LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A deal that could bring a new veterinary college to Central Arkansas has now fallen through, and now we're looking into how that impacts both pet parents and pet caregivers alike.
Pet sitters and boarding centers have started to get busier as their humans travel for the holiday season. However, in Arkansas, making sure a vet can be available for an after-hours emergency, isn't always as simple as walking into an open office.
Saline County resident Adam Carson saw that first hand on a Sunday night in September when his dog, Chewy, ate a sock and wasn't doing well.
"We've got a wonderful local vet, but they're not there in the middle of the night," Carson said, "there was a bit of a-- what are we going to do?"
Carson said that the closest option that night was in another county— 40 minutes away. Thankfully he still got there in time to help his dog that night but it left a worry for the future.
"[Emergency vets] got Chewy stable and we followed up with a local vet. But if it had been something worse." Carson explained.
It's a stressful situation that lots of Arkansans have found themselves in.
A study in 2020 showed how the state has the fewest veterinarians in the country.
Despite being some of the highest paid, the study found there were just 14 vets per 100,000 people.
It's why dog daycare centers like Camp Bow Wow Benton/Bryant said they work extra hard to have eight reliable vets to call.
Owner Leah Lile explained how sometimes, it might be easier for a care center to get after-hours vet care than for someone on their own.
"Our first call is to the pet parent. And then if we decide that needs to be brought into the picture, we start with their vet," Lile said, "We're lucky to have 24/7 call service. And that's because of our local relationships. If one is closed, another one will pick up that dog that's local to us."
She said they have been starting to get busy booking holiday care for dozens of pups like Chewy.
"Right now, we probably would see around 30 dogs per night boarding. But we would see that rise for between now and Thanksgiving," Lile explained.
Pet owners like Carson hope for relief— and soon.
"Your fur babies are your babies, they are members of our family just like everyone else," Carson said.
Lile also shared hope for a possible Lyon College veterinary school to bring in more veterinarians, and said that "having that door you could walk in would mean the world to us."