Urgent care clinic for pets opens in St. Johns

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UrgentVet, an urgent care clinic for pets, is expanding its presence in Florida with the opening of a clinic in St. Johns. The new clinic is located at 855 County Road 210 West.

The clinic’s location in the new Beachwalk Retail Center offers convenient access for residents of fast-growing neighborhoods in the area, including Beachwalk, Beacon Lake and the entire Nocatee community.

“All of Northeast Florida, but especially St. Johns, is experiencing a population boom with more and more people moving to the area each day,” said Dr. Jim Dobies, UrgentVet founder. “When we saw what was happening in St. Johns and recognized not only how quickly the area was growing, but how passionate people here are about their pets, we knew it was the perfect spot for our next clinic.”

The new clinic is UrgentVet’s 12th nationally and the ninth to open in Florida.

Pet parents can use the clinic’s website to check their pets in, and text, call or use the clinic’s intercom to alert staff once they arrive. If they prefer, pet parents can remain in their cars or be escorted by a member of the UrgentVet staff directly to exam rooms.

UrgentVet fills the widening care gap that exists between traditional daytime veterinary practices and specialized 24-hour emergency hospitals, providing affordable after-hours relief on weeknights, weekends and holidays year-round.
UrgentVet will be open from 3 to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and noon to 8 p.m. on holidays.

The vision behind the UrgentVet practice model is to provide dogs and cats with trusted after-hours acute care just like an urgent care for humans. Pet parents in the area should continue to take pets to their primary care veterinarian for wellness care and routine visits, but UrgentVet offers a trusting and compassionate option after hours.

UrgentVet clinics routinely treat vomiting, diarrhea, lacerations, wounds and skin and ear problems among many other presenting complaints.

No appointments are necessary, and those who check in online can request that the clinic send a text message when it’s time to come in.

All of UrgentVet’s veterinarians and support staff are “fear-free certified professionals,” which means they’re skilled in caring for both the pet’s physical and emotional well-being.

All dog and cat exam rooms have dimmable lighting for anxious animals and relaxing music to soothe the pets, and each staff member wears sprayable pheromones for a calming effect.

The clinic itself is 2,450 square feet with a total of six exam rooms — two for large dogs, three for small dogs and one exclusively for cats — in addition to a separate comfort room.

Other features include an in-house diagnostic lab, digital X-ray machine, ultrasound and cloud-based medical record-keeping software. The large dog rooms contain state-of-the-art lift tables, which also double as a non-slip scale, that lower to the floor for easy access for dogs that may be too heavy to pick up.
After a pet’s visit, UrgentVet delivers lab work and X-rays with a referral letter to the pet’s veterinarian within 24 hours so that they can be informed and schedule a follow-up visit at their location.

“We’re excited to meet our new neighbors and become actively involved within the St. Johns community,” Dobies said. “We believe we can be a real asset to what is already a special place to live.”

For more information, go to UrgentVet.com.