An emergency veterinary hospital wouldn’t work on Coast

EDITOR: People are upset we have no Veterinary Emergency Medicine available. As a Registered Veterinary Technician I have been upset we don’t have a Veterinary Emergency Clinic. A midnight ride to Santa Rosa with our cat, got me looking into what it would take to open one. I talked to our veterinarian, called the state, asking questions. There was a building in Fort Bragg that would have done well as a VEC. You must look at the overhead: Licenses, permits, taxes, insurances, remodeling, equipment and meds. The last two being as costly as human and the insurances are the same in veterinary medicine as in human. It would be a full hospital with lab, surgery, treatment, kennels, radiology, pharmacy, bathroom, kitchen, office/bedroom. Staffing… techs and docs who are willing to work nights and weekends. Docs work a week on and a week off, sleeping in the office. Their families visit so they can see their kids. Two RVTs per shift, nights and round the clock weekends. Financial overhead is enormous. The hospital would have to support itself. The Coast could not support a VEC. Only place it makes sense is Willits. Humboldt, Lake and Mendocino Counties could support it, not having to go to Santa Rosa. It might make it financially. If someone wanted help to do that I would be glad to help. However, I do not want to move or commute regularly to Willits. I am writing this so that it may offer understanding for our veterinarians. Our veterinarians cannot be expected to work all day and then nights and on weekends.

— Jo Bradley RVT, Little River