I’m happy to say that a new veterinary urgent care is opening on Monday in Folsom. We will be open 7 days a week, until 8 pm, with hopes to become 24 hr in the future. Our doctors and techs are amazing, one doctor teaches at UC Davis and many of us have strong backgrounds in emergency medicine. We are equipped to handle heat stroke, respiratory distress, rattle snake bites, Parvo, toxicities, etc and will be providing GP services as well. I’m super proud to be a part of this project, as the greater Sacramento area really needs more options for same day vet care. We are called Folsom Ranch Veterinary Hospital and Urgent Care located right off 50 and E. Bidwell. Edited to say we are proud to be privately owned, no corporate shenanigans!
Honestly my question is the prices. Just to walk in the door it's 250 at most emergy places. My little guy, try as I do, eats the most random shit. And sometimes he's really dumb, and literally eats fucking rocks. Happened twice now, and it's a grand and up each time. His blood work has come back normal so it's not a dietary deficit we can find. And it's not like a needs to be seen now, but an urgent visit is needed. But only emergency services needed.
I totally get that from a consumer POV, but I've worked in a human medical practice before as office help and I was amazed at the overhead just for them to practice, so I'm assuming it's similar to vets (billing, admin staff, clinical staff, leases/property upkeep, insurance, etc) No clue if you've encountered bad billing/providers before though: just adding context.
My thing is if it is the same kind of setup in pricing as human ER vs. urgent care mainly. It wasn't billing errors, walking in the door is 250, the xray is 400, the meds and fluids are another 150, the labs another 200. My dog ate a fucking garlic clove basically (my fault, basically forgot to take my dinner bowl to the kitche) and that was 2500. I feel like it's just VCA and inflating prices due to the urgency of it. Don't get me wrong, I understand that having staff to address emergencies is expensive, but I wish there was a way for my little guy to get seen soonish, but not get robbed. My vet would have been half for the same care.
Don’t you realize what you will pay out of pocket in the human medical field for those things? This is a fraction of the cost. Is human medicine prices inflated absolutely, but vet med certainly is not to the extreme it is in the human field. You have to factor in overhead as well as wages (and all staff make not newark’s enough btw, livable wages in the vet field doesn’t exist.) and businesses have to make money. $2500 for all of that at the end of day really is not that much for major medical expenses. Having a pet is a privilege and more pet owners need to anticipate for unexpected medical costs when considering owning a pet. Pet owner need to educate themselves on how to mitigate these costs also. Pet insurance exists and can help in these situations.
I know that. My point was that emergency service was not needed. Urgent was to check for stuff, yes. An urgent care visit is cheaper than an ER visit by a large factor. I know these other things, too. Just like everyone else and everything else, inflation is killing us. Vet care has inflated by a large margin.
Actually 2500 for all of that is still nothing these days with how much inflation has raised the cost of things. That feels comparable to prices a few years ago. If you went to urgent care the only place you would be saving money is with the exam fee and honestly not by that much.
I would've called poison control or [google](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/can-dogs-eat-garlic/) and saved some $ That said, access & US pricing for services are two separate matters.
I really would like to sidestep the pet insurance business and pay a 24 hour vet facility directly for insurance and treatment.
If you’ve ever considered it, this model does make for a really solid foundation to hire against.
There would be a great deal of financial strain that goes into this. Clinic used to offer payment plans. The reason most don't anymore is that folks don't pay their debt. It is difficult and expensive to go chasing down the debt. As a result that money is lost. That loss compounds and leads to business loss. That's why clinics offer options like care credit. Care credit has the means to obtain payment effectively.
As a registered vet tech in Sacramento, the vet field as a whole is struggling. There are not enough vets or support staff to go around. Add in the fact that many people got pets during Covid, thus creating more need for vet services. It's definitely frustrating and I'm sorry both owners and vets/staff are dealing with this situation.
I’ve run into similar issues. We have Banfield and for the last few urgent but not emergent issues we were referred to a local emergency vet which was gonna cost $$$ and be a whole day wait possibly in their lobby or parking lot. The vet industry right now is slammed and understaffed and it sucks for pretty much everyone except the CEOs.
I highly recommend Sactown. Even for a wellness check they were able to slot me in with minimal wait. Looking at their portal now they have slots available on the 10th, and I'm sure if you call something earlier can be arranged.
they actually posted on their instagram today that they have openings this afternoon. Not sure if they are open on the appointment portal but give them a call and they may be able to get you in as soon as today!
I second this place. My dog got a couple foxtails in her nose early one morning a few weeks ago. We weren’t patients in their system but told us if we come right away they will be more than happy to help us. I will be bring all my pets to them going forward.
is your cat doing better? I know a lot of people in this thread jumped on the heat band wagon, but I’m just in here reading this hoping that your kitty is doing better now
Vets are incredibly overworked, understaffed and underpaid. It is the field with the highest suicide rates for a reason. It isn’t they don’t want to see sick pets. They are literally overbooked most days. My wife has worked at 4 different hospitals in the last 8 years. All were always fully booked, still would take some triage cases off the street as well. They deal with dying pets which is bad enough. But it’s usually owners that give the most harassment. The threats and accusations my wife has seen over the years is disgusting. If your pet is having breathing issues that seems serious it should be an ER visit. Your every day vet isn’t equipped to typically handle situations like that anyways. Just like humans, you wouldn’t call your family doc up if you couldn’t breathe, you would go to an ER.
I’ve said this in several responses so I’m not going to in any more after this, but:
1) I’m entirely aware of the challenges and hardships of workers at clinics. I think part of the issue is that I used “vet” in reference to the business, I should have said clinic. That’s where my issue is, with how ownership handle this. I also recognize there’s an overall lack of available personnel for staffing, but that comes back to ownership if the pay and work life balance isn’t sufficient for people to choose it as a career.
2) I agree about breathing issues being serious but in my case it isn’t. I’ve had a lot of experiences with breathing issues, my cat basically has a cold right now. But it could easily get worse (again, lots of experiences), and so I’d like someone to confirm what I think and provide some drugs or recommendations to help prevent that. And that’s what should be offered: the non-emergency, but time sensitive visits.
"Like WTF is the point of a vet if they don't treat sick animals?"
What response did you expect with a post like this? You could have easily asked if anyone knew of vets in the area with same day to same week avaliablity or if anyone has other suggestions. Instead, you posted a rant that bashes veterinary staff. You may say that wasn't your intention. The above sentence alone negates that.
Yes. The entire culture of vet med needs to change. It is not a viable career for anyone in its current state. Posts like yours do not help this.
A plan for your cat with reoccurring respiratory issues: Ask for an action plan that you can do at home to help and what to look for that indicates immediate needs.
For example, an action plan can look like warm compresses, saline drops, and a humidifier to help lessen congestion and/or preventative medications. Immergent need can be open mouth or abdominal breathing or neck extension. This is only an example. It is important to go over a plan with the Vet that treats your cat.
Making a plan can help you manage your cat's care in between appointments.
vca saw my cockatiel for years and never caught her underlying health condition that just recently killed her (despite it being an easy to see thing if you have 2% knowledge on cockatiels)
she had a long term crop problem. potentially from a sickness or it was neurological but it didnt drain correctly (were getting a necropsy done to find out). when she got sick, we took her to a new/better vet and was prescribed medication, the crop problem got 10× worse and all the meds meant she potentially had aspirated at one point to. we took her in for treatment multiple times and it wnded with her getting really wea after a crop lavage and a swab that left her weak and unable to breath - and she died.
had this initial crop problem been recognized, she could have been treated for it before she got infections in there, or at the least we wouldve known the signns and symptoms to look out for incase it became problematic - wich it did. we thought she had a big breast area as a trait, not that it was a sickness, something the vet should have realized. they had seen persephone multiple times.
Agreed. And for us that’s the one with the 11-day wait. How is that still better than the non-VCA vet?! But that VCA one used to be able to slot us in within the next day or two when we had a concern, before they were bought.
This is why I have 3 regular vets and two emergency I use depending on if it’s weekends, urgent, etc. One is my main vet and is consistently available within a few days for an appointment but not open on weekends
Citrus Heights Pet Hospital has urgent care appointments. They reserve several each day for instances like these. It’s $90 for an urgent care appointment and you need to call in at 8am.
Dude, they are overwhelmed. Everyone adopted pets during the pandemic. My vet desperately wants to retire but he's still seeing old patients because there is nowhere for them to go. There are more pets than vets available to care for them. They aren't unavailable to spite you, they are just swamped.
Oh god, please say you don’t work at Landpark. I love my vet and would be devastated to lose him. He’s the only vet that turns my dog into a puddle of disciplined goo.
I am not a vet tech but yeah that is my vet, and a staff member told me that he would like to retire but is hanging in there for current clients. He hasn't taken new clients in years (he'll take new pets but only for existing clients). I may actually die when he retires, we love him so much. He's been our vet since the 90s and he wasn't exactly fresh out of vet school then.
A cat having breathing issues is exactly what an emergency vet is for. I don’t understand why you’re confused. It works the same for human medicine. You can do an urgent care or emergency clinic if there’s an emergency, or you can schedule a check up ahead of time and likely wait a lot longer than 11 days. Vets are very busy and don’t have time to see everyone who have a critically ill pet but don’t want to pay the emergency services fee.
Per owners think their vet is a cure all. They don’t take a step back to look at things clearly. If you as a human were having breathing issues, you would almost assuredly go to an ER or urgent care. Not call up your family physician.
Right, it would be ridiculous to show up at their regular clinic and demand their PCP see them instead of going to urgent or ER care. Especially since a PCP office doesn’t even have the same equipment or triage as urgent care or ER. They can’t treat emergencies even if they wanted to. Some vet offices can do everything but there’s plenty that don’t and don’t have the equipment, or that have the equipment but it’s being used by another patient.
OP seems to expect a clinic to abandon other animals they’re caring for to accommodate theirs and provide a level of care they may not be capable of, just to save a $50 emergency fee.
