I was glad to see the editorial regarding the need for emergency veterinary care in the April 26 issue.
As a pet owner, I have had numerous conversations with others about this regional shortfall in veterinary care. During those talks, I became aware of additional information that was not highlighted in your editorial that everyone should be aware of. The two veterinary organizations that offer emergency services only provide them during the night. What this means is that if you unfortunately require service for your pet after hours, you will be driving about one hour (one way) to obtain it. If your pet requires more than an overnight stay, you will have to pick them up in the morning from the emergency clinic, transport them to your regular vet to be cared for during the day, and then drive them back to the emergency vet for the next night.
One family I spoke with had to make these round trips for five days. Furthermore, the pet owner has to make arrangements with each service provider for the pet’s care on a daily basis. These two-hour round trips are not only hard for the pet owners, but also for their sick or injured animal.
One potential solution would be for local vets to form a consortium to cover emergency services during evening/nighttime hours. Each vet would be able to advertise their participation in this service, which should be located at a single site, and would benefit from joining the consortium by a potential increase in clients. When I moved here more than 10 years ago, emergency veterinary services were available locally, and my vet was selected because it offered that service. When COVID restrictions were enacted, that service disappeared. My vet has a few same-day-sick pet appointments available to assist in dealing with an animal that suddenly falls ill, but it does not provide adequate emergency veterinary services.
Hopefully some local vets will devise a program to deal with this serious shortfall of services in our area.
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