Temporary Solution to After-Hours Pet Care

The San Roque Pet Hospital has stepped to the plate to provide emergency after-hours care to Santa Barbara pets, a service missing since the California Animal Referral and Emergency Hospital – better known as CARE – closed on Christmas Eve because of funding issues.

Dr. Dave Dawson, the owner and medical director at San Rogue Pet Hospital, announced that his hospital has contracted with three of the four emergency veterinarians recently laid off at CARE. As a short-term solution, they will be available to treat pet emergencies, a welcome announcement to pet owners in Santa Barbara, many of whom were dismayed by the CARE announcement last week.

“I’m excited about it because my clients have been concerned there is no emergency care available,” Dawson said. Still, Dawson said the plan is to provide the service only for a few weeks and that hopefully another emergency and critical care hospital can be opened. CARE was the only hospital of its kind in the entire county. Prior to the announcement from Dawson, owners with pet emergencies were forced to travel to Ventura for after-hours care.

The San Roque Pet Hospital is located at State and De la Vina streets.

The closing of CARE led to roughly 60 people being laid off.

To view the story on CARE’s closure, go here.