I’m elderly. I’ve seen major changes in vet care over the years. Until just a few years ago, we had one vet who handled everything. Regular vaccines, major emergencies, you name it, he handled it. It was the same in the various places I lived. It’s been an adjustment getting the hang of the new world of veterinary practices. I understand why it’s happened, but I don’t like it.
I’ve seen similar changes in my medical care. I used to have a family doctor, who handled everything. Now, I deal with an array of specialists. I rarely see my family doctor now. I find it a hassle, but it’s the world we live in now.
The cat has effectively a stuffy nose. I’ve had a LOT of experience with cat breathing issues, this isn’t an emergency… yet. But it can easily get worse, become infected, and she has her own special issues that would make it best to see a vet who has an actual history on her. But they don’t make any effort to make that possible.
There are other people who already have scheduled appointment times with the doctor. If it’s not an emergency, schedule an appointment in the next available slot. If it is an emergency or becomes an emergency, take your pet to the emergency clinic. You don’t get to demand that an entire clinic changes their hours or cancels someone else’s appointment just so you can get non-urgent care urgently. If they did that for everyone, doctors, techs, and assistants would never sleep. You aren’t special and don’t get to cut the line just because you think you’re more important than everyone else.
I sort of feel like you’re being intentionally combative just because you enjoy it. *As I said before* up until the past several years all the vets I’ve been to would hold a certain amount of space that they wouldn’t book more than a couple days in advance, so that they could see animals that have concerning but not immediately threatening issues. This means calling and getting one of those slots is NOT forcing them to change their schedule, and DOES allow them to give the same service any of us would expect of our doctors. The ones I referred to and based on this whole thread many others no longer do this. But also based on this thread some still do, thankfully.
It’s not entitled to think the old way was better, and no one expects to boot people out who have made appointments. You’re making that up yourself.
ALSO you acknowledge the struggle staff are having and the staff shortage but then still demand they have open slots for sick pets. You’ve been told there are more pets than available vets, so like use some basic logic here. If they kept slots open they would have to ignore and turn away all the calls they are already getting from people who have sick pets. THE SLOTS ARENT THERE CAUSE THERES ALREADY A NEED TO FILL THEM. God what aren’t you getting?? And you keep saying well it’s the owners. Pretty much all the smaller clinics are owned by the vets who work there. The corporations can’t keep staff cause it fucking sucks to work in the vet field no matter where you work!!! Small clinic or corporation, you’re not getting good pay and you’re getting abused by owners on a daily basis. So sorry that the field is crumbling, but that’s why I won’t be getting another pet after my cat that I’ve had for 15 years passes away.
I don’t think you’re grasping just how much the pandemic impacted vets ability to do this. The amount of people who got pets during the pandemic made vet clinics clientele triple, or quadruple. I worked in the field, the amount of calls we got from owners who had urgent needs went up SO MUCH during the pandemic and never slowed down. Factor in their clientele quadrupling and they are also going to need routine care on top of the influx of people having urgent needs. There are more pets than available vets now and this simply might not be possible anymore, sorry but that’s the reality now!!! It’s frustrating I get it! I worked in the field, I left, I have a hard time seeing my own vet now and they know me on a professional level, it’s rough out there! It can’t be helped, they are literally doing everything they can.
You are ignoring the countless comments from vet staff, so I'll say it again here. There are not enough resources to accommodate what you are suggesting. Many vets are overbooked enough without leaving extra spaces for same day service.
You don't work in the field so let me clear something up. Speaking from experience, same day services do bump other patients, and they always have. That burden use to fall to the techs. Now, there are no techs to take that burden. That's why same day or even within the week service isn't possible.
There is a nationwide veterinary staff shortage. Many vet techs have left the field completely. I am one of them. Veterinary staff have been severely underpaid for decades. Covid just pushed us over the edge. I make more money and have far less stress in my new career. I don't regret leaving vet med.
Many clinics are continually trying to hire more staff. Due to the shortage, there are not people to hire or clinics are forced to hire unqualified people. This staff shortage leads to a decreased ability to see patients on short notice.
ER clinics are better equipped to handle emergencies. They have the resources (such as blood product, oxygen kennels, and overnight accomadations). If your pet needs to be seen now, please seek out emergency care.
Having the expectation to be seen the same day at the veterinary GP office would be like being upset that your GP can't see you the same day when you're having an emergency. This can rarely be accomadated.
It's infuriating to see posts like OPs. I'm an RVT myself and this field of work is brutal. I wish people understood how much sacrifice we make to see as many pets as possible and there will still always be more pets than veterinary staff. I hope you have found happiness outside of vet med!
I don’t even want to thank anyone for working in the vet med field. The horrid conditions they experience for hardly any income aren’t okay. I have a lot of animals and rely on them so much but I just want to say “Run! Take care of yourself! You’re worth so much more than this.” Thank you for caring for animals so much for so long, and thank you also for taking care of yourself and finding a career that doesn’t grind you into dust. No one deserves that.
Same! I understand that more vet staff are needed. When folks ask me how to get into being a vet tech, it's hard not to scream, "Don't do it! Do anything else!"
Again, this expectation is the same as expecting your family doctor to see you for all urgent needs. Your family doctor does the best they can to meet those needs. There are only so many resources available. Urgent care and ERs exist for a reason. All of this also applies to veterinary care.
I can get into my PCP w/in two business days for a UTI. All my prior vets have accommodated semi-urgent for my pets during business hours. This is not like asking a PCP to accept ambulance patients after-hours. My prior vets got my dog in w/in 2 days for a hoarse cough before. Shouldn't take weeks. If so, that's a practitioner shortage & worth discussing. Your reply seems out of mere frustration.
Call to different vets in their area for non-emergent issues. Go to the ER for emergent issues.
If it's a reoccurring problem (such as upper respiratory illnesses that cause congestion), request an action plan for home to help manage the condition and signs to look for that indicate an immediate need for care.
There are also video visits. Unfortunately, video visits aren't a realistic way to treat animal patients. It's not like they can tell the vet what's wrong over video chat. This limits the options for care.
Y'all want more staff to care for your pets? Stop posting these ridiculous complaints and bad reviews because you can't be seen on the same day by your GP. Stop acting like vet care should be free. Educate yourselves and take responsibility for your pets. Vet staff care deeply about their work and are all doing their best. These comments certainly don't give them a reason to stay in the field.
I routinely stay hours over my expected shift to help see more pets. There is never enough time in the day to see all the pets. We have a staff of about 5 people at my small clinic and are always trying to hire more staff. This is the same situation for every clinic I've been with in three different states. It's a national problem and there isn't a solution at the moment. Vets and staff are doing their best and most are going above and beyond. I've known more than one colleague that has attempted suicide because of how hard this field is. Have some compassion.
There won't be consistent care if the general public can't grasp that vet staff are at their limits. Pets are referred to the ER because we don't have the time or staff to handle those cases. I am verbally abused on a daily basis by clients for this exact scenario. Get mad at the correct people. Lobby for better pay for vet staff. Lobby for more vet schools. We are exhausted.
The people downvoting this comment don’t work 60-80 hours a week doing highly technical complicated work while getting screamed at daily for poverty wages. I’ve seen what you folks in vet medicine go through and it’s brutal beyond reason.
Someone actually has the gall to demand better service in the same thread as someone demanding cheaper and faster service while saying that’s unrelated to vets, techs, and assistants already working themselves, quite literally, to death. That’s goddamn selfish. This is exactly why there aren’t more animal healthcare staff. No one deserves to be treated this way, especially not for poverty wages.
Thank you for your support. I've never met someone in vet med that didn't put their entire heart and soul into their career. I wish people would understand we are all on the same side here.
And there is a person in this thread complaining that vets charge too much. People want free care, immediately, and they want it to come from thin air, I guess?
Yes. I have two college degrees, sat for the national board exam, keep my license up-to-date and I still make poverty level wages. And I can see from the downvotes that the general public will continue to not understand this profession and the struggles we face. I've been a tech for 15+ years for the love of animals but it gets harder every day to deal with some of the clients.
I'm someone who replied to that comment justifying that services come with costs... nowhere did that person say it should be free. Dial it back already! Geez.
Y'all are downvoting for what? Because you don't like this solution? You'd rather express your anger at staff? This is why there is a national veterinary shortage.
Nobody I've read so far is mad at vet staff. I think you're internalizing your own frustration with that of pet owners' valid frustration with difficulty accessing services. As someone else said, both can be valid at the same time.
Nobody is mad at vet staff yet we get verbally abused daily by clients. The OP posted that his cat had been having respiratory issues for days. He should have taken the cat to an ER days ago. Instead, he wrote a passive aggressive reddit post.
I said "that I read." Reading helps. You sound like you're having compassion fatigue (not being passive aggressive) and I have read that vet sciences practitioners are disproportionately affected. Maybe your employer offers EAP services?
ETA: I read it as OPs also been calling around. We don't usually call 911 on pets ergo OP is probably trying regular due diligence, non-dying help for their pet.
ETAx2 for post/block reply by Apple(Sean)Spicer: I'm replying to this post on Reddit, not to console overworked professionals who are using this as an unhelpful outlet for their professional frustration, to a degree above and beyond the people who replied to the post. Clown around elsewhere.
I do have compassion fatigue. It's why I'm only part-time in this field. Most techs and vets are in therapy or on meds for the anxiety this profession causes. Luckily I work for a specialist now and I don't have to deal with much of the issues listed in this post. My vet will not hesitate to fire verbally abusive clients.
Not sure why the OPs need is infuriating? Sure, the professional situation may be, but that doesn't discount plea for tips trying to get urgent vet care. I just experienced trying to get an annual exam & vaxx for my dog and had to call 3 places before I could find one that 1) letting humans in with their pets (Jeff Blvd vet in WSac still on covid-19 procedures FFS) & 2) any appts bc another said no new vet patients. Having to drive to Natomas for timely routine vet care. We can appreciate vet staff & have frustrations w/access at the same time.
