Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
As summer demand surges Monroe County's only 24/7 emergency veterinary clinic is sometimes forced to turn away pet owners as it works to expand its staff.
Christine Means, a veterinary technician and practice manager at Rochester Emergency Veterinary Services (REVS), said the clinic stops accepting animals when staffing levels make it unsafe to take on additional cases.
“When we reach what is that tipping point for us, we then stop bringing in animals and then divert them to, unfortunately, it usually ends up being clinics outside of the greater Rochester area if they need 24-hour care, which can cause hardship for people,” Means said.
Capacity can change quickly depending on the staff-to-patient ratio and the severity of cases coming through the door. In July alone, REVS cared for more than 1,300 patients, while client service representatives handled 8,380 incoming calls.
“If we have a lot of pets that come in that need outpatient care, you know, we can keep up with that really well a lot of times," Means said. "But if there’s a really critically ill or injured patient that requires maybe one-on-one technician to pet, that would severely limit us. So there’s a lot of factors that are taken into consideration when we reach capacity."
Means told 13WHAM the facility has between 30 and 40 cages, but current staffing levels do not allow all of them to be filled. To increase capacity, REVS is looking to add two more veterinarians, additional support staff and four to eight more technicians.
"We're very happy to train new technicians," Means said. "So, you know, because with this comes a certain skill level that's required, they need to be proficient in surgical nursing and anesthesia as well as phlebotomy, and they need to be able to recognize, you know, when a patient's declining and appropriate triage and things like that."
REVS has continued to grow since opening in 2024. Means said the clinic recently hired about four additional veterinarians, which should allow it to accept more patients.
READ MORE: 13wham.com/news/local/rochester-areas-only-247-emergency-vet-faces-summer-surge-expands-hiring-to-keep-up
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As summer demand surges Monroe County's only 24/7 emergency veterinary clinic is sometimes forced to turn away pet owners as it works to expand its staff.
Christine Means, a veterinary technician and practice manager at Rochester Emergency Veterinary Services (REVS), said the clinic stops accepting animals when staffing levels make it unsafe to take on additional cases.
“When we reach what is that tipping point for us, we then stop bringing in animals and then divert them to, unfortunately, it usually ends up being clinics outside of the greater Rochester area if they need 24-hour care, which can cause hardship for people,” Means said.
Capacity can change quickly depending on the staff-to-patient ratio and the severity of cases coming through the door. In July alone, REVS cared for more than 1,300 patients, while client service representatives handled 8,380 incoming calls.
“If we have a lot of pets that come in that need outpatient care, you know, we can keep up with that really well a lot of times," Means said. "But if there’s a really critically ill or injured patient that requires maybe one-on-one technician to pet, that would severely limit us. So there’s a lot of factors that are taken into consideration when we reach capacity."
Means told 13WHAM the facility has between 30 and 40 cages, but current staffing levels do not allow all of them to be filled. To increase capacity, REVS is looking to add two more veterinarians, additional support staff and four to eight more technicians.
"We're very happy to train new technicians," Means said. "So, you know, because with this comes a certain skill level that's required, they need to be proficient in surgical nursing and anesthesia as well as phlebotomy, and they need to be able to recognize, you know, when a patient's declining and appropriate triage and things like that."
REVS has continued to grow since opening in 2024. Means said the clinic recently hired about four additional veterinarians, which should allow it to accept more patients.
READ MORE: 13wham.com/news/local/rochester-areas-only-247-emergency-vet-faces-summer-surge-expands-hiring-to-keep-up
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13 WHAM on Facebook: facebook.com/13WHAM
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13 WHAM Daily Local News Digest: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuTJB6tta5ar3Fu5CumAvlvVunEP6bc9A
For more information, visit 13wham.com
Have a news tip? Send it directly to us:
Email us: news@13wham.com
Call the Newsroom: (585) 334-8700
WHAM is a NY based station and a ABC Television affiliate owned and operated by Deerfield Media, Inc and receives certain services from an affiliation of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today.
#13WHAM #News #Rochester #NewYork
