It began two weeks after John Dillon adopted Patrick. After a day of romping at the park, Patrick collapsed on the couch, groaning.
Dillon freaked. Was he sick? Did he eat something?
“A million things were going through my head,” Dillon says. “My veterinarian was closed, so I called the emergency clinic. Of course, they only tell you that if you think it’s an emergency, you need to come in.”
Dillon ended up at the emergency hospital. And it turned out Patrick was just tired.
“The second time, he’s chewing on a pig’s ear and he swallows it. So now I’m thinking, is this gonna get stuck in his intestinal tract? Are they gonna have to cut him open if I wait? Is it easier if I have him regurgitate it now?” Dillon says.
So again Dillon took Patrick to the emergency hospital. And again he was completely fine.
The third time, on a Saturday trip to the dog park, Patrick was running full speed ahead with a pack of dogs and slammed into a fence.
“And he starts limping,” Dillon says. “One of the other pet owners says, ‘Well there goes your first ACL injury.’ Can you imagine? Someone plants that into your head like a stick of dynamite.”
Dillon quickly noticed a trend in his experiences. These unexpected events all happened on evenings and weekends, when his regular veterinarian was closed. And when he called an emergency practice, the message was the same:
“If you think it’s an emergency, you need to come in.”
In each of these circumstances, Patrick was fine. But the experience made Dillon wonder if there was someone who could help him assess whether his pet was experiencing a true emergency—and avoid the cost of an emergency visit if his pet didn’t need immediate care. What he wanted: the ability to talk to a veterinarian to help him make the right decision about when to seek treatment for his pet immediately–and when he should wait instead and take his pet in during the veterinarian’s regular business hours.
Read the rest of the story on http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/new-service-promises-antidote-late-night-client-calls
