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December 28, 2015 at 6:10 pm #829334
WSBKeymasterHi and welcome to the between-holiday quietude. Wondering if any of the animal advocates who might see this can offer a suggestion or two – the “emergency vet” listing that’s been atop our Lost/Found Pets page for a few years, since a kindhearted reader put it together, is apparently dated now, and the person who e-mailed to point this out says there are no remaining after-hours clinics anywhere in this area, even just to the south of the city. Is that true? If so, where are the nearest clinic(s) you know of? Thanks for any suggestions, so we can update the list … Tracy
December 28, 2015 at 7:52 pm #829635
sacatoshParticipantSouth Seattle Vet on 1st Ave S and 108th-ish is wonderful, 24-hours and has a full staff and full lab/xrays/etc on site. They’ve been our vet for a few years now, and have been nothing but fantastic.
VCA 5 Corners is at 150th or so and 1st, and is more expensive but also good.
December 28, 2015 at 7:59 pm #829636
SueParticipantI recently had to take my cat for emergency care and went to Blue Pearl (the one that’s listed in your list as “Acces” on Lake City Way – they changed names). I was thrilled with the care I got there. They also have one in Renton at 4208 Lind Ave SW. I haven’t been there, but good to know if traffic is significantly better one way versus the other – they’re probably not all that much different in distance from West Seattle.
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I had called Broadway Vet beforehand, being the closest one to me (that I was aware of). They claim to be 24 hrs. a day on their website. It was 7pm, and when I called the woman told me that nobody was here now, and she didn’t know when they would be. That didn’t seem to be a very reliable choice for 24 hour care.
December 28, 2015 at 8:45 pm #829637
JulieMemberI was very pleased with the after-hours emergency care at South Seattle Veterinary (http://www.southseattlevet.com/), and thought the pricing very reasonable. They have a new facility; much more pleasant than the old one. I liked the vets very much.
I’ve also used Acces in Renton about 5 years ago for after-hours emergency care, and they were excellent as well. I can’t compare prices as the emergencies were of very different types, but I suspect South Seattle is less expensive overall.
December 28, 2015 at 9:06 pm #829638
mehud7ParticipantAnother recommendation for South Seattle Veterinary Hospital (11033 1st Ave S.).
VCA Five Corners is no longer an after-hours emergency hospital though.
December 28, 2015 at 9:16 pm #829639
WSBKeymasterThank you, everybody! M – That’s what the person who e-mailed us said, that 5 Corners is no longer after-hours, and the closest one they found was in Wallingford – which just didn’t sound quite right. So still no one in WS, huh? Not that Top Hat is so far, but … I would think our pet population is growing exponentially given how many apartments allow dogs/cats, and maybe it will eventually be feasible for somebody around here to staff up to that level – TR
December 29, 2015 at 5:54 am #829643
elikapekaParticipantLate to the party, but I can confirm the above – 5 Corners is no longer a 24-hour facility. South Seattle Vet and Blue Pearl are the two I’m familiar with. I’m a client at Lien and I believe Blue Pearl in Renton is who they refer to. I’ve never used South Seattle Vet for care, but they were very helpful in assisting tracking down the owner of a dog we picked up. I’ve used BluePearl twice. The first time was wonderful – the second time not so much, but it was administrative billing issues, not the care. They did straighten out the billing problem to our satisfaction the following day.
December 29, 2015 at 6:34 am #829645
DianaParticipantAn emergency is an emergency and you have to go when you have to go, no matter what. I would say this, be prepared. If you have a regular vet ask who they would recommend then do your research and stay up to date. I have experienced a few dire emergencies in the last 25 years, all dogs. One went to a vet I will not name and three went to Emerald City Emergency Vet: http://www.emeraldcity24hrvet.com. From the West Seattle Bridge they are about 10 miles away. When the emergency happened I called and alerted them to the situation and told them I was on the way so they were prepared. Very similar to a 911 call. They also guided me through some things I needed to do. I was there in 20 minutes and they were ready. I highly recommend them. We do need a good facility on this side of the bridge, but we don’t have one.
