VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A new urgent care for your pets is officially open in Virginia Beach.
Ally Urgent Veterinary Care opened up on Great Neck Road last Thursday. Its owners, Dr. Heather Brookshire and Dr. Ashley Powell, said they are passionate about offering additional services to ease the burden on general veterinary practices and emergency hospitals.
“As owners of our own veterinary practices, we know firsthand the demand and work pressures that members of our community face every day on the job,” said Brookshire, a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist and owner of Animal Vision Center of Virginia, in a news release.
By offering a referral option for patient care that is urgent, but not life-threatening, the practice is hoping to lighten the load of their colleagues.
“We have developed Ally Urgent Veterinary Care with both family and emergency veterinarians at the core of our mission,” added Powell, an owner of Animal Medical Center. “We understand how much time these caring individuals work, under trying and sometimes emotional circumstances. Everyone needs a break from time to time, and our practice is here to support them.”
Ally Urgent Veterinary Care will provide the following services:
- Non-life-threatening urgent care for pets that need to be seen quickly
- Fast and efficient treatment for minor illnesses and injuries
- Same-day online reservations, virtual check-in and walk-in appointments
- An option for urgent care when family veterinary practices are fully booked, problems happen after regular veterinary hours, and/or when emergency hospitals are at capacity
Brookshire and Powell's desire to open the new veterinary practice emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the release. As more people adopted pets, they said their colleagues struggled to keep up with the high caseloads and care.
“In this field, the hours are long and staff burnout is high. Even before the pandemic, veterinary providers dealt with overload and compassion fatigue,” said Powell. “There is a lot of stress associated with this industry. We don’t want to lose any more members.”
Brookshire and Powell are working to create a supportive work culture at the clinic, too. They plan to include employee mental health services while building strong relationships with local veterinarians and ER practices and mentoring young veterinarians entering the field, the release said.
During the initial phase of the clinic's launch, Ally Urgent Veterinary Care will be open Monday, Thursday and Friday from 5 until 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.
