Local pet owners are facing fewer, more distant options for after-hours emergencies following the indefinite closure of the VCA Care Specialty & Emergency Animal Hospital in Santa Barbara.

The 24/7 facility at 301 E. Haley St. temporarily shut its doors on June 2. Those calling the hospital are greeted with a voicemail that cites “unexpected but essential construction” and says the clinic will remain closed “until further notice.”

The message directs patients to VCA Noah’s Ark in Goleta, where certain departments, such as internal medicine and cardiology, are still operating.

After publication, a VCA spokesperson said the hospital’s emergency department is undergoing construction and is expected to reopen in early 2026.

Sarah Aguilar, director of Santa Barbara County Animal Services, said the closure followed earlier damage.

“As far as I know, they had a water main break, which then generated an opportunity for them to do some renovations,” she said.

Losing the VCA Care location has added strain to Santa Barbara’s emergency veterinary system.

“Anytime a clinic is closed, it puts additional strain on the other surrounding clinics,” Aguilar said.

She said the facility stood apart from other local clinics because it was designed specifically for emergency care.

“A lot of what emergency hospitals do is pain management and stabilization, until the pet could get to a regular vet the next day or there is a more definitive plan or diagnosis moving forward,” Aguilar said.

Other nearby clinics, such as VCA Noah’s Ark, offer more routine care.

“If you think about humans, Noah’s Ark is like your primary doctor that you would schedule an appointment with and you would go to for wellness,” she said.

VCA Care, she said, functioned more like an emergency room. It was open 24/7, and while it occasionally handled scheduled procedures, it was more focused on urgent cases.

Impact on Countywide Care

The closure has temporarily changed how the county’s Animal Services handles emergency calls for stray animals — a core part of its mission.

“We are a countywide agency, and we are responsible for providing care for stray pets,” Aguilar said. “What happens a lot is a dog running loose gets hit by a car, it needs to go to an ER vet, and there isn’t an owner.

“The two facilities that we contract with are PETS ER Hospital up in Orcutt and then VCA Care Clinic down here.”

With the closure, Aguilar said, her officers must now transport those animals farther north in the county.

“If we get calls in the middle of the night, we are primarily sending the officers up to Santa Maria/Orcutt to PETS,” she said.

Dr. Addie Crawford, owner of Urgent Vet Care Santa Barbara on De la Vina Street in Santa Barbara, said her clinic is helping fill some of the demand during daytime hours.

“We are open seven days a week, from 12 to 8, which offers a little bit of extra room in the evening,” Crawford said. “We are fully available to help see any urgent and emergent cases to kind of take that workload off of them.”

The cities of Santa Barbara and Carpinteria have their own animal control officers and separate contracts with Advanced Veterinary Specialists, another 24-hour hospital. It’s located on Carrillo Street in Santa Barbara.

Marly Cronin, hospital director at AVS, said they have experienced higher demand for veterinary services in recent months.

“We have seen an increase in patient volume, which has resulted in longer-than-usual wait times,” she said. “Our team is working diligently to meet the needs of all our patients.”

For pet owners facing emergencies after hours, Aguilar said it is often faster to drive directly to a 24-hour facility, if possible.

“If you can’t get ahold of AVS or AVS is full and can’t take them, it would be faster for an owner to drive to Orcutt and go to PETS or to go to [Ventura’s] VMSG,” she said.

County Animal Services has an officer on call until midnight, and Aguilar said anyone needing assistance can contact the county’s non-emergency sheriff dispatch line at 805.683.2724 to be connected.

Aguilar urged caution when handling animals in distress. 

“If your pet is in pain, they only have two ways to communicate. One is their voice, and the other is their teeth,” she said. “They may be the friendliest animal in the world, but people get bitten trying to help.”

Aguilar also recommended that pet owners keep a first-aid kit and the number for animal poison control on hand in case of emergencies.

Crawford echoed the importance of preparation.

“Establishing themselves with a primary care veterinarian when they don’t have an emergency is probably the most important thing,” Crawford said.

The challenges in Santa Barbara County reflect a broader national trend, and even before the VCA Care closure, the county’s pet care system was often stretched to its limit.

“It’s very critical in general just with a lot of the big corporations buying out animal hospitals across the country,” Crawford said. “There’s a limit on veterinarians and staffing. It’s kind of a mess right now in general.”

Despite the current struggles, Aguilar considers the county’s situation relatively fortunate.

“Santa Barbara County is lucky that we have two open emergency pet hospitals. … Many [counties] only have one or even none,” she said, “but it’s not enough.”