Family Pet Urgent Care opens in Ponderay

PONDERAY — Last month marked a big milestone for furry residents of Bonner County and their people.

On March 11, Dr. Michelle Ward fulfilled a long-time dream of opening an urgent care center for pets in Bonner County, where she grew up.

The goal has been on her mind since graduating from veterinary school in 2008. At the time, pet urgent care centers weren’t common, and Sandpoint wasn’t a large enough community to create a demand for her vision, she said. 

In the meantime, she worked with animals in various capacities, including a mobile clinic she ran out of the Newport/Priest River area. Through that business she was able to serve areas like Clark Fork and Hope, she said. 

Then, after working in emergency medicine for a couple of years in Olympia at an ER/specialty practice, she moved back to the Inland Northwest to work at an urgent care/ER in Spokane.

“I love this type of veterinary medicine as it combines challenging cases with problem solving,” she said. “In short, I think I found my niche with urgent care/ER.” 

Since then, the community has grown exponentially, while access to veterinary care continues to decline, Ward said. 

“Since COVID, there’s been a worldwide shortage of veterinarians and veterinary care,” she said. “Animal ownership spiked during COVID, so it became kind of an epidemic that there wasn’t enough veterinary care world-wide.”

Urgent cares for pets have also become more common, helping to combat some of the burnout many veterinarians experience, she said. 

“Urgent cares have come into play — just like in the human world — as an extra layer of veterinary medicine rather than just your general practitioner doing everything and being expected to be open seven days a week at all hours.”

In April 2023 the vision started working its way into a reality after Ward purchased a building where her future business would be opened. 

Now she offers emergency physical exams, anesthesia, a critical care unit, hospitalization, laboratory, pharmacy, radiology and ultrasound, and surgical services to pets in the area at Family Pet Urgent Care in Ponderay. Wellness exams, grooming, vaccines, spays, neuters, dentals or other preventative care are not provided. 

The clinic, 100 Tibbetts Drive, will be open Friday to Monday from noon to 10 p.m.

“I am especially excited about solving problems for pets and their families that will ultimately provide a better quality of life,” she said. “In a nutshell, through Family Pet Urgent Care, I can not only extend my lifelong dream but can also extend the precious time enjoyed by pets and their owners.”

Information: familypeturgentcare.com