In December, a switch-up in off-the-clock emergency veterinary services for large animals sparked concern in the equestrian world of Humboldt County. A rotation of two large animal veterinarians is now in place for after-hours emergency care.
When asked if two are enough, mixed-animal veterinarian Dr. Samantha Burk said, “Basically, I think we can make it work. Having a third doctor would be ideal,” she said.
But she noted veterinary offices struggle to recruit vets to the area.
“We have a hard time getting veterinarians here, let alone large animal veterinarians. It’s the same problem that they have in the human world,” she said.
Horse owners were concerned after learning of a cut in available hours for emergency care. Burk said there are three doctors doing large animals in the entire county, with two working on-call to answer emergency calls for horses on weekends and after hours on weekdays. The number of calls she gets every night ranges.
Burk said she stepped in to work out a rotation for vets, aiming to prevent a lapse in care. Trainings were also organized where Burk helped teach people emergency care for their horses during two recent well-attended sessions, with around 100 at each.
One aim was to teach owners to triage horses — identifying what ailments can or can’t wait. Owners also learned how to catch problems sooner, ideally to avoid the cost of an emergency vet.
Burk emphasized that vets are working to bridge the gap and asked for grace as they manage the workload.
“We’re only one person, we’re trying to do everything we can to make sure they have all the coverage that we possibly can do,” she said.
Burk said it’s important to her that “everybody knows that they can rely on us for coverage and that we can be there for them. That’s why we took that oath in the first place, is so we could be there to help all the animals.”
Alongside horse owners, she’s heard concern from smaller-scale cattle owners and people who have goats and pigs as 4-H season approaches.
Ferndale dairy farmer Andy Titus said for him, after-hours vet emergencies are rare — he attributed this to local dairies moving organic, with preventative practices making cows healthier. He also pointed to technology farmers use to detect health issues early on, allowing farmers to call the vet during normal business hours.
Sage Alexander can be reached at 707-441-0504
