Around two dozen vets deal with majority of pet emergencies in Grand Rapids

The United States is experiencing a veterinary shortage, leading to longer wait times for appointments.

It's estimated the country will be lacking around 17,000 vets by 2032, according to the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges.

For emergencies, it can be even more difficult with very few offices open 24/7 for your furry friends.

25 veterinarians at two 24/7 hospitals are dealing with the majority of the animal emergencies in Kent County. That's because the next closest ones are in Lansing and Traverse City.

"We run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, so we never close," said Animal Emergency & Specialty Hospital's Lead Veterinarian Dr. Samantha Gerbers.

Just like humans, pets have medical emergencies too.

"Because they’re pets, they can get into a lot of trouble that humans don’t, and so unexpected things come up all the time," said Dr. Gerbers. "We see a lot of traumas, toxicities, and just a lot of gastrointestinal illnesses as well that need for treatment during off hours," she said.

Dr. Gerbers says the wait times show that need. So why aren't more offices offering these services?

"You can’t be awake 24 hours a day for your clients, and so typically, it's just not feasible for a daytime practice to be able to stay open 24 hours and provide staffing, 24 hours a day and still do the great job that the veterinarians in our community do," Dr. Gerbers said.

That's why the 24/7 hospitals do what they do, providing the other services like emergency and critical care.

"Right now, I think we’re meeting the need pretty effectively," Dr. Gerbers said. "Certainly on weekends, you know, we are still seeing very, very high numbers, you know, very busy times where we've got a lot of patients coming in," she said.

With those varying times, the hospital has adapted by using a "Wait-at-Home Triage System". It allows clients to check-in before they leave home and communicate back-and-forth with the hospital by text.

Even if the owner doesn't know if they should or need to pay them a visit, Dr. Gerbers says there's no harm in contacting them.

"I think the most important thing is to call us, to reach out if you ever have a concern about your pet. Don't feel like you have to come in, or you, you you know can't reach out to us, and when you're in a time of need, we're here to help," said Dr. Gerbers.

The Animal Emergency and Specialty Hospital is also one of the only in the area to see all creatures as long as they can serve them well with the proper facilities.

For more information on the services provided and location information for the Animal Emergency and Specialty Hospital, click here .

*A previous version of this story cited the American Veterinary Medical Association as the source for the lack of veterinarians in the U.S. The American Veterinary Medical Association says they expect a significant increase in the number of new veterinarians starting their practice into the 2030s. They point to the expansion of existing colleges of veterinary medicine, three new schools, and another 12 in development.