Pet owners in Issaquah no longer have a 24-hour emergency service provider. Alpine Animal Hospital announced in May it would close its 24-hour emergency services.

For longer than a decade, Alpine offered 24-hour emergency services to pet owners in Issaquah and beyond. Kristen Ashton, hospital practice manager said, “operationally” it was the right call to make.

“We feel like the emergency center was not the best thing to have at the time,” she said. “We will make adjustments to our services that will meet the needs of the local and regional pet population. This may include reinstating the emergency department in the future.”

In a May Facebook post, Alpine said it loved being there for their community “24/7/365 for decades.”

“We hope this change will be of service for our patients and the community. Thank you all for your support and your understanding during this transition,” the post read.

Alpine long has been the only animal hospital in Issaquah to offer 24-hour emergency care services, Ashton said. Alpine’s 24-hour emergency care was the only and the closest animal hospital for many.

Steven Bell, owner of Dogster Pet and House Sitting Services in North Bend said he recently learned about Alpine’s discontinued service.

“Alpine was the closest emergency vet for pet owners here in the Snoqualmie Valley,” Bell said. “This could be a devastating blow to those of us who have pets who require emergency care.”

Bell said he had used Alpine’s emergency services for at least 12 years. Alpine was his regular emergency vet.

For Carolyn Hughes, she was shocked to hear that Alpine had discontinued its 24-hour services.

“I called the emergency vet in Redmond,” she said. “It took 45 minutes to get there. Fortunately, our Simon was OK. If it had been a real emergency situation, [Simon] would have probably died in the 45-minute drive.”

Ashton said it was a surprise to a lot of people.

“When you’ve been offering a service for as long as [Alpine], people recognize that whether they used it or not,” Ashton said.

To better accommodate the community, Ashton said Alpine’s general practice services now operate seven days a week. The animal hospital is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.

“We are doing what we can. I can assure you we are doing the best we can,” she said. “ We are continuing to evaluate the needs of our community.”