Great Slave Animal Hospital announced on Thursday it is closing indefinitely – then rescinded the announcement, without further clarification.
The apparent closure appeared in a post to Facebook and as a press release on Thursday morning but, within an hour, the post had been deleted and the clinic said a further update would follow.
Staff at the clinic were not available to comment. The clinic’s owner, the estate of late veterinarian Dr Tom Pisz, could not be reached by phone.
Dr Katie Denroche, a vet at the clinic, is remaining in Yellowknife and patients have the option to transfer their pets medical records to her office, the earlier announcement stated.
“More information about the future of her practice will be available soon,” said the animal hospital in a press release, saying clients should email the clinic to request the transfer of records to Dr Denroche or to another vet clinic, or to have records emailed to them directly.
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The animal hospital cited circumstances beyond its control as the reason for shutting down, saying it is “no longer able to give our patients the care they need and deserve in the current location.”
Initially, the clinic said, it hoped to stay open until March 31 – but it may close earlier.
“We are working with our patients to ensure continuity of care as much as we are able,” GSAH said. “For those of you with patients who have ongoing and urgent treatment needs we will contact you directly to set up a plan.”
The animal hospital said it would contact people who have appointments or surgeries booked.
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Clients with pets who have long-term medication or prescription food needs are encouraged to reach out to the hospital to stock up.
The clinic said the closure is not goodbye, but rather a “see you later.”
“Dr Katie and her team are not going anywhere. We look forward to being able to welcome you to a new location in the near future and will do all we can to ensure that we are able to care for your pets in the meantime,” the statement added.
Within an hour of the announcement on Thursday, GSAH followed up with media organizations asking them to hold the announcement, and deleted a post similar to the news release from Facebook.
What was happening was unclear. Nor was it clear if the information in the earlier announcement stands.
More follows.
