Imagine my surprise when my beloved Bernese mountain dog Emma looked at me a week ago and said “Mom, I am not hungry.” This is a girl who lives to eat.

We sought the help of her veterinarian the very next day, a Thursday. With normal bloodwork and a normal exam, we went home with a game plan.

Alas, she deteriorated over the next few days. Our vet office was closed for the weekend. 

In searching for help, I became aware that there are no after-hours or overnight emergency services in Summit County and only one office that offers care on Saturdays and Sundays during regular hours.  

My Emma was in increasing distress, not eating, panting, and having explosive diarrhea.

I had to choose between taking her to Denver or waiting until her clinic would open again on Monday. I did not want to leave her in strangers’ hands and in a strange environment, which may have worsened her situation. And, the Denver vets would not have had access to Emma’s work-up, bloodwork and diagnosis.

My plea to dog lovers in our county is that we should lobby our county commissioners for an after hours/ overnight emergency service for our pets.  

To start, we could work on getting a vet tech on site and a vet on call. The cost pales to the rewards for having our pets near us when they are seriously ill.

As I send this, Emma is no longer suffering. I am left to wonder if having access to emergency services would have changed the outcome.