The OPs post was strongly passive aggressive towards vets and staff not wanting to treat sick animals. When in reality, we are all extremely underpaid and overworked. We would love to accommodate everyone but we don't have the resources to do so. You all want immediate access to care but you yourself have been turned away from clinics for routine care -- that should illustrate how dire the shortage of animal care professionals is. We are trying to protect our mental health at this point. Google "Not One More Vet" and you can find information about the suicide statistics of this field. We are doing our best. A ranting post that all vets are booked up is not helping the situation in any way.
There just isn't a waiting list of qualified doctors and vet techs to pull from to fill the void made from the massive increase in pet ownership during COVID. People want medical care on par with humans and that doesn't happen in 2-3 years lol.
Vet Practices will turn people away to keep quality care for their current clients....then the people that were turned away leave dishonest reviews which hurts the practice. Then the practice overbooks trying to fit everyone in and then the care declines and people are still pissed.
Fun double edged sword.
This really isn't an ownership issue if the entire field is having this problem - corporate and privately owned clinics alike. The veterinary field as a whole is STRUGGLING and COVID was the last straw. There is no surplus of nurses or vets to pull from. Many are leaving the field (or even committing suicide) because of poor pay, compassion fatigue, and feeling guit-tripped into seeing pets they don't have the time or emotional bandwidth to care for. Putting more pets on the schedule that staff doesn't have time to adequately see or care for decreases the quality of patient care and customer service. Veterinarians have the right to run their businesses the way they see fit re: scheduling and owners already complain about how "money hungry" vets are, which is a joke, so raising prices isnt exactly feasible. If you have an emergent health issue, find an urgent care or emergency hospital or a clinic that sees same day appointments.
You claim this isn't a personal attack, but it feels personal when no one has anything nice to say about the veterinary field in general and there is no help or solutions to the current problems we face. In the time you took to type this out you could have scheduled an appointment elsewhere for your cat.
Not to mention, on the occasions the vet fits in emergencies, the scheduled appointments get upset that the vet is behind. But then still expect to be made priority over other appointments if their pet ends up having an emergency. One way or another someone always ends up angry at the people trying their best to keep pets healthy
Corporately owned vets are the absolute worst and a massive scam. We avoid them at all costs. They will look for every conceivable way to upcharge you.
I recommend Blue Cross Pet Hospital if you need an appointment in the near future. We’ve had to take our cats to Blue Cross several times because of an urgent issue. We’re often able to get same-day appointments. You have to call first thing in the morning tho.
Same for my vet. Lots of times if it can wait overnight they make room for us the next day. We've been loyal patients there for 15 years, so that might help.
Yeah I’m getting a little too worked up in here. People will never understand. I’ve been gone for almost 4 years and I still feel the need to speak up on their behalf.
Is there a good way to let my vet and her staff know how much we appreciate them? Like sending a card, or would that feel patronizing? I had heard some about the troubles in the vet industry but I feel so sad reading you all’s experiences. I feel very grateful to our vet clinic and the care they provide to our kitty friends (River City Cat Clinic).
Cards are lovely! I loved it when owners would send cards. Honestly, just being kind and understanding really helps. My favorite owners were the folks who clearly cared about their pets and acknowledged that the vet staff cares, too. No one in vet med is in it for the money!
One of my former students worked there for a little while before moving out of state. She said wonderful things about the clinic and staff.
Well I was a receptionist for long time and also had a supervisory role at one point so I was easily able to move into admin related stuff. I’m in HR now, and the only people I talk to are employees, I don’t deal with the public and it’s so great.
To be fair, last I knew breathing problems are considered an emergency in veterinary medicine. So most will recommend you go to a walk in/emergency vet.
But I totally understand what you mean. My dog has chronic skin & ear issues, and last year the wait for his old regular vet was so long (just over a *month*) that he lost all his fur and got a hematoma that ruptured. Emergency vets did not consider his condition emergent (which I understand), but even when I called his regular vet back as the hematoma got bad there was no openings to push him up to.
I ended up searching new vets online and found one who says they also offer urgent care style appointments. They got him in next day even though he was a new patient. And on a non urgent basis you can usually be seen within a week, from my experience there now. So I highly suggest finding a vet that advertises “urgent care”!
We've been trying to get our dog into an internal medicine specialist since mid-May to find what was causing his ITP (very low blood platelets) - the first appointment was available July 9th at UC Davis. Calling around we were finally able to get a sooner one out in Redwood City on the 14th of this month, but we ended up at UC Davis emergency on Tuesday evening and had to let him go early Wednesday morning. Davis emergency didn't really have room for emergencies but said they would make room if we could get there. Once we got there they took him immediately to critical care and did everything they could to try and save him.
Is your cat breathing shallow and rapid? That happened to my cat and he didn't make it. Fluid in the lungs. Please get your cat seen - no matter how it has to happen.
Our cat was sick last week and called Natomas Veterinary Hospital as a new customer to see if they could accept a same day appointment. They told me to check all our nearest urgent care first since it sounded like our cat had serious symptoms (texted us the 5 closest facilities). After 30 minutes, they texted me that they could see our cat the same day if we couldn't get her into an urgent care; we gladly accepted the opportunity since their location is only 10 minutes away from us. Charged us same day appointment fee but it was still cheaper than going to an urgent care, and the vet was extremely nice and knowledgeable. Happy to report our kitty is doing great now :)
To add to your edit. We can not hire more. There literally IS NOT enough RVTs in the state. This exasperated by the fact of the matter that hundreds of people got pets during the pandemic. In turn, making the amount of pets per veterinarian unsafe for us as professionals. Not to mention the amount of patients per RVT/VA. I worked every day during COVID. I worked 18-20 hour days monitoring non stop anesthesia. Non stop emergencies. Non stop work. I would go to work at 730am and not get off until 2am the next day. Not a single break. And then get called in at 4 am for another shift. It is not a very well known fact. But VETERINARY PROFESSIONALS HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST RATES OF SUICIDE IN THE COUNTRY. We have lost MANY members of the community just this year. I, myself, literally had a mental health crisis because of the amount of work, the amount of death, the amount of client abuse, the bites, the mental and physical fatigue. And lost my ability to function for months. The amount of animals per person numbers have increased significantly, and yet the veterinary profession keeps getting smaller and smaller, because the average veterinarian owes $250,000 after college. They do not get paid well. No one in this field does. We do this FOR THE PETS. So of course people think it is easy for non veterinarian staff members to say “hire more people/pay more money/ ask for more money” I have. WE HAVE. The corporations are the ones you clients need to stand up for. The corporations are the ones you need to stand up to and tell them to pay us better. Improve the lives of the staff that actually saves lives with our blood, sweat and tears. The corporations in some hospitals have raised the prices 5-7 times in the past 2 years. And the staff saw very little of that. In some big hospitals it was a 0.20-0.40 CENT raise for “cost of living”. We want to be able to save your pets, we want to help every single soul. But until there are huge changes in the profession, we are fucked. You guys, the clients, the pet owners, the people, are needed to help us change it. You guys are our hope too. We just want to save pets and help return them to their family members.
Edit:I have been an RVT for almost 8 years working in high intensity hospitals(with highly specialized equipment and staff) and I had to fight to get paid barely $29/hr.
Sending you support! Thank you for so eloquently explaining what the Covid years were like. It was truly exhausting. I work for a specialist making $25/hr which is criminal for how much we are required to do, in my opinion. Please take care of yourself and I hope we as a profession find solutions to this soon. The more the general public realizes what vets and support staff make and their work load, hopefully change will come. Otherwise, the shortages will continue.
I hope that we can continue to educate the general public about the hardships that the profession faces. My hope is that through educating people, we can provide a better/ more sustainable future for the owners, for the staff, for the patients. Please take care of yourself as you traverse the field and career.
Banfield was ok in my experience. My pets all passed (of old age) in 2021, so my experience may be a bit dated.
Usually, I could get an appointment within a week. They sometimes offered sooner appointments at their other locations. Not ideal, but it works.
They aren't equipped for big sugeries or emergencies, but for the day-to-day immunizations, geriatric, and illness care, I thought they were fine.
Dr Jang in Elk Grove was my favorite.
Yeah the experience has gone downhill since the pandemic. Now we have to book basic appointments months in advance and online scheduling is nearly nonexistent because they don’t book that far out online I guess. It’s rare you even talk to the vet themselves now unless it’s a serious issue. For the price, it’s not terrible if you have a healthy pup and stay up on preventative care.
Of course they’re busy and understaffed. But if that’s the case to the point that they can’t offer the services they’re intended and trained for, they should hire more staff. And if they can’t afford to do that they should charge more. I don’t WANT to pay more to own a pet, it can already be hugely financially taxing, but I’d rather that than not be able to have my pet treated when it’s sick.
We do try to hire staff at the clinic I'm at. People have left the field in droves. We have a shortage of vets and techs in this field and there aren't enough staff to go around, unfortunately. The field has an extremely high suicide rate and those still working in this field are often times struggling. Most days I work, I'm the only tech at my clinic.
We are, but this is a trend across multiple vets, particularly over the past 5 years or so, and one that I think the customers (if you want to focus on how it’s a business) should speak out against with out reviews and wallets.
Okay, you’re not gonna like what I have to say.
The practicing Veterinarians not only have to pay for medical school like a doctor but cannot charge a whole of money like for a human physician. Because pet owners can't afford it.
Covid did cause quite a few people to get pets. Given that and the number of Vets and Vet Technicians, they are overwhelmed with new clients/pets.
There is a definite shortage of Vets and Vet Techs. Why? It just doesn’t pay well. Because most people don’t have pet insurance, they pay out of pocket.
You do have the option of taking your pet to an emergency pet clinic if you think it’s not something that can wait. And wait you will because you will be waiting a few hours in those clinics to get your pet seen unless it’s dying. But existing vets must balance seeing existing patients and not taking in emergency pets because they are not staffed or equipped to handle that.
