Why are Vet Clinics so Busy?

For a variety of reasons, Covid-19 has caused a massive influx of patients into veterinary practices across the nation.  Paired with the national shortage of veterinarians and veterinary technicians and an overall worker shortage, this has caused longer wait times for both appointments and elective surgeries such as spays, neuters and declaws. It has also caused heavy phone call volume, please be patient if you are asked to hold and know that we will get to your phone call as quickly as possible. Like all of our veterinary colleagues, we are attempting to see and treat as many patients as possible each day. That being said, unfortunately there is a limit on how many patients our veterinarians can adequately and competently see each day. Planning well in advance for wellness, vaccine appointments and routine elective surgeries is highly encouraged and recommended.

Depending on the individual clinic we are currently booking 3-6 weeks out for routine annual wellness appointments. For routine surgeries such as spays and neuters and for routine dental cleanings our schedule is booked for the next 4-12 weeks, again depending on the clinic.

We have five Veterinary Clinics in Central Minnesota, serving the communities of Watkins, Kimball, Maple Lake, Litchfield and Hutchinson, MN.  Our hours are Monday-Friday from 8:00am-5:00pm at all clinics. Please visit the About Us and Our Locations pages for more information on each clinic.

Like most practices we do expect payment at the time of service. We accept cash, checks, all major credit cards and care credit. Haven’t heard of Care Credit? It’s a great, affordable and easy way to finance your pet’s veterinary care. Check it out and apply online at http://www.carecredit.com/apply/ today!

At Watkins, Kimball, Maple Lake, Litchfield and Lifelong Veterinary Clinics we treat your animals like the valued family members they are.