greater Boston area," said Mayor McLaughlin during his remarks.

The hospital was funded in part through a $1 million-dollar loan from Citizens Bank as part of the Citizens 'Job Bank', a nationally recognized program designed to spur the creation of new jobs. It offers companies financing at below-prime rates in return for the creation of new, full-time jobs in Massachusetts within three years of completing their expansion projects. Mass Vet anticipates increasing its staff by 15 to 20 percent over the next three years and further expanding the treatment space to encompass the entire 44,000 square foot building in which the hospital is housed.

"We congratulate Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital on the completion of this high-tech facility that will provide a wide-range of medical services to dogs, cats and a variety of family pets," said Gary Magnuson, Executive Vice President and Director of Commercial Banking at Citizens Bank of Massachusetts. "We are thrilled to have played a small role in this project. The $1 million loan through the Citizens Job Bank program will create 25 jobs over the next three years that will help to stimulate the economy in this region."

Mass Vet, a 24-hour emergency/critical care and specialty hospital, is part of InTown Veterinary Group, a leading provider of veterinary and animal care services with five hospitals serving the metropolitan Boston area. InTown's veterinary hospitals also include Essex County Veterinary Emergency Hospital and Essex County Veterinary Specialists, both in North Andover, and its general practice and boarding centers, Bulger Animal Hospital in North Andover and Muddy Creek Animal Care Center in Rowley.

"Our goal in developing this network of veterinary facilities has been to offer our clients and referring veterinarians personalized service backed by board-certified specialists offering the most sophisticated veterinary care available in the area," said Ames Prentiss, Chief Operating Officer. "This new facility ensures that we can continue to provide this high level of care and add to our services in the future."

About the Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital
Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital is a 24-hour emergency/critical care and specialty hospital dedicated to providing referring veterinarians and their clients with timely access to the most advanced specialists and emergency services available today. Its board-certified veterinary specialists provide a complete range of care in emergency/critical care, internal medicine, neurology, ophthalmology, oncology, radiology and surgery. Mass Vet is fully equipped with state-of-the art surgical facilities and technologically advanced diagnostic capabilities, including on-site MRI, digital radiography, ultrasonography, endoscopy, electrodiagnostics and in-house laboratory.

About the InTown Veterinary Group
Established in 1980, InTown Veterinary Group is a team of accomplished veterinary professionals dedicated to providing pet owners with the most comprehensive and advanced medical care available today. With five veterinary hospitals serving the metropolitan Boston area, InTown Veterinary Group offers board-certified specialty services, emergency/critical care and general care - staffed by some of the country's most highly trained veterinary professionals and supported by sophisticated diagnostic capabilities. Its emergency/critical-care hospitals are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and have experienced practitioners on duty fully equipped to handle a diverse medical and surgical caseload. InTown Veterinary Group is committed to maintaining the highest standards of medical care for the benefit of its clients, colleagues and the greater community of pet owners. For more information, visit us at http://www.intownvet.com.

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Contact:
Sommer Aweidah
Director of Marketing
20 Cabot Road,
Woburn, MA 01801
(781) 305-2240