A recently launched emergency vet clinic serving Bruce and Grey is trying to spread the word that it's available to help your pets on weekends.
The Bluewater Veterinary Emergency Clinic opened in September and so far its been seeing a handful animals each shift, if not more.
The clinic was founded by local veterinarians and is based out of the North Heritage Animal Hospital in Owen Sound.
Dr. Kaitlyn Krizmanich, one of the founders of the clinic, said the need really arose over the last few years.
"From Tobermory down, a lot of clinics had stopped their on-call and their after hours care, so a lot of people and animals were left without after-hours care in that area," she said. "The closest clinics were London, Guelph or Barrie, which is quite far if there's a true emergency with your animal companion."
Dr. Robyn Budgeon, President of the clinic's board of directors, said its a model that has worked in larger urban centres for a while.
"The rise of the emergency clinics probably started 25 years ago, but in this area, there never has been," she said. "It was either individual practices offering after hours care, or in the case of the northern part of the county, there was a group of eight clinics that rotated that."
Budgeon added that it's a bonus to help recruit veterinarians to the area, as some don't want to be on-call all weekend, and this eliminates that need.
She says its been well-received since it opened.
"No individual practice owns a part of this clinic. It is owned by local veterinarians, individuals from new grads to people on the verge of retirement," said Budgeon. "But the local practices that have been feeding into it, the response has been really fantastic."
The clinic is owned by 20 veterinarians, and having all the equipment already available at the North Heritage Animal Hospital helped lower the overhead. These veterinarians staff the clinic, along with and vet techs, making emergency care available to any pet owners that need it.
While they service mainly cats and dogs, Krizmanich says owners can call ahead and see if the vet on staff is able to handle smaller pets like hamsters or rabbits.
The clinic's staff was immediately put to the test on their very first patient, when a two-year-old Goldendoodle named Gemma came in early September with symptoms of vomiting, low energy, and a lack of appetite.
"For two days, our dedicated team worked around the clock to support Gemma. She received intravenous fluids, antibiotics, anti-nausea medications, and gastroprotectants," said Krizmanich. "Slowly her energy improved and the vomiting stopped. However, her liver values remained elevated."
After consulting with Gemma's owners, she was transferred to the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph for more advanced care and diagnostics, where she spent four days.
"She showed positive improvement, her liver values began to improve, she was eating and she was getting back to normal," said Krizmanich.
In a review, Gemma's family said that she would not have lived if it wasn't for the clinic's help.
"This project was about a year-and-a-half in the making," said Budgeon. "We're so proud that we got here. We're so proud of the veterinarians that have stepped up and said 'yes we want to be a part of this.' And we're so pleased to be able to offer this service to the people of Grey and Bruce counties and the tourists that come enjoy our beautiful area."
The clinic is open Friday from 6 p.m. to Monday at 6 a.m. and will offer care to any cats or dogs in need. To learn more, ask your local veterinarians or visit their website.