A Findlay couple’s dog died after suffering seizures on Christmas Day, facing delays getting emergency veterinary care. But, a new 24-hour helpline aims to help.
FINDLAY, Ohio — Bowser, a 175-pound Great Dane owned by Findlay couple Holly and Zack Brandi, suffered an epileptic seizure on Christmas Day, which escalated into an emergency and eventually led to his death.
“It quickly changed from a situation of ‘we need to get him help to save his life’ to ‘we need to get him help to ease his pain,’” Holly said.
Call after call after call, the couple kept running into the same situation Christmas morning: closed emergency pet offices, no availability, or too far away.
“By the time that we were able to finally find a place that was open on Christmas morning where we could take him, then we had to focus on who could help us get him in the car,” Holly said.
Holly, seven months pregnant, says Zack struggled to move Bowser safely during the seizures.
“It was just like, ‘you’re watching your dog die in front of you’ … at that point,” Zack said. “We got him in the car, he was not seizing anymore, he had about 20 seizures, he was just convulsing.”
“After my husband realized that he had passed, I felt like at least another 15 or 20 minutes before we made it to the parking lot of the ER,” Holly added.
The couple says the lack of available emergency veterinary care made it nearly impossible to get help.
“The shortage is not a unique problem and has been going on for several years, so I think everyone in the area, both veterinary and client, are aware that there are some gaps to fill,” said Tonya Tack, who owns The Bridge Urgent Pet Care in Maumee. She says there aren’t always enough hands to see every animal and clinics sometimes have to turn people away.
“It’s a difficult situation for everyone to be in because nobody wants to hear the answer of ‘no’ or ‘I’m sorry, we can’t today,’” Tack said.
But she says part of the solution is helping pet owners know their options and using urgent care for non-life-threatening cases, freeing up emergency clinics for truly critical situations like the Brandis’ case.
“Being able to help them 24 hours get the information they need, I think, is going to be pretty huge,” Tack said.
Starting Jan. 9, Bridge Urgent Care is looking to do just that with a 24-hour pet help line. People can call, text, or email to get quick guidance on whether to wait, go to urgent care, or emergency. For more information on Bridge Urgent Care, click here.
link