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.
I live in the Virginia suburbs of Washington DC and know of at least 3 24 hour vets within a 30 min drive and that time is because of traffic. It would be less in the middle of the night. Several regular vets have Saturday and Sunday hours and most do not have emergency fees for those not regular patients.
Costs are high but I don’t feel there is price gouging going on. I generally get my pets’ regular prescription’s from mail order pharmacies to save money.
This has happened in South Bend, IN. We’ve had an emergency clinic for years. Then all of a sudden news came out that they can’t get enough vets to staff the clinic on weekends and nights. Then at the same clinic someone opened one that is only open til 10 p.m 2-3 nights a week. Closest 24 hour clinics are at Purdue (2 + hours away), Westville (45 + min.), Ft. Wayne (2 hours) and Kalamazoo, MI (2 hours). Finally we just got one opened by Purdue which as a clinic in Westville but right now only open from thur. eve til Mon. a.m. They say they plan to be open 24/7/365 soon. I certainly hope so. I’ve read on local Facebook that there have been so pets pass away before they could be gotten to the far away 24 hour clinics. So sad……….
Like many other businesses, veterinary practices also rely on low-paid non-clinical staff. A few weeks ago, we had friends in town and wanted to go out to dinner. We were given wait times of 2 – 3 hours. Now here in Daytona Beach, we have frequent events such as Race Week, Bike Week, etc., but there was nothing special going on. I asked the person at the restaurant about the long wait, and he said they are unable to find workers. With all the government money being handed out, they can make as much or more by staying home.
Here in rural coastal Maine the closest emergency vet is an hour and a half away. The one time I needed them when my mini Aussie had chased a porcupine and ended with a snout full of quills they were closed due to a Covid exposure. Next closest emergency vet was 3 hours away. We waited till morning when I called my regular vet. He was full and couldn’t see her. I had to call 3 other vets and beg until one agreed to see her to remove the 25 plus quills. There is a shortage of vets in the area but as far as I know the 24 hour emergency vets here are still open.
North Central Florida: The vets in our area did this many years ago leaving us with only one emergency vet in a town of 100,000-150,000 people. At this time I believe there are 2 emergency vet clinics in this town which has grown in population quite a bit in the last 10 years. Both clinics are on the heavily populated and more affluent side of town.
We have 1 clinic in Lake County CA that will take emergency after hours cases. They charge $500 up front. Can’t complain too loudly about the cost if my vet is willing to get out of bed at 0300. They’re good; I’m grateful they’re here. VCA Hospital is 90 minutes over the hill. I love where I live – it’s rural, housing is affordable, the air is pristine. Costs are going up, real wages aren’t (so not too many pursuing a vet tech degree). We have the ability to provide a great home for dogs and cats but, sadly, have to limit our count to 1 dog, 2 cats (used to be 3 dogs, 3 cats) due to rising costs.
As far as I know, the overnight vets still are available overnight In the Washington DC area. But one is planning to suspend allowing humans in indefinitely – even after things “open up” again. This is awful. You’re then their hostage. I was at it last week, it was 1.5 hours after the vet had seen the dog and called me to report on it. I’d had all the conversations about after care. But they couldn’t get it together to do the billing for another hour and a half! it was excruciating!! 4 hours sitting in the car (ok, maybe doing a few sun salutations in the garage) waiting waiting waiting.
I just called another – they are still taking emergencies but they are “at capacity” right now!
Yikes! Thanks for the article! Now I know to keep abreast in case of emergencies with the boarding dogs – and my own, too.
Northridge, California. A couple of weeks ago, I suspected my Gordon Setter was bloating. I called the animal specialty hospital in my area, which advertises “24×7 Advanced Critical Care, Emergency and Specialty Services,” and explained that I thought my dog was bloating. They calmly told me they were full up, couldn’t see him and recommended a couple of places at least an hour away. I said he would die before I could get there. In the same dispassionate tone, she said, “Sorry, we can’t help you.” I called another place with emergency hours. I had been there once before and they said they NEVER turn anyone away. This time the office was closed I was told they weren’t doing ER services anymore. My regular vet has emergency hours till midnight, but I can’t even get an appointment there for less than two or three weeks in advance, so they were my last choice. By now, with time passing, I was desperate, so I called and literally begged them to see him. I was put on hold for a few minutes, then they said to bring him in. By the time I raced to their office, it had been going on 45 minutes since my first call. Thankfully, my dog hadn’t bloated, but if he had, he would probably have been dead by then.
The VCA emergency hospital in Springfield, MA merged with one further away in Palmer, MA. This busy location is now considered a “desert” if you need immediate assistance. There are 2 other respected ER’s (non-VCA owned) which are about 25 minutes North or South on Route 91. Luckily we haven’t had to use them. We also found a visiting vet who formerly worked at a VCA clinic. (FYI, VCA was acquired by the Mars Company in 2017 and there have been many noticeable changes in their veterinary care – in my case suggesting unnecessary, expensive tests when a simple antibiotic did the job.)
Thankfully, Cornell’s Animal Hospital (the only 24 hour emergency service in my area) is still open! Hopefully, I won’t need to use them, but it is reassuring to know they are open.
Thank you for posting this article to make people aware of this scary situation! It just may save lives!