Erdman Animal Hospital stays open with new boarding plan

Erdman Animal Hospital on Erdman Avenue will stay open in Northeast Baltimore after a new boarding plan kept one of the area’s longest-running veterinary names from disappearing. The shift preserves at least some animal care in a part of the city where affordable veterinary options can be hard to find, and it is expected to open by July once LLC paperwork is finalized.

The change came after Dr. Lance Keil had prepared to wind down the practice slowly, working just two or three days a month so fragile patients could be transferred more gently. Keil had already said the demands of running a small practice had become too much, and that the market had changed as corporate ownership expanded and fewer veterinarians wanted to own private clinics.

Instead of a full shutdown, Keil’s son suggested a different route: let the veterinary technicians run a boarding business from the building, keeping the operation active and maintaining some level of animal care in the neighborhood. Under the new model, Erdman will continue vaccinations and some more serious cases on a limited basis, while the boarding service becomes the main new line of business.

The decision carries unusual weight for a family practice that has been tied to East Baltimore for generations. Dr. John Keil founded Erdman Animal Hospital in 1957 in Belair-Edison, and Dr. Lance P. Keil later took over the practice in 1990. Vin News reported that Keil is 65 and has cared for patients for 38 years. The closure announcement had drawn 336 comments on social media from clients and community members, a sign of how deeply the clinic had become part of daily life for local pet owners.

Erdman’s own website still describes the hospital as a full-service small animal clinic offering medical, surgical, dental, hospitalization, emergency, vaccination and wellness care. Even with the new boarding model, the limited continuation of vet services gives longtime clients a familiar point of contact instead of forcing them to start over elsewhere.

That continuity matters in Baltimore, where access to low-cost care remains a live issue. BARCS, the city’s open-admission animal shelter, offers vaccines for Baltimore City resident pet owners at roughly $6 to $10, while the Maryland SPCA says its PAW Plus program provides free veterinary clinics in historically and systemically marginalized communities. The Maryland SPCA also closed its public-facing veterinary clinic in 2023 after staffing problems, underscoring how fragile the local access network has become.

For Northeast Baltimore, Erdman’s pivot is more than a sentimental save. It keeps a familiar building on Erdman Avenue in use, preserves part of the Keil family’s legacy, and gives nearby pet owners at least a partial option in a city where those options have grown harder to find.