BURLINGTON, Vt. -
Vermont has more pet owners per capita than any other state in the union. But, those in remote communities can find themselves far from help when crisis strikes.
Emergency care centers are operated 24/7 throughout the state. Some say they'd prefer to see local veterinarians available after-hours in areas where the commute to a facility simply takes too long.
Newark resident Donna Gray says she loves where she lives, about three miles from the nearest paved road. But, when her 8-year-old lab-rottweiler mix had a medical emergency, she found herself more than 50 miles - and an hour and a half drive - away from the nearest help: Littleton, New Hampshire.
"He wouldn't have made it, there was no way," said Gray. Rex died about 40 minutes after she realized there was a problem.
Gray says she called four veterinarians that night, all had recorded messages steering her towards Littleton. Many small-animal vets across the state have stopped providing after-hours care. "I would like to see this change," she said, still visibly upset by her loss.
"It certainly would be nice if there were more options," said State Veterinarian Kristin Haas, "but there are other factors at play here."
Haas says Vermont's high number of pets per person means there's demand for 24/7 care, more than on-call vets could handle. But, the state's low population density means emergency centers must pull from a wide area to stay financially afloat.
"Yes, there may be areas that do not have an emergency clinic within the immediate vicinity but statewide our capabilities have changed significantly for the better," said Haas.
Each case is different, but experts say the chances of positive results for pets drop significantly if care can't be reached within an hour.
It appears Rex suffered a heart attack, and it's unlikely an on-call vet would have saved his life. However, Donna says even after this tragedy, she doesn't know what she could do differently if her toy poodle needed late-night help.
Historically, the Northeast Kingdom has also had a shortage of large animal vets. State experts say that problem has been remedied in part thanks to a federal program.
