—Special to The Oregonian by Eric Apalategui
A week after Tanasbourne Veterinary-Emergency opened, New Year’s Eve passed quietly at the only emergency pet clinic in the Hillsboro and Beaverton area that’s open all night, every weekend and major holidays.
Dr. Shawn Thomas, the clinic’s owner and only staff veterinarian, designed and with the help of friends and family built out the clinic, which he filled with state-of-the-art diagnostic and surgical equipment. All of it sat idle on this particular night, as he sipped a chai latte from Insomnia Coffee Co. next door in a small shopping center just off Northeast Cornell Road and waited for a dog or cat that needed quick care.
“You know there’s emergencies this weekend,” Thomas said.
But most local pet owners haven’t yet heard about his new clinic, so they drive to the Emergency Veterinary Clinic of Tualatin or DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Northwest Portland.
Several nights since New Year’s Eve have been busier, Thomas said. The lack of patients bothers him not so much from a business standpoint as because it means some pet owners might not get their animals to clinics quickly.
“It just pulls on your heartstrings,” he said. “It’s needed out here.” Read more…
