Medical Treatment Facility

The Rowdy Girl Medical Treatment Facility will be the first of its kind—designed exclusively for treating aging, injured, and special-needs farmed animals as individuals, not commodities. It also creates a space for education, collaboration, and advocacy among veterinarians and animal rights communities.

Veterinary care for large animals like cows is an ongoing challenge, especially in rural Texas. Currently, when an animal requires attention, we must trailer them over an hour away to clinics like Texas A&M—where they are treated under “food animal” departments. This is both stressful for the animals and dangerous for caregivers.

A dedicated, on-site facility like this will:

• Provide routine and emergency medical care without the need for stressful off-site transport, ensuring animals receive timely, compassionate treatment in a familiar environment 
• Offer comfort and reduce fear for both patients and their herd mates, preserving the bonds and emotional wellbeing of rescued animals 
• Create space for vegan veterinary students and residents to intern, research, and learn hands-on compassionate care—free from the outdated and harmful practices still taught in conventional veterinary schools 
• Serve as a replicable model for sanctuaries nationwide, raising the standard of care and challenging the status quo across the country
• Include space for vegan practitioners, speakers, and events that further the mission of compassionate, sustainable living.

Phase One Completed in 2023:

In 2022, our donors helped us raise over $100,000 to build the first phase in the Medical Treatment Facility – a huge new barn house (Cow House) that measures 80 x 100 feet. The Cow House is now being used for the large animals to reside in during inclement weather and when ill or recovering from trauma. We contain them there in preparation to visit the offsite veterinarian. We are now able to separate animals who have different dietary needs.

The Cow House also has adequate space to store our hay reserves plus stalls and holding pens that will eventually be connected to the large animal medical facility to be built adjacent.

Phase Two Completed in 2024:

In Phase Two we raised $150,000 to address critical infrastructure needs: a new road to the Cow House, a solar-powered water well, an irrigation system for hayfields, a growing animal care team and hay to replenish depleted winter hay stores. Underground utilities have already been extended to the future Medical Treatment Facility site.

This phase will gave us much needed infrastructure and resilience against drought and extreme weather here in Texas. 

Phase Three Completed in 2025:

Thanks to matching grant from The Vegan fund we raised $300,000! Phase Three focused on interior buildout: constructing stalls, installing a veterinary lab, and outfitting offices for visiting and resident veterinarians.

• Animal stalls
• Laboratory for bloodwork & other samples
• Office for staff & visiting veterinarians
• Electrical installation
• Dirt work around Cow House
• Cattle Guards
• Replenish hay supply

IN MEMORY OF STORMY

A beautiful Maine Anjou/Brangus crossbreed, Stormy was a blind three-month old baby calf when she arrived at the sanctuary. Her breeder had a heart and could not bear to see the calf grow up blind and confined. Stormy was bottle fed and after every feeding wanted to nuzzle with her surrogate human mom at Rowdy Girl.

This little heifer gave nothing but love during her brief life. 

Stormy died in Renee’s arms in the Food Animal department at a large animal veterinary hospital in Bryan College Station, Texas. Renee promised Stormy she would one day erect a facility in her name so that other beloved bovines like her would never be considered as food when they are family members.

Now we are paying it forward in Stormy’s memory to ensure that every animal at Rowdy Girl Sanctuary has access to a barnhouse where they can be treated when sick or injured. A place to rest without the stress of transport many miles away. 

With your help, we can thrive with a new Medical Treatment Facility. It’s time.