24/7 Emergency service for Pets in the Villages
 

I understand Buffalo Crossing Animal Hospital will stop being a 24/7 Emergency facility for our pets in The Villages Next month. They will continue with normal hrs. So I guess it is back to Leesburg if your pet has an emergency. Anyone know anything about it? Thanks

It's unfortunate news but reality across the country. This is what they posted on their Facebook page:

"We regret to inform you that as of Saturday, June 15th , we will no longer be able to offer 24/7 emergency services at our Buffalo Ridge Animal Hospital Main Location. We are suffering from a nationwide shortage in ER veterinarians, and due to recent staffing changes we have found ourselves unable to cover all the necessary shifts. While our day practice and remaining emergency doctor have been attempting to maintain the service, along with relief veterinarians, this is no longer feasible for our team.

As of Monday, June 17th, our main location's office hours will be Monday through Friday 8am-8pm and Saturday/Sunday 8am-5pm. While we regret being unable to offer the overnight ER service, we feel that by shifting our current staff to allow for extended evening and weekend hours will still allow us to handle many of the emergency issues that do arise during the week. If your pet requires more care than what we can offer, our veterinary staff will do their best to guide you in the next step for care and transport.

Our Main Location will be closing on Saturday, June 15th at 5:00pm and will reopen Monday, June 17th at 8:00am. We are installing new computers and software and will be going live with our new system in the afternoon on Monday, June 17th. We ask for patience during this transition as we are all going to be learning a new, more efficient computer system during the upcoming weeks. Our Pinellas Plaza office will be going live with their computer and software upgrade on June 24th.

Below are the Emergency Hospitals available for your pet outside our normal business hours:

Veterinary Emergency Clinic of Central Florida
407-644-4449
33040 Professional Dr. Leesburg, FL 34788
Locations | Veterinary Emergency Clinic of Central Florida

WEEKNIGHTS 6:00pm-7:30am
WEEKENDS: Fri 6:00pm-Mon 7:30am


UF Pet Emergency Treatment Center: Ocala
352-512-0886
3200 SW 27th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34474
Pet Emergency Treatment Services: Ocala >> College of Veterinary Medicine >> University of Florida

WEEKNIGHTS: 5:00pm-8:00am WEEKENDS: Sat and Sun - Open 24 Hours

UF SMALL ANIMAL HOSPITAL
352-392-2235
2089 SW 16th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601
Small Animal Hospital >> College of Veterinary Medicine >> University of Florida
OPEN 24/7

If you have any questions, please reach out to me by phone at 352-750-4711 or email: amy.dacey@capna.com.

Thank you for all of your support over the last 10 years and we look forward to many more."

There is a UF (UNIVERSITY OF FL) pet emergency in Ocala on hw475. They are open 5:30pm to 7:30am Monday- Thursday and 24 hrs Fri - Mon morning 7:30 am. They are a branch of the UF Small and large animal hospital in Gainsville. We used the Ocala branch when we had an emergency for our cat. He then was transferred to the Gainsville Hospital for evaluation and surgery. 1 1/2 years later he is the picture of health. Our other cat was at Gainsville last month for a similar situation. A colonoscopy biopsy directed treatment and 6 weeks later he is doing great. Cannot say enough about both facilities.

That is sad to hear but good information to have.

The really sad thing is that when you have an actual emergency with your pet, time is of the essence and could be critical.
The time involved in getting to an emergency location now is no longer close by.

Exactly! One of the reasons we even considered moving to this neighborhood was close proximity to the ER just in case. With all the pets here in The Villages it amazes me that we have to travel now if it is an emergency. If it is a critical situation that is really sad.

You were lucky! What if a pet has congestive heart failure they would never make it to Ocala.

Thank you for sharing this important information.

Which is closer? Leesburg or Ocala? Does anyone know?

I haven't joined yet....maybe we will meet some day! Diane (wanna play golf some time?)

What if a pet goes in to Congestive Heart Failure or is hit by a vehicle? Having to travel the Leesburg now is not sufficient time to save heart failure and or if the pet is bleeding. One of the reasons we moved to this community is because there are so many pet lovers and had a close by Emergency Room for pets.
With the amount of animals here in the Villages you would think something can be done to help. Forget about building more homes.
The thought of moving out of here to a smaller community is being said by many now.