VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Pet owner Jessica Talley recently had a scare with her dog Luna.
“Being a young dog, I didn’t think I would need an on-call vet, and you know, accidents happen,” described Talley. “She hurt her paw really bad, and I spent probably 45 minutes calling 20 plus, every single clinic in this area. Nobody could take her.”
Talley is not alone in her struggle to find veterinarian care, especially trying to find a place that can see animals after typical work hours. She finally found an office in Williamsburg that treated Luna - who seemed to be recovering just fine.
“It’s desperately needed in this area,” Talley said about a new urgent care vet clinic opening in Virginia Beach.
Dr. Heather Brookshire and Dr. Ashley Powell are opening Ally Urgent Veterinary Care at 521 Old Great Neck Road on Aug. 17.
Dr. Brookshire said she is very much aware of the struggle for pet owners to find care, especially for last-minute needs.
“The problem is really two-fold," Brookshire said. "There were a lot of pets that were adopted over the COVID period of time, so there are a drastically increased number of pets that still need to be cared for, and there’s been a reduction in the amount of veterinarians, particularly emergency veterinarians. Those hours are really tough and the work is demanding."
She also said that some Hampton Roads animal hospitals have transitioned, at least temporarily, to provide the level of service more of an urgent care clinic, which is concerning.
“Our goal is to be able to pull some of those urgent but non-life-threatening cases and be able to help take care of them here, so that the emergency hospitals can function at their full capacity,” added Brookshire.
For now, Ally’s hours will be Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 5pm-10pm and weekends 10am-10pm. The owners said they hope to be open 7 days a week in a few months.
