Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
News
Mobile vet clinic rolling along Dr. Saiki provides TLC for precious pets By Jennifer Zhang Saiki Veterinary Urgent Care, one of the few mobile emergency veterinary clinics in the Santa Clara County, provides after-hour services as well as support and comfort for pet owners. According to Dr. Margaret Saiki, owner of the business and a veterinarian of 18 years, the mobile clinic is fully equipped and can perform most medical procedures—everything from X-ray to surgery. Established in October 2001, Saiki Veterinary has served as an addition to the traditional veterinary services. "Unlike traditional emergency services, patients don't come to me but instead, I go to them," says Saiki, who has focused on emergency medicine for 10 years. Saiki says she usually meets with a patient and its owner at a convenient location, where she treats the pet. She said, "It's usually in a public location, somewhere close to the patient's home so it's convenient for them." Providing personal attention and support is important to Saiki. "They know who I am so they feel very comfortable with me," says the veterinarian, who said she has formed lasting relationships with many of her clients. "It's about people care—many consider their pets a part of their family, so when the pet is sick, it can be a very traumatic experience." Paul Heberet's dog was bitten by another dog two months ago. It happened late in the evening while Heberet's regular veterinarian was unavailable; he contacted Dr. Saiki. "I thought I'd give her a try," Heberet says. "It turned out to be a wonderful experience. When we arrived, she had everything ready. She took care of us within an hour. ... You get personal services that you don't get anywhere else. I felt really comfortable because she explained what she was doing and answered my questions." Kevin Hannigan, owner of three cats, is another strong supporter of Saiki. "I really like the one-on-one service," he says. "There's no wait like in the other emergency facilities. I am very impressed with her service." Even though Dr. Saiki has the support of many loyal clients like Heberet and Hannigan, she believes her business is in its infancy. "I am only doing 25 to 30 percent of what I like to do," she says. "It's a new concept and getting the word out has been difficult. But it is growing and I have been receiving very positive feedback." In addition to Cupertino, Saiki Veterinary serves the cities of Campbell, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and Willow Glen in San Jose. Although Saiki Veterinary operates full time between the hours of 6 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays, she is ready to do more. For the past year, Saiki has prepared herself to respond to all kinds of situations, including large-scale disasters. Saiki said she was inspired by the Sept. 11 attacks, during which time she opened Saiki Veterinary. She began to ask questions about emergency plans for pets as she learned about the plight of rescue dogs and pets living in the vicinity. "The rescue dogs were overheated, dehydrated and some died," she says. "It's just not an acceptable thing. I want to be able to provide them services if something like that or any type of disasters happened here." For the last six months, Saiki has brought together representatives of county and local government emergency services, Humane Society, animal control, college veterinary technician students and the California Veterinary Association to discuss the health and welfare needs of pets. She was appointed as the Santa Clara County Emergency Animal Coordinator in January of this year. In this position, she volunteers her time to prepare for disasters by coordinating with other emergency rescue departments such as the Red Cross. Besides attending coordinator meetings and getting acquainted with other departments in the emergency response network, Saiki has organized her department into different teams such as the first response team, identification team and surgical team. "Everyone is very enthusiastic and more than willing to participate," she says. As for Cupertino's disaster-ready status, Saiki says, "It's always a work in progress. We'll never be as ready as we'd like to be. There's always room for improvement." Saiki graduated with a DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) from Colorado State University in 1983. She has been a member on the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners since 1993. For more information, contact Dr. Saiki at 408.399.5353 or visit www.veturgentcare.com. |
Feedback, or idea for a Story for the Sun?
(Close this Window to go back to our home page.)
Copyright © SVCN, LLC. Maintained by GoGuys, Inc.