Brighton emergency veterinary hospital cuts hours again. Pet owners now face tough choices
Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Services, previously the greater Rochester region’s only 24/7 animal hospital, has further reduced its hours and services.
In January 2022, citing staff shortages and trouble finding people to work after hours or overnight, VSES went from accepting emergency patients around the clock to accepting them from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
As of Aug. 5, the window is 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
A spokesperson for the clinic’s parent company, Texas-based Thrive Pet Healthcare, said via email that the change is the result of “doctors’ availability on-site.”
She said pets may still be dropped off from 6 to 8 a.m. daily for scheduled surgery.
In an even bigger shift, VSES won't be able to hospitalize pets overnight because the practice no longer has a veterinarian on-site from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
“Unfortunately, we no longer have emergency medical coverage to support cases after operating hours,“ she said. “Backfilling those positions will take time due to the nationwide shortage of veterinary staff, which we are also experiencing in the Rochester area.
“We’ll continue referring patients we don’t have the capacity to serve from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. to other 24/7 ER veterinary locations. The nearest 24/7 hospitals that provide emergency care are in Buffalo and Syracuse. Also, Pittsford Animal Hospital offers Urgent Care on an appointment basis.”
Pittsford Animal Hospital, one of 18 local practices owned by Thrive, is at 2816 Monroe Ave. Its phone number is (585) 271-7700, its weekend urgent care number is (585) 442-6915, and its information is listed at thrivepetcare.com.
Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center is 79 miles west of Rochester at 3930 N. Buffalo St., Orchard Park. It can be reached at (716) 662-6660, and its website is opvmc.com.
Veterinary Medical Center of Central New York is 92 miles east of Rochester at 5841 Bridge St., East Syracuse. Its phone number is (315) 446-7933, and its website is vmccny.com.
Cornell Animal Hospital, 97 miles east and south of Rochester at 930 Campus Road, Ithaca, can be reached at (607) 253-3060. Its website is vet.cornell.edu/hospitals.
A sign posted just inside the doors of VSES also suggests that pet owners contact VetTriage.com, which offers online consultations for a fee.
'Emergencies never happen at a convenient time'
Keller’s Kats Rescue, a foster-based animal rescue group, has relied heavily on the clinic over the years for emergency treatment of critically ill and injured cats and dogs, and founder and president Karla Barkley is worried about the new changes.
“Emergencies never happen at a convenient time,” she said. “They never happen during the day. Your car never breaks down next to the repair shop. It breaks down in the middle of an intersection.”
She hasn’t been left in the lurch recently, but she just faced a close call with a dog that developed a surgical complication at an odd hour and knows it’s only a matter of time.
“As an animal rescue (group), at some point, we will require overnight services,” she said.
She also has gotten calls from pet owners in crisis seeking advice. Not long ago, one of them opted to drive his ailing dog to a Buffalo-area clinic at around 11:30 p.m., only to face a six-hour wait.
“That’s why we’re all standing back and taking a deep breath,” she said.
Beyond not being able to access emergency care overnight here, she is concerned about a domino effect on other veterinary hospitals in western and central New York.
“Now you’ve got Buffalo and Syracuse trying to take on the burden of our patients,” she said. “At what point won’t they be able to keep up with the pace?”
A memo sent to VSES staff in advance of the 2022 move to suspend full 24/7 operations did not mention the coronavirus pandemic directly, but it did say the previous two years had been especially challenging for the practice. Nor did the memo reference an effort underway at the time by 130 staff members, including veterinary technicians, to unionize.
In December 2021, WXXI reported that those employees had become frustrated with working conditions since VSES was acquired by Thrive, which owns 400 animal hospitals nationwide.
The workers voted to form a union not long after the 2022 changes went into effect.
VSES traces its roots back to 1988, and its 24/7 service began in 2000, according to its website.
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Services in Brighton NY reduces hours
