New After Hours Care Protocol Starts October 2026

A sick pet at night can turn a quiet evening into a stressful one very quickly. The hardest part is often not knowing whether the situation is a true emergency, whether it can safely wait, or who to call for guidance.

Starting in October 2026, our clinic will begin a new after-hours care protocol in partnership with Animal Health Link. This change is designed to give pet owners faster access to trained veterinary guidance while helping our team manage the growing demand for on-call care.

When our office is closed, calls will be forwarded to a licensed veterinary technician who can assess your pet’s situation, help determine the level of urgency, and guide the next step.

After-hours guidance starts with a call when something does not feel right.

Why the after-hours process is changing

After-hours veterinary care is essential, but it can also be difficult to provide consistently, especially when one practice is carrying the on-call responsibility for a whole island community.

This new protocol helps address that challenge in two ways.

First, it gives pet owners access to a credentialed veterinary professional after hours. Instead of waiting and worrying, callers can speak with someone trained to ask the right questions and assess urgency.

Second, it helps reduce unnecessary emergency callouts. Some cases need immediate hands-on care. Others can safely wait until the next clinic day with careful monitoring at home. The new system helps separate those situations more clearly.

The goal is simple: the right care, at the right time, with better information from the start.

This does not replace veterinary care. It helps guide it. If your pet needs to be seen right away, the technician will help make that happen.

What happens when you call after hours

Beginning in October 2026, after-hours calls to our office will be forwarded to Animal Health Link. A licensed veterinary technician will answer and begin triage.

During the call, the technician may ask about:

• Your pet’s species, age, breed, and weight

• Current symptoms and when they started

• Appetite, energy level, breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, pain, or bleeding

• Any known medical conditions

• Current medications

• Possible toxin exposure or injury

• Photos or details that may help clarify the concern

  
  

The technician will use that information to determine whether your pet needs immediate attention or whether the case can wait until the next clinic day.

If your pet needs urgent care, the technician will page the doctor for you and help facilitate getting your pet seen as soon as possible.

If your pet’s condition can wait, your case will still be documented. The information will be forwarded to our clinic with detailed notes and a recommendation about whether the case should be treated as urgent or non-urgent when we reopen.

Some after-hours concerns can be monitored safely until the clinic reopens.

How triage helps pets and pet owners

Triage is the process of sorting medical concerns by urgency. In veterinary medicine, it helps identify which pets need immediate care and which can safely wait for a scheduled exam.

That matters because after-hours calls can include a wide range of concerns. A pet that is struggling to breathe, repeatedly collapsing, or experiencing uncontrolled bleeding needs emergency attention. A mild limp, a single episode of vomiting, or a minor skin irritation may still need care, but not always in the middle of the night.

A licensed veterinary technician can help gather the details that matter most. That conversation can also give pet owners peace of mind. Sometimes the answer is, “Yes, this needs to be seen now.” Other times, the answer may be, “Monitor closely tonight, and the clinic will follow up during the next clinic day.”

Both answers are valuable.

This new after-hours protocol also helps the doctor receive better information before being paged. That means when a true emergency comes in, the doctor has a clearer picture of what is happening and can respond more effectively.

What the after-hours fees will be

After-hours calls through Animal Health Link will be billed at $65 per case.

If your pet requires immediate attention, the $65 after-hours call fee is waived.

After-hours exams start at $350.

These fees reflect the extra staffing, coordination, and medical time required to provide care outside regular clinic hours. They also help make after-hours support more sustainable, especially in a community where on-call veterinary resources are limited.

Here is the basic fee structure:

Situation	What happens	Fee
After-hours call with triage	A licensed veterinary technician evaluates the case by phone	$65 per case
Pet needs immediate attention	Technician pages the doctor and helps arrange urgent care	$65 call fee waived
After-hours exam	Doctor sees the pet outside regular clinic hours	Starts at $350

After-hours exams are reserved for pets that need immediate medical attention.

When to call right away

If something feels serious, please call. The purpose of this system is to help assess concerns, not to make pet owners guess alone.

Call after hours right away if your pet has signs such as:

• Trouble breathing

• Collapse, severe weakness, or inability to stand

• Seizures

• Uncontrolled bleeding

• Repeated vomiting or retching

• Bloated or painful abdomen

• Suspected toxin exposure

• Difficulty urinating, especially in male cats

• Severe pain

• Major injury or trauma

• Sudden worsening of a known medical condition

  
  

This list is not complete. If you are unsure, calling is the safest choice. The technician can help determine whether your pet should be seen immediately.

For less urgent concerns, the technician may recommend monitoring at home and sending the case details to our clinic for follow-up. That handoff means our team will have a clear record of what happened overnight and what guidance was given.

This content is informational only and is not a substitute for direct veterinary advice. If your pet appears to be in distress, seek veterinary help right away.

Clear details help the veterinary team understand what happened after hours.

What this means for our community

We are happy to partner with Animal Health Link because this change supports both pets and the people caring for them. It also supports the long-term health of after-hours veterinary care in our community.

Being the only on-call practice on the island places a real strain on the veterinary team. At the same time, pet owners deserve access to reliable guidance when the clinic is closed. This new system helps bridge that gap.

Beginning in October 2026, the after-hours process will give callers a clearer path:

1. Call our office after hours.

2. Speak with a licensed veterinary technician.

3. Receive triage guidance based on your pet’s symptoms.

4. If urgent, the doctor will be paged.

5. If the case can wait, details will be sent to the clinic for follow-up.

   
   

The most important takeaway is that after-hours support is not going away. It is becoming more structured, more sustainable, and easier to navigate when every minute feels stressful.

If your pet has an after-hours concern starting in October 2026, call our office as usual. The new system will help make sure your pet’s needs are assessed promptly and sent to the right place for care.