Emergency Treatment

[Deacon Klaus]

Is there an Emergency Treatment Facility for pets in the Killeen area?

My 2 year-old Shiatsu woke up this morning coughing repeatedly for nearly 30 minutes as if something were stuck in her throat, occasionally expectorating a white foamy phlegm.

After five more bouts of the same I took her to my regular Vet. That clinic books about eight animals per hour per Dr. and as a walk-in I had no chance. They have no triage setup -- if my girl were dying she would still have had the same non-treatment.

After waiting hopefully for over an hour I decided to bring her home to be more comfortable while I attempted to book an appointment for her. The earliest I could get her in to see the Dr. is Friday -- a 48-hour delay. I don't know if she will survive that long.

[Sped1]

I thought there was an emergency treatment place off of W.S Young and 190 in the little shopping center there. I know there used to be one there and I thought I saw a sign a week or two ago when I drove past there on W.S. Young.

[Rotti_mama]

I believe after regular vet hours.

[Deb]

Have you gone to the internet yellow pages to look up emergency animal clinics? I've done that for the Phoenix area, plus a neighborhood emergency clinic sent me a magnet with their address & phone number on it. I've been lucky so far and the 2 emergencies I've had the neighborhood Banfield was open and able to get the dogs in almost immediatly.

[pioneer]

yep there is one in the little shopping center used it 2 months ago
After Hours Veterinary Svc
2501 S W S Young Dr
Killeen, TX 76542
(254) 628-5017

it was $$ but worth it

[xzochye]

If you take her to an emergency clinic Aztec will do the follow up for free.

[Deacon Klaus]

yep there is one in the little shopping center used it 2 months ago
After Hours Veterinary Svc
2501 S W S Young Dr
Killeen, TX 76542
(254) 628-5017

it was $$ but worth it

Thank you. I called. They are open 6:00 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mon-Fri and 8:00 a.m. to noon on Sat.

[Msradar]

The After Hours Vet clinic is just that. They are not even open during regular vet hours. I would just call around. I don't know who you usually use. But my vet does have appnts only. But if I call with an ER he will take me in immediately.

Unfortunately, I have had very bad experiences with the After hours vet clinic. Its mostly a clinic that treats dogs or cats. They also do NOT see or treat exotic animals. So if you own a reptile, bird, rabbit or ferret you are screwed after hours. There is NO care.

[FieryPrincess]

The after hours place saved my dog's life.

[Msradar]

The after hours place saved my dog's life.

I'm Glad to hear you had a good experience. They killed one of my pets. I will not go there or use the vet who killed my animal. He has moved around a lot...which is a warning sign to me.

I will also not use any of the vets who thought it was not a big deal. Just a pet!

[Brad Buckley, D.V.M.]

Please contact me personally with ANY opinions (good or bad) about the service you receive for your pet at After Hours Veterinary Services in Killeen. I am a shareholder and a member of the Board of Directors. I care very much about the service we provide the pets of our area and want to hear from you. Additionally, our member clinics have forms available in their office that provides you the opportunity to grade our performance and these documents are reviewed monthly by the Board.

[TexMexYum]

Please contact me personally with ANY opinions (good or bad) about the service you receive for your pet at After Hours Veterinary Services in Killeen. I am a shareholder and a member of the Board of Directors. I care very much about the service we provide the pets of our area and want to hear from you. Additionally, our member clinics have forms available in their office that provides you the opportunity to grade our performance and these documents are reviewed monthly by the Board.

I had a good experience with the After Hours clinic with our cat - I ran over her when she tried to beat my car into the garage. It's been a few years but I am thankful they are there.....just in case.

[dragonfly]

I had a great experience at the After House clinic! They saved my dogs eye, and were wonderful to me in my panic state.

[dtribby]

We've been there several times. My poor Border Collie mix only ever "tried to play" with our neighbor's crazy pit on Saturday nights! They took great care of him and laid out my treatment options clearly. It's fairly expensive, but mostly because of the after-hours exam fee. Of course, folks SHOULD be paid more if they're going to work through the night to be there for our pets. And Dr. Buckley's associates at his clinic always provided top-notch follow-up care of his wounds.

[Sunshine]

I took my cat Bella there, she was at the end of her battle with mast cell cancer. They treated her very well and did everything to make her feel better. Even though she ended up losing her battle with cancer, I had a great experience with the care there. I think I went around 12 AM and she was treated as if she was the only priority, even though there were many pets being treated during that time period.

