Gap in 24-hour vet care leaves pet owners in a pinch

EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - In any emergency situation, you want to get to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible.

Sometimes when you arrive there is a wait time, but what about your pet?

In Augusta, there is only one 24-hour emergency animal clinic, the Blue Pearl Pet Hospital. But it is only open 24 hours on certain days. So where do you go?

We spoke with one woman who had to take her pet to Columbia for emergency care.

Lydia Pierce made a post on the Nextdoor app less than a week ago about her experience.

She’s calling for pet lovers to discuss ideas for a 24/7 emergency animal care clinic in our area. A majority of these comments agree with her, with one person saying they had to make four trips to Columbia to get dog care.

The goal of the meeting is to get a general idea of where to start.

“This here is our only little male. That’s Sky,” said Pierce.

He’s like any other pup – playful, happy and seeks attention. Three weeks ago, playful moments were almost no more.

“Little Sky here ate a nut from a Sago palm. And while he didn’t even eat the whole thing, he just ate a little piece of it,” said Pierce. “By the time that happened, all the vets had already closed.”

Pierce had to travel more than an hour to get care for Sky.

“I wasn’t even able to drive. Because I was so upset,” she said. “The minute we walked in they took him to the back.”

Then the waiting began.

“When the doctor came out and said ‘I just want you to know he’s got a 50/50 chance of survival. He might not make it,’” said Pierce.

Sky is lucky to be alive.

“If we would have had to have gone further than we did, I don’t know whether he’d be here or not. If we would have had a local availability, you know, we wouldn’t have had to speed to Columbia,” said Pierce.

It was the wake-up call Sky’s owner needed.

“We’re asking for ideas of how to go about getting this started,” she said.

Now, she’s calling on the community for a solution.

“If it works in Columbia, why can’t it work in Augusta? We want input suggestions of how to go about this and make it happen,” said Pierce.

Tuesday’s meeting is at the Stratford Clubhouse on Aylesbury Drive. It starts at 7 p.m. and everyone is welcome to attend.

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