09/01/2026
A little perspective from the other side of the exam room, in response to comments we (and every other clinic) have gotten in response to not being able to see your pet.
When we tell you we cannot see your pet today, it is not because we don't care. It isn't because we only want to see healthy pets. It isn't because we don't want to help. Sometimes, we are simply full.
One doctor can only safely care for so many patients in a day. Our team can only work so many hours. There are hospitalized patients, emergencies, surgeries, appointments scheduled weeks in advance, and a hundred things happening behind the scenes that you don't see.
And believe me, we still try. We squeeze people in. We stay late. We skip lunch. We move things around. We do everything we can. Saying “no” is hard for us, too. Ask the staff - I'm the first one to try and squeeze in "just one more." But sometimes, there simply isn't another appointment to give.
So please don't mistake our inability to see another patient for a lack of compassion. If that were the case, we probably wouldn't have a full schedule to begin with. It is because we have reached the limit of what we can safely and responsibly do that day.
Veterinary medicine is incredibly rewarding, but it is also exhausting and emotionally demanding. There are real people on the other side of that phone who are already giving everything they have that day. Real people who care, probably more than you realize.
Be frustrated with the situation if you need to be - but please don't take it out on the people trying their hardest to care for your pets.
~ Dr. Stacia
Picture of our clinic cat, Tilly 💕
