When was the last time you needed to take a dog to the veterinarian after regular business hours – you know, in an emergency? In the past few years alone, I’ve taken dogs (foster and my own) to the closest hospital providing 24-hour emergency services at least a half dozen times, for a puppy with a suspected broken leg (it wasn’t), a puppy with an injured eye (remember Odin? He eventually had to have the eye removed, despite prompt and lengthy treatment), and several times for my dog Woody, who has had after-hours treatment for lots of things.
NOTHING happens to Woody during regular hours! He’s needed stitches (cut his back legs on something while skidding to a stop playing fetch), swallowed a small tennis ball (they made him vomit it up), had a suspected bloat (he had gotten into the foster Great Dane puppies’ food and ate way too much, but was able to start pooping and get relief while we waited for service), and one night, he tanked with a sudden fever and vomiting and diarrhea (not sure what that was, but he was hospitalized overnight on fluids and antibiotics and recovered).
It’s been a couple of years since he’s needed emergency care – KNOCK WOOD – but if you have an accident-prone dog like Woody, take note: Many veterinary hospitals who ordinarily provide 24-hour, emergency services have begun suspending those emergency hours and overnight service. In my area alone, the closest three hospitals I could take a dog or puppy to in the middle of the night have suspended overnight service indefinitely. All three are citing staffing shortages as the reason for this. If something happened to my dog tonight, I’d be driving about 80 miles to the closest emergency vet hospital still operating overnight – and, presumably, so would a lot of other people whose hospitals did the same. The domino effect here, alone, is terrifying to ponder, with so many cases flowing to a few concentrated emergency-care providers.
I was first alerted to this by a friend who forwarded an email that one of her training clients had received from the emergency care provider in our area, stating that the hospital was closing at 9p.m., and no longer available for emergency care until 7 a.m. Since my trainer friend also provides boarding services, and needs to be able to take clients’ dogs for care in case of an emergency, she started calling around to see if the next closest emergency-care providers were available. That’s when she discovered that two more had followed suit and suspended their overnight emergency services. All three hospitals are citing staffing shortages as the reason for the suspension.
Shortly after I learned this, I saw an article (linked here) posted on a friend’s Facebook page, discussing the suspension of emergency veterinary services by a BluePearl Pet Hospital in North Seattle. Several friends of my California friend commented that the same thing was happening in their towns – in Colorado, New Jersey, Oregon …
So, just a heads-up: It might be worth a call to whatever veterinary hospital you usually go to in case of an overnight emergency, to check to see if they are still providing service after regular business hours. If they are not, it’s better to know now, so you’d know where to go in case of an actual emergency without a last-minute panic.
And also: Has this happened in your area? If so, please post a comment here.
What a mess! Our emergency vet hospital is always busy even on a slow day. All of the local vets send their patients there after hours. However, it’s hard to come out without a horrendous bill. What cost $250 at the hospital was $50 at the local vet clinic. They didn’t share X-rays with the home vet and would threaten that the dog would die without over $2K worth of testing. One of my friends went to euthanize their dog with cancer and got a $10K bill.
I hope other emergency clinics don’t take advantage of the locals like this one does. Catch-22
I’ve experience the same issue in Ann Arbor, MI. Blue Pearl was closed for 24 hour emergency care as was another emergency hospital.
It’s everywhere across the country. I would also ask if people are seeing price gouging because of the increase in pets during this pandemic. It’s not something that shelters council/stress about as they do adoptions.
My cat was just in the emergency hospital on IV fluids for 4 days because she ate a chewable Rimadyl meant for a 115 lb. dog. The cost was $4000. I’d call that price gouging.
Our guy was in the vet hospital for 4 days in 2018 and it was just over $4000; every time we went to see him it was another $1000. He did have to have tests so, admittedly, that counted for part of it and we live in an expensive market for care (Mass). Our little chihuahua was in for 3 days way back in 2013 in Des Moines Iowa for hemorrhagic gastroenteritis and it was around $1800 all up but much less testing, just had a whole lot of hetastarch IV.
