WHEN IT’S A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH, DO YOU WANT YOUR fur baby TREATED BY AN ENTRY-LEVEL INTERN?
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ENSURE TOP QUALITY CARE WHEN YOUR PET NEEDS IT MOST
More than anything, we want your pet to be well cared-for, and we believe in the power of consumers when we work together. With each individual action, we’re building momentum to drive change. If the information here speaks to you, we encourage you to make an emergency healthcare plan for your pet. Even if you love your regular vet, they may not be available (or at the hospital) when your pet is in crisis. We encourage you to do your research before an emergency happens.
Here’s what we recommend:
1) Talk to your vet to ask if their clinic provides emergency services, what the hours are, and what types of cases they can treat (an ear infection is very different than a car accident).
2) Identify a 24-hour emergency hospital near you. Things to consider:
Is the hospital owned by a large corporation (eg. Mars Corporation, VCA, Blue Pearl, Banfield), a private equity firm (eg. Thrive Pet Healthcare) or an individual veterinarian who has dedicated their life to healing animals?
The Independent Veterinary Practitioners Association provides a listing of their member clinics - all privately owned. While this list is not comprehensive, and does not guarantee quality of care, you may wish to start your research here.
Call and ask (because their website might not disclose it) if their hospital runs an internship program, a fellowship program, or both?
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TAKE ACTION and let’s make change happen
Our greatest hope is that California will lead the way in establishing common-sense care standards, and limit profits of large, corporate and private-equity owned veterinary hospitals (just as they do for human health insurance companies).
We encourage all pet parents to write your state representative and share your concerns, and call, to ask what they’re planning to do to keep our pet family members safe and ensure that adequate checks and balances are in place for all for-profit corporations and private equity owned veterinary hospitals.