[Sunshine]

Please contact me personally with ANY opinions (good or bad) about the service you receive for your pet at After Hours Veterinary Services in Killeen. I am a shareholder and a member of the Board of Directors. I care very much about the service we provide the pets of our area and want to hear from you. Additionally, our member clinics have forms available in their office that provides you the opportunity to grade our performance and these documents are reviewed monthly by the Board.

I think that is great that you take such an interest in care taken at this facility. While I was in the area I always had great experience in the care taken with both of my cats with the Vet services in the area. The after hours clinic was wonderful when I took my ailing cat there. I'm glad this service was available and although you hope you don't have to use it, it is there for those that need it.

[Msradar]

Please contact me personally with ANY opinions (good or bad) about the service you receive for your pet at After Hours Veterinary Services in Killeen. I am a shareholder and a member of the Board of Directors. I care very much about the service we provide the pets of our area and want to hear from you. Additionally, our member clinics have forms available in their office that provides you the opportunity to grade our performance and these documents are reviewed monthly by the Board.

Dr Buckley, thank you for your concern. I did bring it to the board and it got no where. All I got was the bill. The head of the board has since then left the area to a practice in the Austin area.

The vet I had problems with is now working in his former clinic. The sad part is as I said if you have a cat or dog fine. But if you own a ferret, bird, rabbit or other pet considered an exotic...then you are out of luck.

I think if you work the ER clinic then you need to be well versed in treating ALL animals that come for care. Not you get to the door to be told. The vet on duty does not treat you type of pet...sorry....you can drive to waco or austin and find a vet in an ER clinic there somewhere! UGH!

I would add this. If you have an animal you are monitoring or is considered in distress or unable. The VET should not leave the premises to go get dinner and leave said animal with a none certified, none qualified person who can not even operate the basic equipment.

I see the ER vet clinic like I see a paramedic and an EMT. The paramedic is responsible for the actions of the EMT. So to me..the vet in charge is responsible for the actions of the other staff members.

I also think that vets, just like any other doctor or staff member...if your personal life or lack of sleep or whatever interferes with work...then you should not be working. Your mistakes can cost your patient its life.

[BillK]

Dr Buckley, thank you for your concern. I did bring it to the board and it got no where. All I got was the bill. The head of the board has since then left the area to a practice in the Austin area.

The vet I had problems with is now working in his former clinic. The sad part is as I said if you have a cat or dog fine. But if you own a ferret, bird, rabbit or other pet considered an exotic...then you are out of luck.

I think if you work the ER clinic then you need to be well versed in treating ALL animals that come for care. Not you get to the door to be told. The vet on duty does not treat you type of pet...sorry....you can drive to waco or austin and find a vet in an ER clinic there somewhere! UGH!

I would add this. If you have an animal you are monitoring or is considered in distress or unable. The VET should not leave the premises to go get dinner and leave said animal with a none certified, none qualified person who can not even operate the basic equipment.

I see the ER vet clinic like I see a paramedic and an EMT. The paramedic is responsible for the actions of the EMT. So to me..the vet in charge is responsible for the actions of the other staff members.

I also think that vets, just like any other doctor or staff member...if your personal life or lack of sleep or whatever interferes with work...then you should not be working. Your mistakes can cost your patient its life.

I understand your concerns MSRADAR. My guess would be that when you have an unusual pet (like a ferret) that it is caveat emptor - for example - if you purchase a BMW or Ferarri then you are willing to pay more and go further to get service for it because not all service places in Killeen (or ANY) can service those vehicles. Since you want an exotic car you have to be willing to put up with the problems of an exotic car.

When you own something other than a dog or cat or horse or cow in this area you have to be willing to put up with a vet who may not be well versed in those animals.

In my experience all vets have TRIED t be helpful with the cavat that "I don't deal with this a lot so I am not sure - but let's give it a go..." kind of attitude as they all try to hel with someone in distress.

The idea that an after hours vet clinic in Killeen TX would be staffed even at lunch is not reasonable in my opinion. There is not enough money to be made and you certainly cannot put TWO vets on so that you can cover meals or emergency off site visits. At this point I think that we are LUCKY that someone thinks this is important enough to even HAVE an after hours clinic.

I remember when I moved here you could not get human prescriptions filled after 5 pm weekdays or on weekends. We are now spoiled as we now have pharmacy hours MUCH longer and more convenients than Heidtbrink's ever thought of.

When it is financially profitable to staff this clinic more then it will get more - until then we need to be thankful for what is there.

Bill

[Brad Buckley, D.V.M.]

