BY Katelyn Rust
Pet owners work hard to keep their four-legged companions happy and healthy. When injuries or illnesses arise—whether it’s a minor wound or an upset stomach—it’s often a stressful situation. The challenge? Knowing where to turn. General practice (GP) veterinarians may not handle after-hour needs, and ERs often mean long, frustrating waits. Enter the veterinary urgent care model. In this guide, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about this growing resource in Wake County!
What is Veterinary Urgent Care, and How Does it Differ from Other Veterinary Services?
These walk-in clinics offer timely, expert treatment for non-life-threatening pet needs. They bridge the gap between GP veterinarians and emergency animal hospitals, supporting the overall veterinary industry by focusing exclusively on urgent care situations—which means they don’t handle vaccinations, dentistry, spaying, neutering, long-term wellness plans or overnight stays. Much like human urgent cares, veterinary urgent care clinics are open most days of the year and focus on delivering prompt medical attention when it matters most.
What Services Are Offered by a Veterinary Urgent Care?
Veterinary urgent care clinics handle most non-life-threatening issues, from bites (whether from an unfriendly animal, snake or bug) to urinary, gastrointestinal and respiratory problems. An allergic reaction? A sudden limp? Ingested something they shouldn’t have? Check, check and check! Just remember, if you think your pet’s urgent-care condition will require overnight care, it’s time to head to the ER instead. Some veterinary urgent cares even offer end-of-life services, providing compassionate support to pet owners.
What Can I Expect at My Veterinary Urgent Care Visit?
The moment you decide your pet needs urgent care, you can join a waitlist online or head straight over—no appointment needed. Upon arrival, you’ll breeze from check-in to admission. A dedicated care team will review your pet’s history, take vitals and perform a physical exam using top-tier diagnostic tools like X-rays, ultrasounds and labs. Your pet will get expert treatment (and treats!), and you’ll leave with peace of mind. If further care is needed, the team will provide a trusted referral to ensure a smooth path to recovery.
What Should I Budget for My Vet Urgent Care Visit?
UrgentVet, the first true urgent care model in veterinary medicine, launched in 2015 and offers three dedicated locations in Wake County. They list their pricing as 40% less than emergency vets. Truss Vet, another pioneer of the model, lists an office visit average of $125—twice the cost of primary care but half that of a pet ER—due to same-day and after-hours convenience. Veterinary urgent cares prioritize transparency, providing upfront estimates and flexible payment options for most services.
Wake County Spotlight: Truss Vet
From calming pheromone diffusers to a restaurant-like queue system for waitlist management, Truss Vet leaves no detail overlooked—advocating for pets, empowering owners and supporting the local veterinary community. With operating hours of 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Sunday through Friday and locations in Cary and Durham, the veterinary urgent care balances community coverage with essential team rest.
Truss Vet has also invested heavily in point-of-care diagnostic technology, from on-site radiographs and ultrasounds to in-house lab work that delivers fast results and adds value for pet owners.
“Like a truss bridge, our name comes from the idea that we’re bridging a gap in care and supporting the community,” Truss Vet cofounder and chief medical officer Brad Waffa says. “We like that a truss is also a triangle, a hat tip to where we got our start. For me and my cofounder, CJ, Truss Vet is intensely personal. We’ve always believed that business can and should be a force for good.”
With an extensive background in Wake County veterinary care, Waffa recognized the growing mental health crisis and veterinary shortage long before the pandemic. He found himself and his colleagues overbooked and overworked, often forced to condemn clients to ERs with long waits and steep bills. When the pandemic hit and adoption rates surged to nearly 23 million cats and dogs across the U.S., he knew it was time for change.
“We felt that by building something completely from scratch, we had the unique opportunity to … reimagine the way a veterinary clinic could run,” Waffa adds. “As a member and steward of the veterinary profession, I’ve seen Truss Vet as my opportunity to help expand the industry in an important new direction and leave a positive, lasting legacy for my colleagues and community.”
