By Oscar Parry
Sunbury residents are calling for a local 24-hour veterinary emergency centre, raising concerns about the travel distance to the nearest dedicated animal hospitals of this kind.
Star Weekly understands that the nearest emergency veterinary centres to Sunbury include ARH Essendon Fields Veterinary Specialists and Advanced Vetcare Kensington – approximately 25 and 30 minutes drive away from the suburb respectively.
Sunbury resident and pet owner Caitlin Grima said this distance and the local need for an emergency vet creates “worry as a pet owner”, especially after her dog died about four years ago when it went into cardiac arrest from a wasp sting and was unable to be treated in time.
She said she took her dog to Sunbury Animal Hospital, which was closing at the time but was “amazing and rushed him to the Essendon Fields Animal Referral Hospital“.
“I feel like if Sunbury potentially had the facilities, yes – he would have had a chance,” Ms Grima said.
“We have another Staffy – he has been diagnosed with epilepsy. That anxiety around him having a seizure, not being able to come out of that seizure, and … obviously that could potentially lead to death as well.“
Ms Grima said it would be ideal to have a regular and ongoing after-hours service with in-centre treatment for pets, such as ICU equipment.
“The vets in Sunbury are amazing and I’m so grateful for them, but it would be great to be able to access them more regularly.”
Sunbury resident and volunteer animal rescuer Rachel Meade said the lack of local after-hours emergency animal care in the suburb “forces your hand” in terms of planning for the worst case scenario with an unwell pet.
“Even on Sundays, there’s nothing really open,” Ms Meade said.
“We all know no one gets sick Monday to Friday, nine-to-five. That’s been stressful when I’ve had an unwell pet. It comes to Friday [and] I think ’I’ve got to go’ … you have to think about it – ‘what am I going to on Sunday?’” she said.
She said the distance to the nearest after-hours emergency animal hospital could also pose driving safety issues for those who decide to transport their unwell pets themselves due to the distress and urgency.
“I’d hate to think of myself having to drive … I think it would be a horrible drive.”