One of our 24 hr clinics is shut from 23:00-7am but that happened right before the pandemic. We have 2 ER hospitals in western MA and CT along the I-91 corridor and Tufts which given its a teaching hospital will be unlikely to shut its doors. I feel for folks who have clinics closing and no longer offering overnight ER services with nowhere else to go. There are even regions with no ER services for humans; it’s a sad state in a country that is supposed to be top of the mark.
Note: that is not meant to make a political statement; it is meant to lament why health services for humans and our pets, which many people consider actual ‘family members’ these days even though they are a different species, is so challenging to access for so many families across our wonderful nation.
So far, so good in my region: both Loomis Basin Vet Clinic (in Loomis, CA) and Marqueen Pet Emergency (in Rocklin, CA) are still open 24/7. For me, it’s a 45-50 mile trip…but at least it’s still available.
I’m blessed to live less than 10 miles from a university veterinary medical center; I don’t expect their ER to shut down. However, earlier this week I called my vet’s office to make an appointment for a suspected ear infection. The earliest option the receptionist offered was a drop-off appointment in 7 days! I explained that my dog couldn’t wait a week to receive treatment for an infection. She was sorry, but they were booked solid. Fortunately, I found another vet that could squeeze him in and I was able to start treatment that evening. But I was truly surprised that the practice I’d gone to for 20 years (a really BIG practice!) couldn’t fit a longtime patient in for an illness. They had always found a way to take care of unexpected needs before. Perhaps veterinary care is going the way of the human doctor’s office, available for maintenance visits, but not for the unexpected and sudden illness.
I had this experience 2 weeks ago. When my old dog pretty suddenly changed noticeably, and became weak, unable to stand, and cognitively not there. I called her long-time vet. Told too busy through the next week to set up app’tment, but to call at 8:30 next a.m., and maybe there would be a cancellation. There was, at 3:00.
My g’daus. came, and thankfully were with me when she passed away at home, in my arms, at 11:10–4 hours before her app’tmnt.
My issue is that my pup, a Katrina rescue, was a long time patient. We were not nuisance clients, and she needed to be seen ahead of a check-up for a healthy dog spot on the vet’s calendar–there must have been one. It was an emergency.
The next week, a condolence card came from the vet.
I am so sorry that happened to you; my heart is just breaking. I lost one of my dogs recently due to a heart condition; losing a pet is just overwhelming. I will keep you in my prayers Carilyn.
We have been through several emergencies of late, so after reading your article, I contacted VCA PetCare East in Santa Rosa, CA. They too are having staffing shortages. They are not yet instituting a policy about closures but suggested we call first before coming because on some occasions, they have needed to refuse all but the most distressed animals overnight. They did provide two other local referrals within a thirty minute drive.
We have the same problem in Louisville, KY! Blue Pearl and Metropolitan no longer have emergency services after hours. Luckily, we have 1 emergency hospital left, Jefferson Animal, otherwise we have to drive to Lexington, KY where there are 2 (MedVet and Bluegrass)! It is sad. Of course, none of these facilities will even treat an animal unless you pay up front.
We live in Ojai, CA. There is no 24 hour vet in this small town. There are, however, emergency 24/7 clinics available in Ventura. They have remained open, however, due to staffing issues, they are unable to accept all who arrive with an animal in need of urgent care. Multiple posts have noted filled emergency clinics in both Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. There was a Facebook post of a local family seeking emergency care for their dog, cradling him as he died in the car as they drove around the area seeking care. We were very lucky that our boy developed an odd cough in the middle of the day a few months ago. We decided this needed to be seen since the vet’s offices were filled up for weeks in advance. We spent nearly five hours out in the car, due mostly to the situation that they were calling a home number to tell us that the dog could come in and be seen (we had provided the cell. number of course). They had assumed that we had left the parking lot with our sick dog after a few hours patiently waiting. But, as I said, we were lucky. He had developed pneumonia and was prescribed antibiotics to be picked up the next day.
I am so grateful my local emergency hospital has operated throughout the pandemic. Very hard to drop off pets and wait in the car BUT so reassuring to have them there.
Yes, similar situation in Fayetteville, NC. However, so far, we do have a 24 hour emergency vet hospital in Fayetteville. Don’t know what would happen if it closed. I imagine we would have to go to Raleigh which is at least 1-1 1/2 hours from my house.