Pets are often considered a part of the family, so most pet owners want the best care possible. But that can be an issue in the Northwoods with emergency vet services hard to come by.
Lauren Kock recently started a petition to drum up interest in an emergency clinic. She said she was inspired after suffering a pet owner's worst nightmare after she had to take her dog an hour and a half away to the paw health clinic in Kronenwetter.
Kock said, "My motivation behind this was I lost my 7 year-old mini golden doodle quite recently this summer, and it was simply because the care isn't offered in our area. Once we brought Ellie to the Mosinee clinic, she was placed 13th in line."
She said that she understands why Paw Health gets backed up, given that it's the only clinic of its kind in the area, and having a emergency clinic closer to home would go a long way, and help other pet owners from dealing with the same tragedy that she did.
Kock said, "I'm hopeful that the word just gets spread around that we are in need of care like that in this area, as well as get the vets around here to possibly think of other ideas or options to provide this care."
Dr. Cassidy Schuff co-owns a clinic in Woodruff, and agreed that access to care is a major issue. She says she does what she can to get as many people in while the clinic is open, but that her clinic and others don't have the staff to stay open 24/7.
Schuff said, "We try really hard to work everybody in as much as physically possible. We're a family-owned clinic, so we only have myself and my husband who work here as the veterinarians. Appointment-wise, we really try extremely hard to make sure we have blocks every day for people who call day-of to be able to get them in that day."
Shae said that if you need help after hours, there's plenty of hot lines to call, and that pet owners should try to be patient.