Dr Buckley, thank you for your concern. I did bring it to the board and it got no where. All I got was the bill. The head of the board has since then left the area to a practice in the Austin area.

I am truly sorry for the bad outcome. We continually struggle with finding veterinarians that are experienced in treating exotic species. One of the problems is that we just don't see enough of them to gain that experience. Some veterinarians in town emphasize exotic care in their day practice but unfortunately are not always available on an emergency basis.

My personal policy is always to try to help anyone with any kind of animal with the caveat that I might not have much experience but I'll consult colleagues and references to try to do my very best. However, a recent episode (in another community) has found that legally a veterinarian must offer a client a referral to a more experienced practitioner if it is reasonable - a very gray area in my opinion.

Thank you for opening a dialogue with me about this issue. We (the AHVS board) are now working towards adding an additional veterinarian to lessen the burden during the very busy times and to bring more breadth of experience to our clinic. Please stay in touch with your comments and reviews.

[Msradar]

I am truly sorry for the bad outcome. We continually struggle with finding veterinarians that are experienced in treating exotic species. One of the problems is that we just don't see enough of them to gain that experience. Some veterinarians in town emphasize exotic care in their day practice but unfortunately are not always available on an emergency basis.

My personal policy is always to try to help anyone with any kind of animal with the caveat that I might not have much experience but I'll consult colleagues and references to try to do my very best. However, a recent episode (in another community) has found that legally a veterinarian must offer a client a referral to a more experienced practitioner if it is reasonable - a very gray area in my opinion.

Thank you for opening a dialogue with me about this issue. We (the AHVS board) are now working towards adding an additional veterinarian to lessen the burden during the very busy times and to bring more breadth of experience to our clinic. Please stay in touch with your comments and reviews.

Dr Buckley,
Thank you. I have actually seen you with my exotic. You were wonderful. You know I do not mind admission of I have never seen this...let me call down to A & M.

I wish there were more vets that did see exotics...considering exotic pets are very popular in this area.

I don't mind traveling for care. That idea works great for routine stuff. But When your pet goes down in the middle of the night a 80 mile drive to Austin is not pleasant for either.

I have however learned how to make do until the next day. I have learned when the various exotic vets in the area work and are off. So I have to rotate vets if someone gets sick suddenly.

I was just appalled at the treatment my animal got when she was transferred for continuing after hours care. It was not like I showed up on the door and no one knew we were coming. They were called, report given and the animal brought to them.

If they were not able to care for the animal then they should have refused her.

But as they hind sight is always 20/20.

I learned a lot since this happened and I can basically run my own little vet ICU at home now. Which is enough to get me by til regular clinic opens again.

I forewarn anyone who wants exotic pet...that you have to learn and be able to do a lot on your own in this area because there is ZERO after hours care should you pet get sick or hurt.

[Msradar]

I understand your concerns MSRADAR. My guess would be that when you have an unusual pet (like a ferret) that it is caveat emptor - for example - if you purchase a BMW or Ferarri then you are willing to pay more and go further to get service for it because not all service places in Killeen (or ANY) can service those vehicles. Since you want an exotic car you have to be willing to put up with the problems of an exotic car.

When you own something other than a dog or cat or horse or cow in this area you have to be willing to put up with a vet who may not be well versed in those animals.

In my experience all vets have TRIED t be helpful with the cavat that "I don't deal with this a lot so I am not sure - but let's give it a go..." kind of attitude as they all try to hel with someone in distress.

The idea that an after hours vet clinic in Killeen TX would be staffed even at lunch is not reasonable in my opinion. There is not enough money to be made and you certainly cannot put TWO vets on so that you can cover meals or emergency off site visits. At this point I think that we are LUCKY that someone thinks this is important enough to even HAVE an after hours clinic.

I remember when I moved here you could not get human prescriptions filled after 5 pm weekdays or on weekends. We are now spoiled as we now have pharmacy hours MUCH longer and more convenients than Heidtbrink's ever thought of.

When it is financially profitable to staff this clinic more then it will get more - until then we need to be thankful for what is there.

Bill

Bill,
I understand this...but when the attending physican or vet in this case leaves the premises and leaves and untrained person in the care of an unstable animal...then there IS a problem.

It opens up a lot of questions!! I lot of unanswered whys.

[BillK]

Bill,
I understand this...but when the attending physican or vet in this case leaves the premises and leaves and untrained person in the care of an unstable animal...then there IS a problem.

It opens up a lot of questions!! I lot of unanswered whys.

I understand - you thought that they had someone there who understood and would take care of your pet and they did not. THAT is very different than what I was saying.

Bill