For Lewis County pet owners, emergency medical care for their furry best friends often means having to drive an hour and a half or more to Olympia.
That’s a nightmare situation for pet owners, especially those in the more rural parts of the county, when every second can count during serious medical emergencies.
This is why Timberland Veterinary Hospital PLLC veterinarian Dr. Alexandria Van den Huevel, or “Dr. Van” as she’s known to her patients, is now offering after hours emergency services at the hospital every Saturday and Sunday from noon to midnight.
The Chronicle visited Timberland Veterinary Hospital on Thursday, Aug. 21, to learn more about the new emergency clinic and the services offered. While Van den Huevel was off for the day, Timberland Veterinary Hospital manager Melissa Petrino was there to talk about the new program, which was actually her brainchild.
“Urgent care is something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time, and I’ve worked for this company for 10 years now. So to see it actually with somebody who wants to progress and do those things with me has been amazing,” Petrino said.
Given that Timberland Veterinary Hospital is located just off of Exit 68 on Interstate 5 at 204 U.S. Highway 12, its location means even pet owners having to travel all the way from Randle or Packwood can get to the emergency clinic in under an hour.
After having just started the emergency clinic this month, there have already been two county residents who have utilized it.
“One was a blockage, a chronic rock eater, that was Saturday. Sunday was an overheated Bernese mountain dog coming from Morton, and that is a good example of an animal that would have not made it up to Olympia with a temp of 107.1 (fahrenheit) when it got here,” Petrino added.
Other medical situations Van den Huevel can treat during the emergency clinic hours include: overheating, vomiting, diarrhea, pets refusing to eat, poison ingestion, dehydration, urinary tract issues, serious skin allergies, eye injuries, high fever, lameness or limping, back issues, fractures, abscesses, ear infections, vaccine reactions, ruptured or bleeding masses, broken teeth, seizures, car strike injuries, torn or broken toenails or an animal needing a cesarean section birth.
“She’s a good doctor too, so she knows that if it’s not urgent care or hospitalization, we’ll stabilize them to get them either down to Vancouver or up to Olympia, whichever is closer,” Petrino said.
Plans are to hopefully get another veterinarian to be on call for emergency situations on Friday and Monday, too.
The phone number for the Timberland Veterinary Hospital weekend emergency clinic is 360-602-1814.
For more information on Timberland Veterinary Hospital and other animal care services it provides, visit its website at https://tvhwa.com/ or call 360-985-2700.
