BRIGHTON, N.Y. – Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Services, once the area’s only 24-hour emergency animal hospital, closed on Monday.

The clinic on White Spruce Boulevard in Brighton closed on Monday because of a nationwide shortage in veterinary staff. It reduced its hours back in 2022 for the same reason. The clinic said it explored options to stay open, including recruitment and using a rotation of doctors from other clinics, but there weren’t enough experienced candidates.

If your pet gets sick late at night, the closest 24-hour options within 100 miles of Rochester are:

• Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center in Buffalo
• Veterinary Medical Center of Central New York in Syracuse
• Cornell University Hospital for Animals in Ithaca

Pittsford Animal Hospital and Stoney Pointe Pet Hospital is offering urgent care by appointment only. Stoney Pointe has been preparing for an increase of clients since VSES decided to limit their hours, and now officially closed.

“So we’ve seen quite a few increases since we’ve opened [people] coming that weren’t able to get into the emergency clinic. But we see more and more coming throughout the next couple of days. We are having more staff available. We are opening up more appointments as much as we can to get as many patients through that we can help,” Hospital Manager at Stoney Pointe Pet Hospital Taylor Mendick said.

You can visit their website here.