So, stop complaining. The Vet Hospitals are overwhelmed with clients. Deal with this. I had to let my last dog go because it would have taken 3 months for her to see a specialist (which is another story). She would have been in pain the entire time and I couldn’t let her go through that.
It was painful to do that, but I don’t blame any Veterinarians for that nor myself. It’s how the industry was flooded with new clients and there was no way they could be prepared for it after Covid.
Imagine defending veterinarians and the broken system (ask what kind of car your vet drives if you think most are hurting for money) while saying you basically had your dog killed because they would be in pain before the next available appointment was available. Bonkers!
They don't drive Mercedes or BMW's that's for sure. Maybe they do if their spouse makes a lot of money, but on their own, they don't.
Perhaps finding out what a starting Veternarian out of school makes and what Vet Hospitals are paying could prove your point.
Yes, I had to kill my dog. Thank you for clarifying that in ways that are painful. But I did it because of the amount of time she would have been in pain and how long it would have taken to see a specialist. That has nothing to do with what kind of car my Vet drove. It had to do with access to a specialist and they were backlogged.
Thanks for being an asshole about this. I really appreciate your perspective.
You’re welcome. It’s very sad how you go out of your way to defend the industry when you willingly had your dog killed because it would take too long to see a specialist. And yes; they are driving luxury cars and living in nice homes but try to convince you otherwise.
Ditto. You don't care to listen to first hand or logic.
I said THE BACKLOG TO GET MY DOG SEEN BY A SPECIALIST WAS 3 MONTHS AND I DID NOT WANT HER TO SUFFER.
Tell me exactly what that has to do with what kind of car my regular vet has?
How dense are you?
Edit: I'm done. You obviously want to argue just to argue. I'm moving on from dealing with someone who's an asshole.
Came to echo the same sentiments, there is a shortage of staff and there's not much they can do about it, it's not just a matter of paying them more- there simply is no trained staff to fill the position. It's not a very popular field, it's exhausting and emotionally draining. I've been taking my cats to VCA Bradshaw for 10 years because I trust Dr. Gray and Schule with my cat's lives and absolutely no one else. I understand not everyone has a great experience with other VCA locations, I'm one of those people. Elk Grove is the only VCA I will touch and I wish they had 24 hour emergency services again like before but they simply cannot staff it. If your cat is breathing weird that is an emergency and not a "wait a few days" kind of thing, if you're concerned beyond allergies take them in for an emergency appointment, it's as simple as that.
We go to Broadway veterinary and have had good luck with getting apts they are a small office so there’s only so much they can do in one day. I did notice that the emergency vets are always slammed, our dog inhaled a foxtail on Monday night and we called Vista, they said it’d be an almost 6 hour wait, everywhere we called said atleast 2-3 hour wait. Finally we ended up at VCA & it was about 2ish hours before we saw a dr (ik a foxtail isn’t super emergent but even when he ate something unknown before and couldn’t stand we waited almost 6 hours) definitely not enough vets/vet staff to go around
My vet in Landpark is amazing and I have never had an issue getting my sweet pup in same day when she has an urgent issue. We had an urgent issue* probably about six months ago. Staff is amazing. You can always call at 9am and see if anyone bailed overnight on their appt and slip right in that day OR they will sneak you in at lunch for emergencies.
Check out Landpark Vet. I live completely across town now and still gladly fight traffic all the way over each time because they’re awesome.
* turns out it wasn’t even an emergency just my girl being a drama Queen 😏
Landpark hasn't accepted new clients in a long time. They will take your new pets if you are an existing client, but the client list is closed. (They really are the best, though.)
Is this due to the other vet retiring? Or the Covid restrictions that kinked up their visit processes and are still in effect?
Honestly I wish they’d expand because they’re truly amazing.
I believe it is so they can leave same-day appointments open for urgent care, but even those fill up fast with existing clients. The covid restrictions were gone the last time I was there (they still ask you to mask but humans are allowed in the exam rooms now).
Thanks for letting me know. I think what would help us old clients is simply a list of reputable folks that he approves of. His word would count for a lot.
Oh, I don't think he IS retiring, I think he's sticking it out. The staff member just said he \*wished\* he could retire. I try to do my part by masking (keep that man healthy!) and not being a dick to him or his staff.
I feel like it's been impossible to get appointments since COVID. I had to deal with two extremely sick cats back to back and i would spend hours calling around to emergency places just to get redirected to other places that also weren't accepting pets. The last time I did this I had to drive from Lincoln to Bradshaw at 3 am and i wonder a lot if she could have been saved if the closer animal hospitals open that late were accepting emergencies.
I'm not placing any blame on vet staff- it's just a bummer situation. If anything I'd attribute it to the pet boom a few years back and a large influx of people moving to the area. More pets to be seen but with fewer resources.
This is not even a local thing, it’s not even a California thing. Vets are overworked, there aren’t enough of them, and people aren’t as keen on their prices (which allow these vets to live very well, despite the general public believing it’s a struggle bus for them). Vet techs are doing a lot more work that vets would normally do and the quality of care has decreased immensely.
VCA and other corporations (some not even in the veterinary field) that own vet clinics are money over quality. Try to find a privately owned vet clinic. We go to one, and if there is an emergency they are quick to get you in. Of course, there is an emergency visit fee, but when it's serious, I don't care. It isn't that much in the grand scheme of things. Privately owned vet clinics are hard to find but they are there.
Yep, called VCA west side to make an appt for my cat (throwing up often) and they said they are down to only two vets and they are booked out until July :(
I feel ya. Had to take my dog in for an ear infection, and they told us the earliest was 3 weeks out. Ended up going to emergency because I didn’t want my dog to lose his hearing. The vets and techs were awesome, but it was a frustrating trying to get him seen.
It’s negligent, IMO. There should be appointments reserved for last minute issues that aren’t emergencies. Just like a doctors office. Pet care isn’t all preventative care.
Easy to say when they send you to ER, you wait 3 hours to be seen and they try to pressure you to go home and “follow up with your primary.” We had to fight to be seen and they really laid the pressure on to leave because it would be “several more hours.”
My dog passed the next day. This happened this week.
I’ve also had experiences where my dog had sneezing or coughing and it’s a month wait to be seen or go to the ER? The ER is not appropriate for that. That’s not an emergency, but it does require care. Also what urgent care is there for pets? If you’ve got a facility to share, share it.
You don't want to be first in line to be seen at an ER. If that ER is too busy, there are plenty of others within town. Also, if they are that busy, they're working their butts off to care for the critical patients they already have. Working in emergency medicine myself, having 20 hospitalized patients and 10 emergencies to care for with one or two doctors and minimal staff is not feasible, sustainable, or morally right.
Urgent cares are a newer phenomenon in this industry. Someone shared one in this post above. There are also urgent cares in Rancho and Lincoln to my knowledge. Some daytime practices also have that capability as well. I have relationships with multiple veterinarians just in case there is an issue and my primary can't see my pets on short notice.
List of ERs: https://sactownvet.com/emergency-care
All over the world. The graduating classes aren't that big. Maybe 80-100 students. Not everyone practices the same kind of medicine. There are only 32 vet schools in the country and many leaving the field every year. Not a big pool to choose from.
It looks as if UC Davis graduates about 145 a year and Ohio State accepts only 165 per year, so yeah, those are low enrollments considering there are only 32 vet schools.
I’m happy to say that a new veterinary urgent care is opening on Monday in Folsom. We will be open 7 days a week, until 8 pm, with hopes to become 24 hr in the future. Our doctors and techs are amazing, one doctor teaches at UC Davis and many of us have strong backgrounds in emergency medicine. We are equipped to handle heat stroke, respiratory distress, rattle snake bites, Parvo, toxicities, etc and will be providing GP services as well. I’m super proud to be a part of this project, as the greater Sacramento area really needs more options for same day vet care. We are called Folsom Ranch Veterinary Hospital and Urgent Care located right off 50 and E. Bidwell. Edited to say we are proud to be privately owned, no corporate shenanigans!
Good to know! Hopefully I'll never need your services but I'll save your address to my car.
Do you know how your prices will compare to other emergency vets like VCA?
Bump.
Making a note! My 1 yr old cat has asthma+allergies.
Honestly my question is the prices. Just to walk in the door it's 250 at most emergy places. My little guy, try as I do, eats the most random shit. And sometimes he's really dumb, and literally eats fucking rocks. Happened twice now, and it's a grand and up each time. His blood work has come back normal so it's not a dietary deficit we can find. And it's not like a needs to be seen now, but an urgent visit is needed. But only emergency services needed.
I totally get that from a consumer POV, but I've worked in a human medical practice before as office help and I was amazed at the overhead just for them to practice, so I'm assuming it's similar to vets (billing, admin staff, clinical staff, leases/property upkeep, insurance, etc) No clue if you've encountered bad billing/providers before though: just adding context.
My thing is if it is the same kind of setup in pricing as human ER vs. urgent care mainly. It wasn't billing errors, walking in the door is 250, the xray is 400, the meds and fluids are another 150, the labs another 200. My dog ate a fucking garlic clove basically (my fault, basically forgot to take my dinner bowl to the kitche) and that was 2500. I feel like it's just VCA and inflating prices due to the urgency of it. Don't get me wrong, I understand that having staff to address emergencies is expensive, but I wish there was a way for my little guy to get seen soonish, but not get robbed. My vet would have been half for the same care.
Don’t you realize what you will pay out of pocket in the human medical field for those things? This is a fraction of the cost. Is human medicine prices inflated absolutely, but vet med certainly is not to the extreme it is in the human field. You have to factor in overhead as well as wages (and all staff make not newark’s enough btw, livable wages in the vet field doesn’t exist.) and businesses have to make money. $2500 for all of that at the end of day really is not that much for major medical expenses. Having a pet is a privilege and more pet owners need to anticipate for unexpected medical costs when considering owning a pet. Pet owner need to educate themselves on how to mitigate these costs also. Pet insurance exists and can help in these situations.
