“This could have devastating results” ; local pet parents concerned over shift in emergency veterinarian services

Pet owners in Prince George might have an extra hoop to jump through when getting their animal emergency treatment.

A mass email was sent out by the Prince George Veterinary Hospital explaining some clinics in town have hired the services of an American company called VetTriage to respond to after-hours emergency calls.

All clinics in town that chose to use the service made the switch on Wednesday (February 3rd).

One Prince George resident says this was unfair to pet owners because they were uninformed about the change that could lead to slower emergency response times in life-or-death situations.

“In case of an emergency where an animal has been hit by or a car or is seriously injured, it means you have to pay before you even get to know what clinic is going to take care of your pet,” they explained.

The email recommends all pet parents in Prince George set up an account with VetTriage, and ensure they have access to a credit card, Visa debit or PayPal details prior to needing access to emergency services unexpectedly.

“Even if you set up an account prior to the emergency, you still have to call and pay over-the-phone first” they explained, “when time is an issue, this could have devastating results.”

Once a pet owner gets ahold of a veterinarian, they will then determine whether or not the pet needs urgent care over the phone.

“If the doctor recommends an immediate in-person visit to the nearest veterinary E.R, we will do our best to find some locations close to you,” the VetTriage website reads.

However, even when time isn’t of the essence the pet owner shared another concern.

“The other thing is, now I don’t even have a choice to keep my money in Canada,” they explained, “the fact that they have chosen an American company and I have to pay in US funds and I’m not able to support my local and national economy is not something I’m in favour of.”

VetTriage sessions are to be paid for in American currency, they’re available at a fixed rate, regardless of how long it takes.

Mypgnow reached out to a number of clinics in town, however, only the PG Veterinary Hospital and Murdoch Veterinary Clinic have been confirmed to not use the service.

The email goes as follows:

There are some important changes in the after-hours emergency service, effective February 3, 2021, that we feel our clients should be aware of. PG Vet shares after-hours emergency services to the pets of the city with the other clinics in town. We are ‘on-call’ 1 out of every 3 weeks and during each of our weeks on-call nothing changes for our clients. On the weeks we are not on-call, this new procedure will impact our clients. The other clinics in town have moved forward to outsourcing the initial triage of potential after-hours emergencies to an American company called VetTriage. This company offers veterinary advice about whether an emergency visit is necessary. However, in order to get this advice and be able to come in for an emergency visit after hours clients will have to:

1. Set up a free account on the VetTriage website https://www.vettriage.com/
2. Have access to a device with a microphone and a camera
3. Have a credit card/via debit/PayPal
4. Pay a $50 USD fee to VetTriage for each online assessment.

We realize this can present challenges and inconveniences, but how the other clinics organize their after-hours service weeks is outside of our control. The best we can do is continue the way we organize our own on-call weeks through our answering service which is paid for by us.

To ensure prompt after-hours care when the other clinics are on call, we recommend you set up an account with VetTriage, ensure you have a compatible device and ensure you have (access to) credit card/visa debit/PayPal details PRIOR to needing access to emergency services, since emergencies can come up unexpectedly.

Also please be aware that there is list of common emergencies available on our website that might help you decide whether an call after-hours might be necessary or not.