09/03/2026
To my clients and community,
I want to share an important change regarding after-hours veterinary care at Ellensburg Animal Hospital.
After 16 years of providing emergency and after-hours veterinary care, I have made the difficult decision to step away from the local on-call rotation and from routine overnight and weekend emergency coverage at Ellensburg Animal Hospital.
This was not an easy decision for me.
For some time, I have been the only veterinarian at our hospital available to participate in after-hours call while also maintaining a full schedule of appointments, surgeries, urgent cases, and daytime emergencies. Many of my workdays already extend well beyond normal business hours.
For those who have never had to live around an on-call schedule, it can be difficult to explain what that actually looks like. Being on call means never really knowing when the workday will end. It means leaving dinner, getting out of bed in the middle of the night, changing family plans, missing events, and sometimes caring for an emergency in the early morning hours only to return a few hours later for a full day of appointments and surgeries. For 16 years, that has simply been part of being a veterinarian for me.
But I am also a mom of four, and my children are growing up.
Over the years, veterinary medicine has required me to miss dinners, evenings, weekends, and moments with my family that I cannot get back. I have always understood that emergencies are part of this profession, and I have been incredibly proud to be there for my patients when they needed me. But I have reached a point where continuing to be available around the clock is no longer sustainable.
There are still school events, games, evenings at home, ordinary family dinners, and years with my children that I do not want to watch pass by while I am somewhere else.
After 16 years in veterinary practice, I need to be able to finish a workday and, at least most of the time, know that I am going home to my family. I also need to make sure I can continue doing the job I love—and doing it well—for many years to come.
This decision does not reflect a decreased commitment to my patients or to this community. Quite the opposite. I care deeply about the animals and people I serve. Making veterinary medicine sustainable for me is what will allow me to continue serving this community with the energy, judgment, compassion, and dedication my patients deserve.
Ellensburg Animal Hospital will continue to provide comprehensive veterinary care during regular business hours, including same-day urgent appointments. We are also exploring ways to expand urgent-care availability within our daytime and early-evening schedule so that we can continue to meet as many of our patients’ needs as possible.
For concerns that arise after hours, we continue to recommend VetTriage, which connects pet owners directly with licensed veterinarians who can assess the situation, provide guidance, and help determine whether immediate emergency care is necessary. I have been very impressed with the service they provide, and in many cases the cost is considerably less than an emergency hospital visit.
I understand that changes in veterinary emergency care can be frustrating and, when you are worried about an animal you love, sometimes frightening. I also believe I owe this community honesty about what I, my team, and our hospital can realistically and responsibly provide.
I am incredibly grateful for the trust you have placed in me and in Ellensburg Animal Hospital over the years. I have spent 16 years answering those calls because I care deeply about this community and the animals in it. Caring for your animals—and often getting to know your families along the way—has been one of the great privileges of my career.
I’m not going anywhere. I’m simply making a change that will allow me to continue showing up for my patients, my community, and my family for the years ahead.
Thank you for your understanding, your kindness, and your continued trust.
Samantha Taylor, DVM