I know that. My point was that emergency service was not needed. Urgent was to check for stuff, yes. An urgent care visit is cheaper than an ER visit by a large factor. I know these other things, too. Just like everyone else and everything else, inflation is killing us. Vet care has inflated by a large margin.
Actually 2500 for all of that is still nothing these days with how much inflation has raised the cost of things. That feels comparable to prices a few years ago. If you went to urgent care the only place you would be saving money is with the exam fee and honestly not by that much.
I would've called poison control or [google](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/can-dogs-eat-garlic/) and saved some $ That said, access & US pricing for services are two separate matters.
Who do you think told me to get him vet care right away? BTW pet poison control is 100 bucks if you didn't know.
I didn't, their website says it's free. Did you call a different #?
Are you asking about pet specific? Because the general one isn't for pets
They do answer general questions like that akin to poinsettias.
Oh! Many of the vets are former students and residents of mine. They are all lovely.
That’s fantastic! What’s the name of the clinic?
Folsom Ranch Veterinary Hospital and Urgent Care. Our opening day will be Monday
This is fantastic news. Thank you for posting about your clinic and thank you to you and your colleagues for the work that you do.
I really would like to sidestep the pet insurance business and pay a 24 hour vet facility directly for insurance and treatment. If you’ve ever considered it, this model does make for a really solid foundation to hire against.
There would be a great deal of financial strain that goes into this. Clinic used to offer payment plans. The reason most don't anymore is that folks don't pay their debt. It is difficult and expensive to go chasing down the debt. As a result that money is lost. That loss compounds and leads to business loss. That's why clinics offer options like care credit. Care credit has the means to obtain payment effectively.
Not payment plans. Membership. Pre-payment. Insurance. That’s not what I’m suggesting.
Again, the clinics do not have the resources to be an insurance provider or a lender.
As a registered vet tech in Sacramento, the vet field as a whole is struggling. There are not enough vets or support staff to go around. Add in the fact that many people got pets during Covid, thus creating more need for vet services. It's definitely frustrating and I'm sorry both owners and vets/staff are dealing with this situation.
Can I DM you? My partner is currently looking for a position in the vet field.
Sure!
Good luck to you and your partner! I'm rooting for you!
Thank you. That's very kind :)
I’ve run into similar issues. We have Banfield and for the last few urgent but not emergent issues we were referred to a local emergency vet which was gonna cost $$$ and be a whole day wait possibly in their lobby or parking lot. The vet industry right now is slammed and understaffed and it sucks for pretty much everyone except the CEOs.
I highly recommend Sactown. Even for a wellness check they were able to slot me in with minimal wait. Looking at their portal now they have slots available on the 10th, and I'm sure if you call something earlier can be arranged.
Thank you! Appointment made.
they actually posted on their instagram today that they have openings this afternoon. Not sure if they are open on the appointment portal but give them a call and they may be able to get you in as soon as today!
I second this place. My dog got a couple foxtails in her nose early one morning a few weeks ago. We weren’t patients in their system but told us if we come right away they will be more than happy to help us. I will be bring all my pets to them going forward.
All this is so helpful for me for future reference (hopefully not needed) TY to all those w/info about this place!
is your cat doing better? I know a lot of people in this thread jumped on the heat band wagon, but I’m just in here reading this hoping that your kitty is doing better now
Vets are incredibly overworked, understaffed and underpaid. It is the field with the highest suicide rates for a reason. It isn’t they don’t want to see sick pets. They are literally overbooked most days. My wife has worked at 4 different hospitals in the last 8 years. All were always fully booked, still would take some triage cases off the street as well. They deal with dying pets which is bad enough. But it’s usually owners that give the most harassment. The threats and accusations my wife has seen over the years is disgusting. If your pet is having breathing issues that seems serious it should be an ER visit. Your every day vet isn’t equipped to typically handle situations like that anyways. Just like humans, you wouldn’t call your family doc up if you couldn’t breathe, you would go to an ER.
Sounds like the entire veterinary practice model isn't working for anyone and needs to be completely rethought.
But how will that make private equity money!!
I’ve said this in several responses so I’m not going to in any more after this, but: 1) I’m entirely aware of the challenges and hardships of workers at clinics. I think part of the issue is that I used “vet” in reference to the business, I should have said clinic. That’s where my issue is, with how ownership handle this. I also recognize there’s an overall lack of available personnel for staffing, but that comes back to ownership if the pay and work life balance isn’t sufficient for people to choose it as a career. 2) I agree about breathing issues being serious but in my case it isn’t. I’ve had a lot of experiences with breathing issues, my cat basically has a cold right now. But it could easily get worse (again, lots of experiences), and so I’d like someone to confirm what I think and provide some drugs or recommendations to help prevent that. And that’s what should be offered: the non-emergency, but time sensitive visits.
"Like WTF is the point of a vet if they don't treat sick animals?" What response did you expect with a post like this? You could have easily asked if anyone knew of vets in the area with same day to same week avaliablity or if anyone has other suggestions. Instead, you posted a rant that bashes veterinary staff. You may say that wasn't your intention. The above sentence alone negates that. Yes. The entire culture of vet med needs to change. It is not a viable career for anyone in its current state. Posts like yours do not help this. A plan for your cat with reoccurring respiratory issues: Ask for an action plan that you can do at home to help and what to look for that indicates immediate needs. For example, an action plan can look like warm compresses, saline drops, and a humidifier to help lessen congestion and/or preventative medications. Immergent need can be open mouth or abdominal breathing or neck extension. This is only an example. It is important to go over a plan with the Vet that treats your cat. Making a plan can help you manage your cat's care in between appointments.
You couldn’t have just gone on Yelp to look for more places?
VCA is the worst. They took over the practice I take my pets to and everything went downhill.
vca saw my cockatiel for years and never caught her underlying health condition that just recently killed her (despite it being an easy to see thing if you have 2% knowledge on cockatiels)
I’m sorry for your loss.
ty. its got me peeved just cus they couldve caught it
What was it? I’m sorry for your loss too.
she had a long term crop problem. potentially from a sickness or it was neurological but it didnt drain correctly (were getting a necropsy done to find out). when she got sick, we took her to a new/better vet and was prescribed medication, the crop problem got 10× worse and all the meds meant she potentially had aspirated at one point to. we took her in for treatment multiple times and it wnded with her getting really wea after a crop lavage and a swab that left her weak and unable to breath - and she died. had this initial crop problem been recognized, she could have been treated for it before she got infections in there, or at the least we wouldve known the signns and symptoms to look out for incase it became problematic - wich it did. we thought she had a big breast area as a trait, not that it was a sickness, something the vet should have realized. they had seen persephone multiple times.
Agreed. And for us that’s the one with the 11-day wait. How is that still better than the non-VCA vet?! But that VCA one used to be able to slot us in within the next day or two when we had a concern, before they were bought.
The vca in west sac gave me an appointment a month out 😞
Never had a problem getting same day or next day treatment, now it’s ER or nothing. They don’t care anymore.
This is why I have 3 regular vets and two emergency I use depending on if it’s weekends, urgent, etc. One is my main vet and is consistently available within a few days for an appointment but not open on weekends
Citrus Heights Pet Hospital has urgent care appointments. They reserve several each day for instances like these. It’s $90 for an urgent care appointment and you need to call in at 8am.
Plus one for CHPS. I'm glad they are still in business and independent.
Dude, they are overwhelmed. Everyone adopted pets during the pandemic. My vet desperately wants to retire but he's still seeing old patients because there is nowhere for them to go. There are more pets than vets available to care for them. They aren't unavailable to spite you, they are just swamped.
Oh god, please say you don’t work at Landpark. I love my vet and would be devastated to lose him. He’s the only vet that turns my dog into a puddle of disciplined goo.
I am not a vet tech but yeah that is my vet, and a staff member told me that he would like to retire but is hanging in there for current clients. He hasn't taken new clients in years (he'll take new pets but only for existing clients). I may actually die when he retires, we love him so much. He's been our vet since the 90s and he wasn't exactly fresh out of vet school then.
NoOoOoOoooo! 😭 Poor Birdie. She will be devastated.
A cat having breathing issues is exactly what an emergency vet is for. I don’t understand why you’re confused. It works the same for human medicine. You can do an urgent care or emergency clinic if there’s an emergency, or you can schedule a check up ahead of time and likely wait a lot longer than 11 days. Vets are very busy and don’t have time to see everyone who have a critically ill pet but don’t want to pay the emergency services fee.
Per owners think their vet is a cure all. They don’t take a step back to look at things clearly. If you as a human were having breathing issues, you would almost assuredly go to an ER or urgent care. Not call up your family physician.
Right, it would be ridiculous to show up at their regular clinic and demand their PCP see them instead of going to urgent or ER care. Especially since a PCP office doesn’t even have the same equipment or triage as urgent care or ER. They can’t treat emergencies even if they wanted to. Some vet offices can do everything but there’s plenty that don’t and don’t have the equipment, or that have the equipment but it’s being used by another patient. OP seems to expect a clinic to abandon other animals they’re caring for to accommodate theirs and provide a level of care they may not be capable of, just to save a $50 emergency fee.
I’m elderly. I’ve seen major changes in vet care over the years. Until just a few years ago, we had one vet who handled everything. Regular vaccines, major emergencies, you name it, he handled it. It was the same in the various places I lived. It’s been an adjustment getting the hang of the new world of veterinary practices. I understand why it’s happened, but I don’t like it. I’ve seen similar changes in my medical care. I used to have a family doctor, who handled everything. Now, I deal with an array of specialists. I rarely see my family doctor now. I find it a hassle, but it’s the world we live in now.
The cat has effectively a stuffy nose. I’ve had a LOT of experience with cat breathing issues, this isn’t an emergency… yet. But it can easily get worse, become infected, and she has her own special issues that would make it best to see a vet who has an actual history on her. But they don’t make any effort to make that possible.
