Lucky the dog (photo courtesy of Colton Mckee)

By Chantal Wagner

Pet owner concerned about animal emergencies after hours

Jan 17, 2020 | 4:43 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Lucky has been settling into life with the Davies after being adopted from the Caribbean in November.

Last week, Doug Davies was alarmed when he came home and discovered Lucky was struggling to breathe and coughing.

So Davies contacted his local vet at Ridge Veterinary but he was helping out another dog in Saskatchewan and gone for the weekend.

Davies was instructed to call around to the other vet clinics in Medicine Hat late Friday afternoon.

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But to his surprise, he found out he couldn’t be helped because he wasn’t a client.

“Everybody except for Dunmore said that they couldn’t help me because I wasn’t a client and Dunmore said they would help me but it was $200 just for an emergency fee to walk in the door,” according to Davies.

Chat News talked to some of the vet clinics who told us there are fees for emergencies.

According to the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA), a veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) needs to exist before any medical task.

“Veterinarians have the obligation to see their own clients and provide service to their own clients in an emergency. Some bigger cities like Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge will have 24-hour emergency clinics that can provide that service for other clinics. In Medicine Hat we unfortunately don’t have any of those clinics so the clinics in Medicine Hat do have to provide that service for their own clientele,” according to Catherine Rouleau Veterinarian at Cypress View Vet Clinic.

Rouleau encourages pet owners to see a vet even if it’s just for a wellness check to ensure the vet-patient relationship is established so they will be able to help you outside normal clinic hours.

Frustrated no one could examine Lucky, Davies emailed his local vet Kent Fruson and was instructed how to care for Lucky until he could see him in person.

On Tuesday of this week, Ridge Vet said Lucky was brought in and was diagnosed with phenomena. He is now on the mend and on antibiotics.

According to Fruson, “If you publicly offer 24-hour care and you’re not available you have to have a game plan for that. So that’s why we don’t offer a publicly 24-hour service. Like we don’t go out there and advertise 24-hour service because then we would have to say to you – you have to go to this vet we’ve made arrangements to go to this vet or that vet.”

Fruson encourages pet owners to contact the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association for further inquiries and concerns about emergency care.

“Because I wasn’t a client which really frustrated me. It shouldn’t matter if you’re a client or not, if you need help with your pet you should be able to get it,” Davies said.