After-Hours Emergency

If your pet is in need of emergency veterinary treatment outside of our normal hours of business, please call (509) 779-6742 to reach our after-hours emergency answering service.

What pet owners should know about emergency services

River Valley Veterinary Center is not an emergency facility, nor does the Wenatchee Valley currently have a fully staffed 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital.

River Valley Veterinary Center and Cascade Veterinary Clinics maintain a cooperative after-hours emergency call partnership. This arrangement allows established clients of our clinics to have access to emergency veterinary care when it is truly needed.

After-hours calls are first answered by GuardianVets, a third-party veterinary triage service staffed by licensed veterinary technicians. They assess the situation and connect pet owners with the on-call veterinarian when emergency evaluation is needed.

How is this different from a 24-hour ER hospital?

Unlike a dedicated emergency hospital, after-hours emergency care is typically provided by a single veterinarian and a single technician or assistant. The veterinarian and technician will not be on-site unless actively providing care for a patient.

Because our community does not have a separate, fully staffed emergency hospital, after-hours care depends on veterinarians and support staff taking emergency call in addition to their regular clinical duties. This system is not perfect, but it is currently the most practical way to provide emergency access while continuing to staff daytime veterinary services for the thousands of pets that rely on local clinics each week.

Providing emergency care in a community without a dedicated emergency hospital requires a significant commitment from veterinarians, technicians, assistants, and their families. Because of the limitations in staffing and resources, emergency on-call services are generally reserved for established clients of participating hospitals.

There may also be times when the on-call veterinarian is already managing another emergency or performing emergency surgery and cannot immediately respond to a second case.

Why isn't there a local 24-hour emergency hospital?

We agree that our valley would benefit from one.

However, creating and sustaining a 24-hour emergency facility is a major undertaking. It requires millions of dollars in capital investment, specialized equipment, recruitment of veterinarians and highly trained support staff, and the ability to financially support the hospital through its early years while building sufficient case volume.

To put that into perspective, a true 24-hour emergency hospital requires multiple veterinarians, technicians, assistants, reception staff, and management personnel to provide coverage around the clock, every day of the year. Recruiting and retaining those professionals is challenging nationwide, particularly in smaller communities.

What should pet owners do?

We encourage pet owners to discuss emergency care plans with their local veterinary provider before a crisis occurs. Our goal is the same as yours: to ensure pets in our community receive the best care possible when they need it most.

We are grateful to the veterinarians, technicians, assistants, receptionists, and support staff throughout the Wenatchee Valley who continue to provide emergency care despite the many challenges involved. Their commitment helps ensure that when emergencies happen, help is available close to home whenever possible.