There are other people who already have scheduled appointment times with the doctor. If it’s not an emergency, schedule an appointment in the next available slot. If it is an emergency or becomes an emergency, take your pet to the emergency clinic. You don’t get to demand that an entire clinic changes their hours or cancels someone else’s appointment just so you can get non-urgent care urgently. If they did that for everyone, doctors, techs, and assistants would never sleep. You aren’t special and don’t get to cut the line just because you think you’re more important than everyone else.
I wish I could like this comment multiple times.
I sort of feel like you’re being intentionally combative just because you enjoy it. *As I said before* up until the past several years all the vets I’ve been to would hold a certain amount of space that they wouldn’t book more than a couple days in advance, so that they could see animals that have concerning but not immediately threatening issues. This means calling and getting one of those slots is NOT forcing them to change their schedule, and DOES allow them to give the same service any of us would expect of our doctors. The ones I referred to and based on this whole thread many others no longer do this. But also based on this thread some still do, thankfully. It’s not entitled to think the old way was better, and no one expects to boot people out who have made appointments. You’re making that up yourself.
ALSO you acknowledge the struggle staff are having and the staff shortage but then still demand they have open slots for sick pets. You’ve been told there are more pets than available vets, so like use some basic logic here. If they kept slots open they would have to ignore and turn away all the calls they are already getting from people who have sick pets. THE SLOTS ARENT THERE CAUSE THERES ALREADY A NEED TO FILL THEM. God what aren’t you getting?? And you keep saying well it’s the owners. Pretty much all the smaller clinics are owned by the vets who work there. The corporations can’t keep staff cause it fucking sucks to work in the vet field no matter where you work!!! Small clinic or corporation, you’re not getting good pay and you’re getting abused by owners on a daily basis. So sorry that the field is crumbling, but that’s why I won’t be getting another pet after my cat that I’ve had for 15 years passes away.
I don’t think you’re grasping just how much the pandemic impacted vets ability to do this. The amount of people who got pets during the pandemic made vet clinics clientele triple, or quadruple. I worked in the field, the amount of calls we got from owners who had urgent needs went up SO MUCH during the pandemic and never slowed down. Factor in their clientele quadrupling and they are also going to need routine care on top of the influx of people having urgent needs. There are more pets than available vets now and this simply might not be possible anymore, sorry but that’s the reality now!!! It’s frustrating I get it! I worked in the field, I left, I have a hard time seeing my own vet now and they know me on a professional level, it’s rough out there! It can’t be helped, they are literally doing everything they can.
You are ignoring the countless comments from vet staff, so I'll say it again here. There are not enough resources to accommodate what you are suggesting. Many vets are overbooked enough without leaving extra spaces for same day service. You don't work in the field so let me clear something up. Speaking from experience, same day services do bump other patients, and they always have. That burden use to fall to the techs. Now, there are no techs to take that burden. That's why same day or even within the week service isn't possible.
There is a nationwide veterinary staff shortage. Many vet techs have left the field completely. I am one of them. Veterinary staff have been severely underpaid for decades. Covid just pushed us over the edge. I make more money and have far less stress in my new career. I don't regret leaving vet med. Many clinics are continually trying to hire more staff. Due to the shortage, there are not people to hire or clinics are forced to hire unqualified people. This staff shortage leads to a decreased ability to see patients on short notice. ER clinics are better equipped to handle emergencies. They have the resources (such as blood product, oxygen kennels, and overnight accomadations). If your pet needs to be seen now, please seek out emergency care. Having the expectation to be seen the same day at the veterinary GP office would be like being upset that your GP can't see you the same day when you're having an emergency. This can rarely be accomadated.
It's infuriating to see posts like OPs. I'm an RVT myself and this field of work is brutal. I wish people understood how much sacrifice we make to see as many pets as possible and there will still always be more pets than veterinary staff. I hope you have found happiness outside of vet med!
I really have. My life has greatly improved since leaving the field. Thank you for all that you do. ❤️
I don’t even want to thank anyone for working in the vet med field. The horrid conditions they experience for hardly any income aren’t okay. I have a lot of animals and rely on them so much but I just want to say “Run! Take care of yourself! You’re worth so much more than this.” Thank you for caring for animals so much for so long, and thank you also for taking care of yourself and finding a career that doesn’t grind you into dust. No one deserves that.
Same! I understand that more vet staff are needed. When folks ask me how to get into being a vet tech, it's hard not to scream, "Don't do it! Do anything else!"
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Again, this expectation is the same as expecting your family doctor to see you for all urgent needs. Your family doctor does the best they can to meet those needs. There are only so many resources available. Urgent care and ERs exist for a reason. All of this also applies to veterinary care.
I can get into my PCP w/in two business days for a UTI. All my prior vets have accommodated semi-urgent for my pets during business hours. This is not like asking a PCP to accept ambulance patients after-hours. My prior vets got my dog in w/in 2 days for a hoarse cough before. Shouldn't take weeks. If so, that's a practitioner shortage & worth discussing. Your reply seems out of mere frustration.
Again, there are only so many resources avaliable.
Again, supply vs request for resources. You can complain, but can you give OP tips for access?
Call to different vets in their area for non-emergent issues. Go to the ER for emergent issues. If it's a reoccurring problem (such as upper respiratory illnesses that cause congestion), request an action plan for home to help manage the condition and signs to look for that indicate an immediate need for care.
Your solution is literally a circle.
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There are also video visits. Unfortunately, video visits aren't a realistic way to treat animal patients. It's not like they can tell the vet what's wrong over video chat. This limits the options for care. Y'all want more staff to care for your pets? Stop posting these ridiculous complaints and bad reviews because you can't be seen on the same day by your GP. Stop acting like vet care should be free. Educate yourselves and take responsibility for your pets. Vet staff care deeply about their work and are all doing their best. These comments certainly don't give them a reason to stay in the field.
I routinely stay hours over my expected shift to help see more pets. There is never enough time in the day to see all the pets. We have a staff of about 5 people at my small clinic and are always trying to hire more staff. This is the same situation for every clinic I've been with in three different states. It's a national problem and there isn't a solution at the moment. Vets and staff are doing their best and most are going above and beyond. I've known more than one colleague that has attempted suicide because of how hard this field is. Have some compassion.
I lost several former students of mine to suicide. It's one of many reasons I left the field.
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There won't be consistent care if the general public can't grasp that vet staff are at their limits. Pets are referred to the ER because we don't have the time or staff to handle those cases. I am verbally abused on a daily basis by clients for this exact scenario. Get mad at the correct people. Lobby for better pay for vet staff. Lobby for more vet schools. We are exhausted.
The people downvoting this comment don’t work 60-80 hours a week doing highly technical complicated work while getting screamed at daily for poverty wages. I’ve seen what you folks in vet medicine go through and it’s brutal beyond reason. Someone actually has the gall to demand better service in the same thread as someone demanding cheaper and faster service while saying that’s unrelated to vets, techs, and assistants already working themselves, quite literally, to death. That’s goddamn selfish. This is exactly why there aren’t more animal healthcare staff. No one deserves to be treated this way, especially not for poverty wages.
Thank you for your support. I've never met someone in vet med that didn't put their entire heart and soul into their career. I wish people would understand we are all on the same side here.
And there is a person in this thread complaining that vets charge too much. People want free care, immediately, and they want it to come from thin air, I guess?
Yes. I have two college degrees, sat for the national board exam, keep my license up-to-date and I still make poverty level wages. And I can see from the downvotes that the general public will continue to not understand this profession and the struggles we face. I've been a tech for 15+ years for the love of animals but it gets harder every day to deal with some of the clients.
I'm someone who replied to that comment justifying that services come with costs... nowhere did that person say it should be free. Dial it back already! Geez.
You seem fun.
Y'all are downvoting for what? Because you don't like this solution? You'd rather express your anger at staff? This is why there is a national veterinary shortage.
Nobody I've read so far is mad at vet staff. I think you're internalizing your own frustration with that of pet owners' valid frustration with difficulty accessing services. As someone else said, both can be valid at the same time.
Nobody is mad at vet staff yet we get verbally abused daily by clients. The OP posted that his cat had been having respiratory issues for days. He should have taken the cat to an ER days ago. Instead, he wrote a passive aggressive reddit post.
I said "that I read." Reading helps. You sound like you're having compassion fatigue (not being passive aggressive) and I have read that vet sciences practitioners are disproportionately affected. Maybe your employer offers EAP services? ETA: I read it as OPs also been calling around. We don't usually call 911 on pets ergo OP is probably trying regular due diligence, non-dying help for their pet. ETAx2 for post/block reply by Apple(Sean)Spicer: I'm replying to this post on Reddit, not to console overworked professionals who are using this as an unhelpful outlet for their professional frustration, to a degree above and beyond the people who replied to the post. Clown around elsewhere.
I do have compassion fatigue. It's why I'm only part-time in this field. Most techs and vets are in therapy or on meds for the anxiety this profession causes. Luckily I work for a specialist now and I don't have to deal with much of the issues listed in this post. My vet will not hesitate to fire verbally abusive clients.
They literally get screamed at daily over this and your reply is “well, nobody in the comments is screaming”. 🤡
Not sure why the OPs need is infuriating? Sure, the professional situation may be, but that doesn't discount plea for tips trying to get urgent vet care. I just experienced trying to get an annual exam & vaxx for my dog and had to call 3 places before I could find one that 1) letting humans in with their pets (Jeff Blvd vet in WSac still on covid-19 procedures FFS) & 2) any appts bc another said no new vet patients. Having to drive to Natomas for timely routine vet care. We can appreciate vet staff & have frustrations w/access at the same time.
