An urgent care vet will open soon in Bloomington. Find out when and where.
Whether Fido has eaten something he shouldn't have or sustained a fracture from a nasty fall, many pet owners have had to consider an unexpected trip to the veterinary clinic. For Bloomington residents, getting urgent care for a pet isn't so simple. It requires travel, with many worrying if their four-legged friend can endure waiting an hour or two in the backseat before arriving at the nearest emergency care site.
VetCheck Pet Urgent Care Center, based in Fishers, Indiana, is one of these nearby sites. While working there, VetCheck CEO Dr. Siva Nalabotu remembers growing surprised at just how many out-of-town pet owners were breezing through his door. When he asked clients where they were coming from, one location was on repeat: Bloomington.
One day, he asked someone just how far away Bloomington was from Fishers. The answer made his curiosity bleed into concern.
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"It’s crazy. You are driving, like, two hours with your pet’s emergency condition," Nalabotu said. "You know, that's so nerve-racking and it’s not safe, to be honest.”
This spurred Nalabotu to take a closer look at Bloomington, where he noticed a gap in urgent care services for pets.
"Our goal is to help the (pet) parents with this type of care,” Nalabotu said.
For a few years now, Bloomington residents have had to drive hours in order to get unscheduled treatment for their pets. With VetCheck looking to expand within city limits, these services are now being brought straight to them.
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VetCheck's Bloomington site is slated to open this April at the Whitehall Plaza on West Third Street.
Nalabotu, a practicing veterinarian of 15 years, opened his first care center in 2018. Now, five sites, including the one in Bloomington, are poised to be in full operation by the end of this year. Nalabotu notes the speed of VetCheck's expansion is driven by its mission to "to help the pets and pet parents" of struggling communities.
VetCheck doesn't intend to replace a general practitioner. Rather, it will provide urgent services, such as if your pet is experiencing excess vomiting, diarrhea, seizures or physical injuries. Toxicology work, vaccinations and some surgical operations will also be available. If the pet's condition is too critical to be treated onsite, VetCheck can coordinate a transfer to a 24-hour, emergency animal hospital as well.
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Before VetCheck opens in Bloomington later this spring, there are details not yet ironed out. The company is still waiting on city permits before construction can begin. Once permission is secured, work on the site is expected to take between 10 and 12 weeks.
VetCheck has hired the site's medical director and is actively searching for veterinarians to fill at least one full-time and two or three part-time positions.
While the goal is eventually to be open 7 days a week, VetCheck Bloomington will begin with limited weekend hours. It will be open 3 p.m.-10 p.m. on Monday, Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday.
Reach Rachel Smith at rksmith@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: VetCheck Pet Urgent Care Center to open in Bloomington
