Human urgent care clinics like Minute Clinic and Convenient MD are popping up all around us. More than one on the same street in some cases. This is where we go when we need to see a doctor right away but can’t get in to see our regular GP and the situation doesn’t warrant a trip to the emergency room. Popular during the COVID pandemic, urgent care clinics are still thriving today.
What Is Urgent Care for Pets?
But what about our pets? Like us, our pets don’t follow a set schedule when getting sick or injured. And when a pet experiences a minor injury or shows symptoms of illness (such as vomiting, diarrhea, or lethargy) after hours or on the weekend, waiting until the next day or until Monday can be stressful, uncomfortable, or even painful for the pet.
These types of issues fall under the category of needs-to-be-seen but not an emergency. Until recently, the only option was to do nothing or go to an emergency veterinary hospital, where the wait could be long if patients with more critical issues needed care.
Our PetMedic Urgent Care clinics, which work just like urgent care for humans, are addressing the need for in-between care for pets, bridging the gap between general practices and emergency veterinary hospitals.
How Does Urgent Care for Pets Work?
Typical PetMedic hours are 2:00-10:00 p.m. but vary by location. Clients are encouraged to make a same-day appointment conveniently online. Like urgent care for people, these clinics don’t replace general practitioners—they complement them. They also ease the caseloads in emergency veterinary hospitals, which allows more time and focus to be spent on the most critical patients.
The Story Behind PetMedic
Dr. Nir Ben-Ari, PetMedic founder and chief medical officer, spent years working as an ER veterinarian and noticed that most of the cases he treated were urgent—but they weren’t life-threatening. Dr. Ben-Ari faced an important question: why crowd emergency hospitals with cases that could be safely managed in a more comfortable outpatient setting? And with that, PetMedic was born.
Dr. Ben-Ari said, “I have been a clinician in the Boston area for many years and have been fortunate to work with some of the best veterinary teams in our community. To be able to offer them an extra set of hands when they’re overloaded while giving pet parents extra peace of mind is a winning combination for everyone.”
PetMedic has six locations in the Northeast, with more on the way! Click here for the full list!