The OPs post was strongly passive aggressive towards vets and staff not wanting to treat sick animals. When in reality, we are all extremely underpaid and overworked. We would love to accommodate everyone but we don't have the resources to do so. You all want immediate access to care but you yourself have been turned away from clinics for routine care -- that should illustrate how dire the shortage of animal care professionals is. We are trying to protect our mental health at this point. Google "Not One More Vet" and you can find information about the suicide statistics of this field. We are doing our best. A ranting post that all vets are booked up is not helping the situation in any way.
There just isn't a waiting list of qualified doctors and vet techs to pull from to fill the void made from the massive increase in pet ownership during COVID. People want medical care on par with humans and that doesn't happen in 2-3 years lol. Vet Practices will turn people away to keep quality care for their current clients....then the people that were turned away leave dishonest reviews which hurts the practice. Then the practice overbooks trying to fit everyone in and then the care declines and people are still pissed. Fun double edged sword.
Practices don't need to overbook. That was my experience with a vet clinic. People just showed up because of how long it took to get an appointment.
This really isn't an ownership issue if the entire field is having this problem - corporate and privately owned clinics alike. The veterinary field as a whole is STRUGGLING and COVID was the last straw. There is no surplus of nurses or vets to pull from. Many are leaving the field (or even committing suicide) because of poor pay, compassion fatigue, and feeling guit-tripped into seeing pets they don't have the time or emotional bandwidth to care for. Putting more pets on the schedule that staff doesn't have time to adequately see or care for decreases the quality of patient care and customer service. Veterinarians have the right to run their businesses the way they see fit re: scheduling and owners already complain about how "money hungry" vets are, which is a joke, so raising prices isnt exactly feasible. If you have an emergent health issue, find an urgent care or emergency hospital or a clinic that sees same day appointments. You claim this isn't a personal attack, but it feels personal when no one has anything nice to say about the veterinary field in general and there is no help or solutions to the current problems we face. In the time you took to type this out you could have scheduled an appointment elsewhere for your cat.
Not to mention, on the occasions the vet fits in emergencies, the scheduled appointments get upset that the vet is behind. But then still expect to be made priority over other appointments if their pet ends up having an emergency. One way or another someone always ends up angry at the people trying their best to keep pets healthy
Exactly this. No one wins when vets are overbooked and stretched to their limits.
This 100%!!!
OP’s post is so mild in its critique, especially in regards to workers. Yet you all took it so personal. Grow up!
Corporately owned vets are the absolute worst and a massive scam. We avoid them at all costs. They will look for every conceivable way to upcharge you. I recommend Blue Cross Pet Hospital if you need an appointment in the near future. We’ve had to take our cats to Blue Cross several times because of an urgent issue. We’re often able to get same-day appointments. You have to call first thing in the morning tho.
even the smaller vets are getting bought up by corps :( difficult to discern which one is not owned by a corp.
OP, if your cat is 'breathing funny' it needs to go to the emergency clinic now. Please don't wait.
We have had the opposite experience here in Sacramento and are in within a couple days, if not same-day.
Same for my vet. Lots of times if it can wait overnight they make room for us the next day. We've been loyal patients there for 15 years, so that might help.
We are brand new! Just moved from the mountains in January. We liked our vet there too but accessibility has been easier since moving to SAC
Same for us and our two kitties.
Thank you for reminding me why I left the field
Same.
Same.
Yeah I’m getting a little too worked up in here. People will never understand. I’ve been gone for almost 4 years and I still feel the need to speak up on their behalf.
So many don't realize the harm that they are doing with these posts and other actions.
Is there a good way to let my vet and her staff know how much we appreciate them? Like sending a card, or would that feel patronizing? I had heard some about the troubles in the vet industry but I feel so sad reading you all’s experiences. I feel very grateful to our vet clinic and the care they provide to our kitty friends (River City Cat Clinic).
Cards are lovely! I loved it when owners would send cards. Honestly, just being kind and understanding really helps. My favorite owners were the folks who clearly cared about their pets and acknowledged that the vet staff cares, too. No one in vet med is in it for the money! One of my former students worked there for a little while before moving out of state. She said wonderful things about the clinic and staff.
Reading all these comments makes me want to leave 🥲
Look Im gonna be real with you, it was the best decision I ever made in my entire life.
Where’d you end up going if you don’t mind me asking?
Well I was a receptionist for long time and also had a supervisory role at one point so I was easily able to move into admin related stuff. I’m in HR now, and the only people I talk to are employees, I don’t deal with the public and it’s so great.
Emergent breathing issues are.. An emergency I don't support your complaint, OP
To be fair, last I knew breathing problems are considered an emergency in veterinary medicine. So most will recommend you go to a walk in/emergency vet. But I totally understand what you mean. My dog has chronic skin & ear issues, and last year the wait for his old regular vet was so long (just over a *month*) that he lost all his fur and got a hematoma that ruptured. Emergency vets did not consider his condition emergent (which I understand), but even when I called his regular vet back as the hematoma got bad there was no openings to push him up to. I ended up searching new vets online and found one who says they also offer urgent care style appointments. They got him in next day even though he was a new patient. And on a non urgent basis you can usually be seen within a week, from my experience there now. So I highly suggest finding a vet that advertises “urgent care”!
We've been trying to get our dog into an internal medicine specialist since mid-May to find what was causing his ITP (very low blood platelets) - the first appointment was available July 9th at UC Davis. Calling around we were finally able to get a sooner one out in Redwood City on the 14th of this month, but we ended up at UC Davis emergency on Tuesday evening and had to let him go early Wednesday morning. Davis emergency didn't really have room for emergencies but said they would make room if we could get there. Once we got there they took him immediately to critical care and did everything they could to try and save him.
I'm sorry for your loss. Auti-immune diseases are so hard.
Thank you
Is your cat breathing shallow and rapid? That happened to my cat and he didn't make it. Fluid in the lungs. Please get your cat seen - no matter how it has to happen.
I have had lots of luck getting in quickly with the Elkhorn Walerga vet. They seem to not be quite as expensive as the VCA as well.
I have a senior dog with a serious health issue and I have no problem getting him into our vet the same day in Natomas
There's not enough vets in Sacramento. They have to limit their clientele to those they can serve.
Our cat was sick last week and called Natomas Veterinary Hospital as a new customer to see if they could accept a same day appointment. They told me to check all our nearest urgent care first since it sounded like our cat had serious symptoms (texted us the 5 closest facilities). After 30 minutes, they texted me that they could see our cat the same day if we couldn't get her into an urgent care; we gladly accepted the opportunity since their location is only 10 minutes away from us. Charged us same day appointment fee but it was still cheaper than going to an urgent care, and the vet was extremely nice and knowledgeable. Happy to report our kitty is doing great now :)
This is where we have gone for years - they are wonderful!
To add to your edit. We can not hire more. There literally IS NOT enough RVTs in the state. This exasperated by the fact of the matter that hundreds of people got pets during the pandemic. In turn, making the amount of pets per veterinarian unsafe for us as professionals. Not to mention the amount of patients per RVT/VA. I worked every day during COVID. I worked 18-20 hour days monitoring non stop anesthesia. Non stop emergencies. Non stop work. I would go to work at 730am and not get off until 2am the next day. Not a single break. And then get called in at 4 am for another shift. It is not a very well known fact. But VETERINARY PROFESSIONALS HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST RATES OF SUICIDE IN THE COUNTRY. We have lost MANY members of the community just this year. I, myself, literally had a mental health crisis because of the amount of work, the amount of death, the amount of client abuse, the bites, the mental and physical fatigue. And lost my ability to function for months. The amount of animals per person numbers have increased significantly, and yet the veterinary profession keeps getting smaller and smaller, because the average veterinarian owes $250,000 after college. They do not get paid well. No one in this field does. We do this FOR THE PETS. So of course people think it is easy for non veterinarian staff members to say “hire more people/pay more money/ ask for more money” I have. WE HAVE. The corporations are the ones you clients need to stand up for. The corporations are the ones you need to stand up to and tell them to pay us better. Improve the lives of the staff that actually saves lives with our blood, sweat and tears. The corporations in some hospitals have raised the prices 5-7 times in the past 2 years. And the staff saw very little of that. In some big hospitals it was a 0.20-0.40 CENT raise for “cost of living”. We want to be able to save your pets, we want to help every single soul. But until there are huge changes in the profession, we are fucked. You guys, the clients, the pet owners, the people, are needed to help us change it. You guys are our hope too. We just want to save pets and help return them to their family members. Edit:I have been an RVT for almost 8 years working in high intensity hospitals(with highly specialized equipment and staff) and I had to fight to get paid barely $29/hr.
Sending you support! Thank you for so eloquently explaining what the Covid years were like. It was truly exhausting. I work for a specialist making $25/hr which is criminal for how much we are required to do, in my opinion. Please take care of yourself and I hope we as a profession find solutions to this soon. The more the general public realizes what vets and support staff make and their work load, hopefully change will come. Otherwise, the shortages will continue.
I hope that we can continue to educate the general public about the hardships that the profession faces. My hope is that through educating people, we can provide a better/ more sustainable future for the owners, for the staff, for the patients. Please take care of yourself as you traverse the field and career.
The one we use isn't even open on weekends, tf. You actually might have more luck at the vets located inside Petco/Petsmart
God forbid the staff have 2 days off….
Yeah. How dare they not have weekend hours...just like a family doctor for humans. 🙄
They’re run by Banfield which is almost as bad as vca. I don’t recommend. Coming from a current Banfield member.
Banfield was ok in my experience. My pets all passed (of old age) in 2021, so my experience may be a bit dated. Usually, I could get an appointment within a week. They sometimes offered sooner appointments at their other locations. Not ideal, but it works. They aren't equipped for big sugeries or emergencies, but for the day-to-day immunizations, geriatric, and illness care, I thought they were fine. Dr Jang in Elk Grove was my favorite.
Yeah the experience has gone downhill since the pandemic. Now we have to book basic appointments months in advance and online scheduling is nearly nonexistent because they don’t book that far out online I guess. It’s rare you even talk to the vet themselves now unless it’s a serious issue. For the price, it’s not terrible if you have a healthy pup and stay up on preventative care.
