Finally, Santa Barbara Is Getting an Urgent Care for Pets
New Clinic Will Fill Long-Standing Need for
Quick, Non-Emergency Services
By Tyler Hayden | March 16, 2023
Read all of the entries in our “Pets & Animals, 2023 Edition” cover here.
What do we human beings do when we have a medical requirement that needs fast attention however doesn’t increase to the level of an ER see? We go to an immediate care center, obviously.
Our family pets, nevertheless, don’t have that alternative. If they get ill or hurt, they either need to claim an appointment with their veterinarian, which might take days or weeks, or brave one of 2 emergency situation animal health centers in the area, where wait times can get prolonged.
But not for long.
In the next couple of weeks, vet Dr. Addie Crawford and her other half, Dan, will open a brand-new center on De la Vina Street called Urgent Veterinary Care of Santa Barbara, successfully bridging the space in service.
“We’re going to offer that middle ground,” Addie explained.
“We saw the need for a walk-in facility that can treat patients quickly,” Dan elaborated. “And if we can’t, we’ll stabilize them and refer them to an emergency vet.”
Foxtails, bites, lacerations, torn nails, coughing, intestinal concerns, and allergies are the examples the brand-new center will deal with, Addie said. What it won’t do is provide oral treatment, offer vaccines, or perform examinations. “You would still see your regular veterinarian for those,” she said.
The totally refurbished 2,800-square-foot center, situated throughout the street from Handlebar Coffee, includes a waiting room, 3 test spaces, a big treatment location, and radiology and surgical suites. There is likewise a personal room for euthanasia, ought to the requirement emerge. “If that time comes, we don’t want you waiting any longer than you need to,” Dan said.
Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Addie went to Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine prior to finishing an internship in San Diego. She went back to town and has actually operated at an animal ER, Advanced Veterinary Specialists, for the last 5 years. Dan, likewise belonging to S.B., offers property.
The lightbulb minute for their joint endeavor, Addie explained, came throughout the pandemic. Every veterinarian in the city was returning up with freshly embraced family pets, and Addie discovered herself working 14-hour over night shifts for days on end. Clients were regularly tough and upset. She was stressing out.
Not wishing to quit a profession she “knows and loves,” Addie began checking out other choices. She and Dan consulted with the owners of a number of urgent-care centers down in Los Angeles — the principle is obviously capturing on — who verified there was a major requirement for their services.
The Crawfords strategy to work with another staff vet in addition to 2 or 3 professionals. They hope other veterinarians in the area won’t see them as competitors however rather as a resource to relieve a few of the load. “We don’t want to step on toes,” said Dan. “We just want to help take the pressure off.”
At initially, the center will be open every day from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., which in Addie’s
experience covers the bulk of the peak hours. “Right after lunch and before dinner,” she said. Their focus will be cats and dogs, Addie said, and they’ll take animal insurance coverage.
Depending on how things go, they might start opening at 10 a.m., however there won’t be any over night shifts. So, ideally, there will be less burnout. And the Crawfords said they’re devoted to paying their staff a habitable wage. “We want this to be a place where people are happy to work and are compensated fairly,” Dan said.
