Upper Peninsula Veterinary Service & ThunderPaws Boarding

Upper Peninsula Veterinary Service & ThunderPaws Boarding Upper Peninsula Veterinary Service is a mixed animal veterinary service, providing routine and emergency care with ThunderPaws boarding service on site

Here's your 7 day pile of kitten cuteness!!
08/28/2025

Here's your 7 day pile of kitten cuteness!!

08/16/2025

Tommy got out on Monday 8/11 on 7th street in Manistique. He's a skittish fella so please do not approach. If you have any information, please reach out to Rob at 906-202-4186.

Having more vets doesn't mean more service. An emergency that I saw today made the comment that the UP needs more vets; ...
07/26/2025

Having more vets doesn't mean more service.

An emergency that I saw today made the comment that the UP needs more vets; they'd driven an hour to get to me. They'd reached out to several clinics in their travels across the UP, but no calls were returned.

I was tactful but blunt; having more vets doesn't mean more service.
No matter how you cut it, there are only so many hours in the day. We are all balancing them the best we know how. For after-hours emergencies, some clinics share call, others refer all to 24-hour care facilities, while others have had to set ground rules for eligibility because they just can't be the backup plan for everybody.

Because TIME--you can't magically make more of it. It doesn't matter if it is Tuesday or Wednesday, there's no shortcut, a dog spay has a dedicated amount of time needed in the day's schedule. A sick dog work- up with labs & rads needs no less than an hour of time committed to find out why. And nobody should ever feel rushed when they are saying their final good byes.
All of these things (& everything else) take time!

So please, especially if you're requesting after-hours service from your vet here in the UP, remember, there are no emergency clinics locally where we can just dump cases to & turn off our phones. Time in the evenings or weekends has to come from somewhere. It comes from our families, friends, selves...
So, if you feel justified to make a comment that vets are greedy & money hungry with what you think is an unreasonable estimate to be seen as an after-hours emergency, just don't--because you aren't!
Our time is incredibly valuable to us, too...

The numbers just keep going up...Last week, 57% of the dogs screened at Upper Peninsula Veterinary Service were Lyme pos...
07/21/2025

The numbers just keep going up...
Last week, 57% of the dogs screened at Upper Peninsula Veterinary Service were Lyme positive.

100% of them have confirmed active infections, not just prior life exposure.

0% of them were on year-round tick protection.

Please don't let your furred friend be another of our statistics!

UPVS is not an emergency clinic. Although, we do provide emergency care. However, to be eligible for after-hours service...
07/21/2025

UPVS is not an emergency clinic.
Although, we do provide emergency care.

However, to be eligible for after-hours service, you must either be: an out of area tourist or an already active client.

This means the animal in question must have had a WELLNESS exam within the last 12mo or be part of a herd/flock with a current Veterinary Client Patient Relationship. Furthermore, your account must be in good financial standing.

If you ARE an Upper Peninsula resident who does NOT have an established primary care provider, when you call around, if someone is able to see you, please be prepared you WILL be paying a different rate than if you were a client. There is also a high possibility that you MAY be referred out of area (Traverse City/Green Bay/Appleton) to an emergency care facility.

If you ARE an Upper Peninsula resident and ARE established as a client of a local clinic elsewhere--before you need it--please discuss with your primary care provider their arrangements they have in place for emergency/urgent/after-hours service. ☆The after-hours message on the UPVS line advises you to follow the recommendations your primary care provider has in place for such situations. This might entail going to another clinic they share call with, being referred to a 24-hour care facility, etc.☆

If you have reservations about the plan in place your current provider has for emergency/urgent/after-hours care or are without a primary provider, you're welcome to become established with the Upper Peninsula Veterinary Service under routine wellness circumstances.

If you see a negative Google review...It is because someone called the emg number... They listened to the message & alth...
07/18/2025

If you see a negative Google review...
It is because someone called the emg number... They listened to the message & although didn't have an emg, still left a voicemail with a question asking me to get back with him. By doing so, instead of hanging up and calling back during business hours, he consented to an emg consultation fee. (All of this is very clear on my message & repeated TWICE!)
He's not happy I charged him for my time--he's going to tell everyone how greedy I am...

But really is it so unfair-- when these calls come, I'm re-prioritizing a client's needs over everything else, even during my out of office time...

Today was a testament that YOU know YOUR pet better than anyone else...That gut feeling something isn't right, telling y...
07/14/2025

Today was a testament that YOU know YOUR pet better than anyone else...
That gut feeling something isn't right, telling you pay attention...

This weekend was filled with many To-Dos, one included the annual Bathing of the Beasts. I took the Reds first, easy, fine coats-- quick baths. Then D because he stays close at the office & I had a couple projects to do while I was there.
When I went to lift him in the tub, he cried--unusual--Nothing phases him. We carried on but I couldn't let it go-- even though he was still eating/happy. I started thinking about some behaviors that had changed in the last 10d...

Well today after squeezing/pushing on his belly & some diagnostics to confirm--It was decided he for sure needed surgery...
2h later & 3.5 # lighter, he had a splenectomy for a mass that was what should have been a spleen.

Take home message: If something is nagging you that it doesn't feel right, don't ignore it...

"OUT OF THE OFFICE":This message does NOT mean we're enjoying a far away vacation and you should call around to other of...
02/17/2025

"OUT OF THE OFFICE":
This message does NOT mean we're enjoying a far away vacation and you should call around to other offices.

It means we:
- also have medical appointments
- need to attend a sporting event
- have to meet with our accountant
- are helping shear sheep
- have to go get feed for the farm
- are committing the day to ourselves for family togetherness time
- etc, etc, etc

However, in the event of an emergency we do our best to accommodate & prioritize that need in the midst of life.
So... if you call and get the voicemail that says 'we're out of the office', & you don't have an urgent situation please practice understanding and patience. Leave us a message and we will give you a call on the next business day we're back in the office.

Just letting you know if you still owe someone a Valentine's present--oops!... you can just tell them their Girl Scout c...
02/15/2025

Just letting you know if you still owe someone a Valentine's present--oops!... you can just tell them their Girl Scout cookies are on order!!!
Stop in or drop us a note below to get your order placed!
💜~Maple

Address

11138W Tanquay Rd
Cooks, MI
49817

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