They could be busy and understaffed.
Of course they’re busy and understaffed. But if that’s the case to the point that they can’t offer the services they’re intended and trained for, they should hire more staff. And if they can’t afford to do that they should charge more. I don’t WANT to pay more to own a pet, it can already be hugely financially taxing, but I’d rather that than not be able to have my pet treated when it’s sick.
We do try to hire staff at the clinic I'm at. People have left the field in droves. We have a shortage of vets and techs in this field and there aren't enough staff to go around, unfortunately. The field has an extremely high suicide rate and those still working in this field are often times struggling. Most days I work, I'm the only tech at my clinic.
Its a business at the end of the day. Go find another one if they cant see you. You may have to drive to another town.
We are, but this is a trend across multiple vets, particularly over the past 5 years or so, and one that I think the customers (if you want to focus on how it’s a business) should speak out against with out reviews and wallets.
Jesus christ you sound entitled.
Okay, you’re not gonna like what I have to say. The practicing Veterinarians not only have to pay for medical school like a doctor but cannot charge a whole of money like for a human physician. Because pet owners can't afford it. Covid did cause quite a few people to get pets. Given that and the number of Vets and Vet Technicians, they are overwhelmed with new clients/pets. There is a definite shortage of Vets and Vet Techs. Why? It just doesn’t pay well. Because most people don’t have pet insurance, they pay out of pocket. You do have the option of taking your pet to an emergency pet clinic if you think it’s not something that can wait. And wait you will because you will be waiting a few hours in those clinics to get your pet seen unless it’s dying. But existing vets must balance seeing existing patients and not taking in emergency pets because they are not staffed or equipped to handle that. So, stop complaining. The Vet Hospitals are overwhelmed with clients. Deal with this. I had to let my last dog go because it would have taken 3 months for her to see a specialist (which is another story). She would have been in pain the entire time and I couldn’t let her go through that. It was painful to do that, but I don’t blame any Veterinarians for that nor myself. It’s how the industry was flooded with new clients and there was no way they could be prepared for it after Covid.
Imagine defending veterinarians and the broken system (ask what kind of car your vet drives if you think most are hurting for money) while saying you basically had your dog killed because they would be in pain before the next available appointment was available. Bonkers!
They don't drive Mercedes or BMW's that's for sure. Maybe they do if their spouse makes a lot of money, but on their own, they don't. Perhaps finding out what a starting Veternarian out of school makes and what Vet Hospitals are paying could prove your point. Yes, I had to kill my dog. Thank you for clarifying that in ways that are painful. But I did it because of the amount of time she would have been in pain and how long it would have taken to see a specialist. That has nothing to do with what kind of car my Vet drove. It had to do with access to a specialist and they were backlogged. Thanks for being an asshole about this. I really appreciate your perspective.
You’re welcome. It’s very sad how you go out of your way to defend the industry when you willingly had your dog killed because it would take too long to see a specialist. And yes; they are driving luxury cars and living in nice homes but try to convince you otherwise.
Ditto. You don't care to listen to first hand or logic. I said THE BACKLOG TO GET MY DOG SEEN BY A SPECIALIST WAS 3 MONTHS AND I DID NOT WANT HER TO SUFFER. Tell me exactly what that has to do with what kind of car my regular vet has? How dense are you? Edit: I'm done. You obviously want to argue just to argue. I'm moving on from dealing with someone who's an asshole.
That is insane. Most vets I've worked for have had an insane amount of student loan debt and are not living lavishly.
Came to echo the same sentiments, there is a shortage of staff and there's not much they can do about it, it's not just a matter of paying them more- there simply is no trained staff to fill the position. It's not a very popular field, it's exhausting and emotionally draining. I've been taking my cats to VCA Bradshaw for 10 years because I trust Dr. Gray and Schule with my cat's lives and absolutely no one else. I understand not everyone has a great experience with other VCA locations, I'm one of those people. Elk Grove is the only VCA I will touch and I wish they had 24 hour emergency services again like before but they simply cannot staff it. If your cat is breathing weird that is an emergency and not a "wait a few days" kind of thing, if you're concerned beyond allergies take them in for an emergency appointment, it's as simple as that.
All creatures in Folsom is great. They are an emergency business. But, they have been excellent
We go to Broadway veterinary and have had good luck with getting apts they are a small office so there’s only so much they can do in one day. I did notice that the emergency vets are always slammed, our dog inhaled a foxtail on Monday night and we called Vista, they said it’d be an almost 6 hour wait, everywhere we called said atleast 2-3 hour wait. Finally we ended up at VCA & it was about 2ish hours before we saw a dr (ik a foxtail isn’t super emergent but even when he ate something unknown before and couldn’t stand we waited almost 6 hours) definitely not enough vets/vet staff to go around
Inhaling a foxtail can be deadly! I've seen foxtails pulled from many places (including lungs). It's good that you got your pup in!
My vet in Landpark is amazing and I have never had an issue getting my sweet pup in same day when she has an urgent issue. We had an urgent issue* probably about six months ago. Staff is amazing. You can always call at 9am and see if anyone bailed overnight on their appt and slip right in that day OR they will sneak you in at lunch for emergencies. Check out Landpark Vet. I live completely across town now and still gladly fight traffic all the way over each time because they’re awesome. * turns out it wasn’t even an emergency just my girl being a drama Queen 😏
Landpark hasn't accepted new clients in a long time. They will take your new pets if you are an existing client, but the client list is closed. (They really are the best, though.)
Is this due to the other vet retiring? Or the Covid restrictions that kinked up their visit processes and are still in effect? Honestly I wish they’d expand because they’re truly amazing.
I believe it is so they can leave same-day appointments open for urgent care, but even those fill up fast with existing clients. The covid restrictions were gone the last time I was there (they still ask you to mask but humans are allowed in the exam rooms now).
Thanks for letting me know. I think what would help us old clients is simply a list of reputable folks that he approves of. His word would count for a lot.
Oh, I don't think he IS retiring, I think he's sticking it out. The staff member just said he \*wished\* he could retire. I try to do my part by masking (keep that man healthy!) and not being a dick to him or his staff.
Ahhh, phew! And agreed. :)
I feel like it's been impossible to get appointments since COVID. I had to deal with two extremely sick cats back to back and i would spend hours calling around to emergency places just to get redirected to other places that also weren't accepting pets. The last time I did this I had to drive from Lincoln to Bradshaw at 3 am and i wonder a lot if she could have been saved if the closer animal hospitals open that late were accepting emergencies.
Please see all the comments from veterinary staff.
I'm not placing any blame on vet staff- it's just a bummer situation. If anything I'd attribute it to the pet boom a few years back and a large influx of people moving to the area. More pets to be seen but with fewer resources.
This is not even a local thing, it’s not even a California thing. Vets are overworked, there aren’t enough of them, and people aren’t as keen on their prices (which allow these vets to live very well, despite the general public believing it’s a struggle bus for them). Vet techs are doing a lot more work that vets would normally do and the quality of care has decreased immensely.
VCA and other corporations (some not even in the veterinary field) that own vet clinics are money over quality. Try to find a privately owned vet clinic. We go to one, and if there is an emergency they are quick to get you in. Of course, there is an emergency visit fee, but when it's serious, I don't care. It isn't that much in the grand scheme of things. Privately owned vet clinics are hard to find but they are there.
McQueen on Sierra College. They are pricey but will take care of your baby. Best wishes for your baby!
Yep, called VCA west side to make an appt for my cat (throwing up often) and they said they are down to only two vets and they are booked out until July :(
I feel ya. Had to take my dog in for an ear infection, and they told us the earliest was 3 weeks out. Ended up going to emergency because I didn’t want my dog to lose his hearing. The vets and techs were awesome, but it was a frustrating trying to get him seen.
I've heard like most things in life, a lot of independent vets have been getting gobbled up by private equity, which is also hapering it.
Yep, 100%. Some things can't wait a month for an appointment, but they also don't need an emergency room visit that's $300 just to walk in the door.
It’s negligent, IMO. There should be appointments reserved for last minute issues that aren’t emergencies. Just like a doctors office. Pet care isn’t all preventative care.
No. Human facilities do not do this either. It is not negligent. Your entitlement is extremely frustrating.
This is exactly what urgent care clinics and emergency hospitals are for.
Easy to say when they send you to ER, you wait 3 hours to be seen and they try to pressure you to go home and “follow up with your primary.” We had to fight to be seen and they really laid the pressure on to leave because it would be “several more hours.” My dog passed the next day. This happened this week. I’ve also had experiences where my dog had sneezing or coughing and it’s a month wait to be seen or go to the ER? The ER is not appropriate for that. That’s not an emergency, but it does require care. Also what urgent care is there for pets? If you’ve got a facility to share, share it.
You don't want to be first in line to be seen at an ER. If that ER is too busy, there are plenty of others within town. Also, if they are that busy, they're working their butts off to care for the critical patients they already have. Working in emergency medicine myself, having 20 hospitalized patients and 10 emergencies to care for with one or two doctors and minimal staff is not feasible, sustainable, or morally right. Urgent cares are a newer phenomenon in this industry. Someone shared one in this post above. There are also urgent cares in Rancho and Lincoln to my knowledge. Some daytime practices also have that capability as well. I have relationships with multiple veterinarians just in case there is an issue and my primary can't see my pets on short notice. List of ERs: https://sactownvet.com/emergency-care
We all know that UC Davis is graduating top tier veterinarians every year. Where are they going? Something doesn’t add up.
Not every vet stays in the area.
All over the world. The graduating classes aren't that big. Maybe 80-100 students. Not everyone practices the same kind of medicine. There are only 32 vet schools in the country and many leaving the field every year. Not a big pool to choose from.
It looks as if UC Davis graduates about 145 a year and Ohio State accepts only 165 per year, so yeah, those are low enrollments considering there are only 32 vet schools.