Broome Residents Petitioning for After-Hours Emergency Pet Care

More than a thousand people have signed an online petition expressing concern about the lack of emergency veterinary services in the Binghamton area.

For nearly two years, Broome County dog and cat owners who needed after-hours treatment for their pets often have had to travel to Ithaca to get help.

Vestal Veterinary Hospital, which was the last local facility to offer late-night or weekend emergency care, ended the service in November 2021.

Vestal Veterinary Hospital had provided late-night and weekend services until November 2021. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Barbara Pegura of Chenango Bridge recently sought help for her 15-year-old cat who became ill during the evening. The office of her pet's vet was about to close, so she was advised to transport her cat to Cornell Veterinary Hospital in Ithaca. He died before arriving there.

Pegura said emergency after-hours services in Broome County were expensive when they were available but pet owners were willing to pay for them.

When the Vestal Veterinary Hospital announced the end of late-night and weekend, it cited staffing shortages. A spokesperson for the office told WNBF News that the situation remains unchanged with the office always working to hire more qualified people.

A petition posted at change.org is directed at veterinarians of Broome, Tioga and Chenango counties. It seeks to make them aware "of the sadness, angst and feelings of helplessness when a pet owner is faced with the need" of after-hours care when it's not available.

The petition calls on area veterinarians to reestablish a rotating pool to provide after-hours emergency care.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

RANKED: Here Are the 63 Smartest Dog Breeds

Does your loyal pup's breed make the list? Read on to see if you'll be bragging to the neighbors about your dog's intellectual prowess the next time you take your fur baby out for a walk. Don't worry: Even if your dog's breed doesn't land on the list, that doesn't mean he's not a good boy--some traits simply can't be measured.

LOOK: The most popular dog names of 2022 in every state

Hey dog lovers, check out this awesome list of the most popular dog names in 2022 for every state, and get ready for some serious cuteness overload.

LOOK: Longest-living dog breeds

To find out the longest-living dog breeds, Stacker examined data from the journal Genetics and American Kennel Club's 2023 breed popularity rankings.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

Source: Broome Residents Petitioning for After-Hours Emergency Pet Care