04/16/2026
Encouraging you to read and share this post to learn more about the challenges of veterinary emergency medicine and what it takes to run an ER hospital. We worked hard to build this service, we are so fortunate to have it and we are very grateful at the outpouring of support for them!
Hello all, we have been getting a fair amount of negative feedback from potential clients regarding our operating hours and wait times - we'd like to provide some context regarding our availability for emergency care. This post is not meant to shame anyone. We felt that it was time to provide a glimpse into what an average day at PPE looks like so that clients may have a little more understanding when we say that we are unable to see their pet during the day.
So - why aren't we open all of the time?
Peninsula Pet Emergency is owned and operated by Dr. Mason. She is the sole doctor providing care and is also the sole manager of the operation. Each day we are open, Dr. Mason and her husband/veterinary assistant Nick arrive at the hospital before 6pm. They are there all night to help as many pets as they can with a small team:
-one receptionist (Cindy) who is there from 6pm-12am
-one licensed veterinary technician (Gwen or Austin) who are there from either 6pm-6am or 6pm-12am
-one to two veterinary assistants (Jason and sometimes Tenille or Justine) who are there from 6pm-12am
This means that Dr. Mason and Nick are often there with only one other person (or sometimes they are alone) to run a hospital after midnight until we close at 8am (and they are usually there until at least 9 or 10am each morning finishing tasks, cleaning, and sometimes seeing patients that arrive with critical needs just before close). During the 14 hours we are open to the public, we commonly can see between 5-12+ patients per night. We can have anywhere between 0-4+ sedated/anesthetized procedures, 0-3+ hospitalized patients, and we often are performing complete diagnostic workups on at least 2-6+ patients per night. We see patients in order of severity of presenting complaint, and we commonly see many very ill or injured patients who are waiting to be seen before we even open. This may mean we may not be able to get to your pet until after midnight or later if they have a stable, non life-threatening issue.
This past weekend, we saw 20 patients: two requiring major abdominal surgeries, four patients receiving hospitalization, multiple critical patients, multiple euthanasias, and one case requiring immediate CPR upon arrival. On Saturday day Dr. Mason and Nick stayed at the hospital with two hospitalized patients. She took short naps on the floor next to the two dogs' kennels so that she could be right next to them in case anything was needed while she and Nick took turns providing treatments and monitoring throughout the day. They both then worked another entire 15 hour shift Saturday night. This means that Dr. Mason and Nick's work day started at 5pm on Friday and they did not get to leave the hospital or have a continuous rest until 9am on Sunday morning. This is of course not ideal, and not a normal weekend - but during the summer months it can commonly become an average weekend as business picks up.
So the simple answer is: we are open as much as we can possibly provide, and often then some.
We understand how scary and frustrating it can be to have a pet that needs emergency care, especially in this area. We are open during the times that it is often most difficult to obtain care in this location - overnights on the weekends (for 14 hours a night). We also have held special hours for holidays and bridge closures (which sometimes meant Dr. Mason and Nick worked 7 days straight). We also understand the frustrations with Animal Emergency & Specialty Clinic's reduced intake hours and extended wait times - they are also providing the most care they possibly can with the staff that they have. There is and has been a national veterinary staff shortage for years. In rural areas this is felt the strongest. We would love to expand our operating hours if we find the right doctor to join the practice and staff to support them - which is an incredibly difficult task. We are focused on making sure we are the best possible at what we already do, and will focus on expansion when it is reasonable to support it with the staff, resources, and finances required.
We are forever grateful to the community for the overwhelming support we receive on a regular basis. Maybe spread the word to your friends: everyone at Peninsula Pet Emergency cares so much, and we are trying so hard to provide the best possible care to this community.
