Las Vegas clinic offers veterinary care 24 hours a day

Animals deserve 24-hour access to emergency care when it's desperately needed.

That's why doctors, nurses and specialists from the Las Vegas Veterinary Specialty Center are thrilled to see a sister center, Veterinary Emergency + Critical Care, open as an around-the-clock emergency clinic for animals.

The facility is scheduled to open today at 8650 W. Tropicana Ave. (next door to the Specialty Center, which opened in 2005) and will offer urgent care for pets such as cats, dogs and birds.

"We're capable of handling more exotic animals as well, but that isn't necessarily what we anticipate," veterinarian David Mason said.

Mason is a surgeon at the center, where he has been on staff for five years.

"We consider this to be an extension of what we are already doing at the center, but make no mistake, this is a completely separate entity. It is it s own business with it s own bank account and mission."

Mason, who specializes in arthroscopy, elbow dysplasia, thoracic surgery and porto-systemic shunts, said the ER would serve the Spring Valley and southwest Las Vegas communities well.

"So far as I know, there are no other 24-hour care facilities in the valley, let alone this part of town," he said. "Where are you supposed to go find a doctor on staff at 3 a.m. if you think your cat is dying? Most everyone is on call. There's no place you can go, not before now."

The 3,500-square-foot facility includes four exam rooms, a triage area, intensive care unit, surgery suite, X -ray room and an isolation room for animals with diseases that could be contagious.

Mason said the center can also boast state-of-the-art medical equipment, such as a digital radiology system, telemetry, ultrasound, CT scanner and an MRI machine.

Las Vegas resident Arthur Daugherty had a scare about a month ago when, for reasons he didn't understand, his cat, Lincoln, began vomiting one night.

"I thought I was going to lose him," he said. "I watched over him throughout the night and took him to his vet in the morning. I didn't realize there was even such a thing as an emergency room for animals, or I would have taken him in right then."

Daugherty said it turned out Lincoln was having allergy problems, a simple fix with the right medications.

"But it could have been something very serious he needed care for right away," he said. "This animal is like my child. I don't want to have to wait to get him the care he needs. Now that I know such a service exists, I'm sure I'll be showing up in times of panic."

Mason said the clinic is opening as a result of need in the community.

"Our hospital will help seriously ill pets with the need of treatment immediately," he said. "In some cases, we will be saving a life. There's a satisfaction that comes with that."

Mason said the hospital always will have at least one doctor on duty, which can make the difference in life-saving situations.

"If you are forced to wait around for an on-call doctor, that matters," he said. "Minutes, seconds matter when you're dealing with an injured or critically ill animal, just like with human beings."

For more information, visit veccs.org or call 262-7070.

Contact Southwest and Spring Valley View reporter Amanda Donnelly at adonnelly@viewnews.com or 380-4535.