Emergency Veterinary Service.

I received an e-mail about an accident that resulted in the death of a lady's dog. It is not surprising she was mad. Her dog was hit by a car and critically injured. She called her vet and got an answering service who said her vet was not available, and a different vet would call her back. Thirty minutes went by and no response. She called again. The vet finally returned her call and then started talking about money, and how the bill would be paid. Then, two hours after beginning treatment, then the dog died. Who wouldn't be mad?

In Washington, a veterinarian is obligated by law to provide for emergency services for his clients. He may refer phone calls by phone message or an answering service to an emergency clinic, or to another veterinarian that is on call. In Idaho there is no such requirement. Laws vary in other states.

Aside from what the law says, most veterinarians feel an ethical and moral obligation to provide for emergency coverage. But few veterinarians these days are willing to be on call all the time. That is a real stress on family life, and can be a risk to personal health. Even if a practice has several veterinarians to share call, being on call is something all of us would like to do a seldom as possible. Most of us prefer being on call less, even if we're on call for several other veterinarians and therefore busier, when we are on call.

The law says nothing about how long a response time is too long. A half an hour before a return call seems like a long time but I don't know the circumstances in this case. The veterinarian may have been in the shower, driving between calls, or on the phone or working on another emergency. Phone numbers get misquoted or misdialed and, rarely, the answering service makes a mistake.

Many people have no idea how much emergency service costs. I have more than once had a client say "Jeez, if I'd known it was going to cost that much I'd have... " It's our responsibility to give a rough estimate. Around here, with an emergency fee and office call the initial charge comes to about $75 - $85. If treatment is required, that generally adds from $20 to several hundred dollars.

A surprisingly high percentage of after-hours emergency calls are from people who have limited funds, often no money at all. And I, like most veterinarians, have learned the hard way that not only do many of those people never pay the bill, but they also tell their friends which vet to call if you have no money. You not only wind up doing a lot of work for nothing. The same expenses have to be paid, so that either comes out of your own pocket or results in increased charges for clients who pay their bills.

What can you do? Find out beforehand what your veterinarians' emergency call policy is. Set aside some money or room on a credit card for emergency care. If you call and get an answering service, keep your phone line open. If you don't hear back within 10 minutes, call again. If going to an unfamiliar clinic, get good directions and follow them carefully. If you don't get good emergency service, let your veterinarian know about it.

It is actually pretty rare that 30 minutes or even an hour makes a significant difference in the outcome of an emergency. But I'm sure that's scant consolation for someone whose dog died.