December 29, 2015 at 11:45 am #829646
littlebrowndogParticipantFor “typical” emergencies we have used what used to be ACCES and now is Blue Pearl, the Renton one. For extreme emergencies when you need access to vets like neurologists, we used Seattle Veterinary Specialists. They saved the life of my service dog when he was paralyzed from the neck down and a regular 24 hour vet said the only option was euthanesia. They even have an ambulance. They are in Kirkland, but within the past few months just opened a clinic in Seattle at 8th and Madison. People like neurologists are not always on site in the middle of the night but because they are on the staff they call them and in our case it was 4am by the time we got there from Yakima and we called and kept them informed throughout the drive so he was already awake and standing by when we arrived and gave directions to the team, and came in at 6am. Was it really expensive? Of course. Would I use them again in an extreme emergency? Of course. And now that they have a clinic so close we may even use them for “typical” emergencies.
December 29, 2015 at 11:58 am #829647
Talaki34ParticipantI use Lien Animal Clinic as my primary Vet and Seattle Veterinary Specialists for critical and expanded care. They were only in Kirkland, but now they now have a new facility in downtown at 805 Madison Street. Would love if they expanded one more time in this direction.
Cannot say enough good things about the staff at both places. I have used Kirkland for Neurology/Surgery and the downtown location for emergency services.
Unfortunately, cost often does make a difference at the peak of a crisis; Seattle Vet had a cheaper quoted cost for services than the one in Renton. At least for the care I needed to provide for my buddy.
December 29, 2015 at 8:44 pm #829653
homedkParticipantSo happy to see this discussion thread! As an owner of an older kitty (who doesn’t travel well), I worry about after hours emergencies. Curious to know if any of you here in West Seattle have had any, good/bad, experiences with veterinarians who offer mobile services or would do home visits?
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Also, just an FYI that West Seattle Be Prepared has a Google map of area veterinarians. It’s a bit dated now, but will be sure that the info I’m seeing here gets added to it.
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http://westseattlebeprepared.org/medical-first-aid/do-you-have-an-emergency-plan-for-your-pets/
December 29, 2015 at 11:45 pm #829656
WSBKeymasterWhen our cat Sweetie got sick in mid-2013, we got recommendations here for City Cat Mobile Vet. Based on Capitol Hill, but the only one, at least at the time, that offered this service, and we were no way going to put Sweetie through the stress of the car. The doc and her assistant were awesome. – TR
December 30, 2015 at 6:40 am #829660
homedkParticipantThanks, TR! Had not heard of them before.
December 30, 2015 at 11:49 am #829662
JeannieParticipantFor an emergency with my little parrot, I used Access. I believe they have two locations. Neither is very close by, but I needed an avian specialist. The doctor saved my bird’s life. I went to the one in Renton. They might be called BluePearl now. Regardless, it’s a good idea to print out directions to the clinic in large type and keep them in your glove compartment ahead of time, since that can come in handy when you’re freaking out driving around at 1 AM and your dumbphone’s GPS is leading you astray.
December 30, 2015 at 12:37 pm #829663
littlebrowndogParticipantJeannie, good point to keep the directions on hand. All of our dogs have always trained and competed in dog sports, so we have also made a point of keeping the contact info on our phones for various 24 hour vets in the region that also have the capacity for critical care. Our standbys with which we have personal experience (unfortunately) are Sumner Animal Hospital in Sumner, Summit in S. Tacoma, and Pilchuck Veterinary hospital in Snohomish. Entry confirmations for dog shows always include the name, number and directions for local on-call clinics plus the closest 24 hour clinic. Have I mentioned how pet insurance has really paid off for us? :). One dog’s two herniated disc surgeries (not sports related) totalled about $14,000 and we ended up paying $300 (plus of course the annual premiums of $360).
December 30, 2015 at 3:08 pm #829664
Talaki34ParticipantThank you littlebrowndog for bringing up insurance.
Since spring of this year, my cat has had multiple issues. My bank accounts are empty and the CC is midway to, “Going, going, gone!” If I had been able to insure my cat, the monthly cost (spread over 12 years) would be about 2/3 of what I paid so far.
If you have a pet, really think about getting insurance. If you cannot make the monthly payment, maybe setting up a savings account would work. When you can, put money in.
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This is a little off topic, but I have a benefit in place for when I pass away. Half the money will be available for medical expenses and the other half for day-to-day living. My hopes are that this will give my furry friend a better chance of being adopted into a great home. I think there are lots of people who would adopt an older pet, but worry about expenses. My plan through work is about $3 a month.
January 1, 2016 at 6:25 pm #829700
biankatParticipantMy regular vet is in Des Moines. They refer their patients to Blue Pearl in Renton for emergencies. I had to take my pup there several months ago. Such a great experience. Very kind and calm staff on site. I further had to take my pup to a neurologist and they referred me to their Tacoma facility. Again, top notch care. Highly recommend Blue Pearl.
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