Emergency veterinary hospitals: what 25 US vet chains list
This page is a data study for teams that plan or verify emergency veterinary hospital coverage. It does not list hospitals or opening hours; if your pet needs care now, call your own vet's after-hours line or the nearest emergency hospital directly. The 27 corporate chains in our veterinary chain profiles and locations research list 7,894 locations. Leaving out the two chains whose clinics sit inside host stores (Tractor Supply PetVet Clinics and VIP Petcare / PetIQ), 25 chains list 5,069. Of those, 122 carry an emergency name (emergency, 24-hour, 24/7, critical care or ER) and 4,842 state no format in their name at all (Vettica chain-location crawl, 28 September 2026). Large emergency operators such as VCA, BluePearl, MedVet and Veterinary Emergency Group are not among the 27.
Our data
Contribution: first-party data, derived analysis, downloadable dataset
- Collected: Each location listed by the 27 chains in Vettica's chain crawl of 27-28 September 2026 (most from public location finders, four from careers or office listings), after the chain hub's 71 exclusions, is classified by its own listed name - emergency ('emergenc', '24-hour', '24/7', 'critical care', 'ER'), then urgent care ('urgent'), then specialty or referral ('speciali', 'specialt', 'referral'), else not stated. Rows of the 27-chain crawl that the chain profiles leave out, one row each with the reason. Counts of emergency-named listings per jurisdiction from the 25 non-host-store chains, bucketed. Downloaded or queried the public facility roster of 14 state veterinary boards between 25 and 30 September 2026; raw copies retained, with sha256 recorded for 10 of the 14 files; one row per facility record. Aggregated 28 September 2026 and 29 September 2026.
- Published: 40 aggregate figures; each group rests on at least 5 source records and smaller groups are withheld.
- Compared with: every location the chain lists (27-28 September 2026), after the chain hub's 71 exclusions from Vettica chain-location crawl.
- Method: the exact queries, row counts and thresholds are in the methodology.
- Computed: 9 derived figures (top-3 and top-5 totals and remaining counts) from the published figures. Each is a dataset row with its formula, inputs and expression, so it can be recomputed.
- Tracked: in our source-fact ledger since 4 October 2026; no changes recorded yet.
- Sources: the source manifest (JSON) lists the 46 sources behind the figures (chain location sources, state veterinary boards), each with its public URL, retrieval date, status and the reason any is left out. A card's or table's Source link goes to that source's own page.
- Reproduce it: download the data as CSV or JSON (49 rows; variables: Listed locations by chain scope; Crawl rows excluded by the chain profiles; Listed locations by named format; Emergency-named listings and distinct addresses; Emergency-named locations per chain; Emergency-named listings shared across chains; Emergency-named chain locations per state; States with 1 to 4 emergency-named chain listings; Jurisdictions with no emergency-named chain listing; States with no emergency-named chain listing; Urgent-care-named locations per chain; Specialty- or referral-named locations per chain; Emergency clinics in a state board roster; Derived figure; license CC BY 4.0).
One state board publishes its own list. The South Carolina Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (LLR) emergency clinic list, retrieved 29 September 2026, has 12 emergency clinic records. It is a different kind of source, not a check on the chain figures: it counts board records, not chain listings, and it is the only emergency-specific list among the 14 state board rosters we pulled. Which states publish no-cost rosters is covered in our state veterinary facility license registry availability research.
What the chains' location finders show
Every location listed by the 25 chains on 27–28 September 2026 was sorted by its own listed name: emergency first, then urgent care, then specialty or referral, otherwise not stated (Vettica, 28 September 2026). Most names state no format: 4,842 locations from 24 chains in 51 jurisdictions, 95.5% of the 5,069 listed. Emergency-named locations are 122 from 10 chains in 32 states (2.4%), specialty or referral names 59 from 9 chains in 20 states (1.2%), and urgent-care names 46 from 10 chains in 26 states (0.9%).
Two things follow. First, a name that does not mention emergency tells you nothing either way; most chains do not put the format in the name. Second, emergency naming is concentrated: 10 of the 25 chains have any emergency-named location, and 5 have 5 or more.
Emergency-named locations per chain
Ethos Veterinary Health
51 locations
As of 28 September 2026
- States
- 23 states
- Share of chain listings (%)
- 39.2%
Source: Vettica crawl of Ethos Veterinary Health's location source, 27–28 September 2026, checked 28 September 2026
National Veterinary Associates
29 locations
As of 28 September 2026
- States
- 16 states
- Share of chain listings (%)
- 3.2%
Source: Vettica crawl of National Veterinary Associates's location source, 27–28 September 2026, checked 28 September 2026
PetVet Care Centers
13 locations
As of 28 September 2026
- States
- 8 states
- Share of chain listings (%)
- 3.4%
Source: Vettica crawl of PetVet Care Centers's location source, 27–28 September 2026, checked 28 September 2026
Innovetive Petcare
8 locations
As of 28 September 2026
- States
- 5 states
- Share of chain listings (%)
- 9.8%
Source: Vettica crawl of Innovetive Petcare's location source, 27–28 September 2026, checked 28 September 2026
United Veterinary Care
7 locations
As of 28 September 2026
- States
- 4 states
- Share of chain listings (%)
- 6.9%
Source: Vettica crawl of United Veterinary Care's location source, 27–28 September 2026, checked 28 September 2026
| Attribute | Ethos Veterinary Health | National Veterinary Associates | PetVet Care Centers | Innovetive Petcare | United Veterinary Care |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locations | 51 locations, as of 28 September 2026 | 29 locations, as of 28 September 2026 | 13 locations, as of 28 September 2026 | 8 locations, as of 28 September 2026 | 7 locations, as of 28 September 2026 |
| States | 23 states, as of 28 September 2026 | 16 states, as of 28 September 2026 | 8 states, as of 28 September 2026 | 5 states, as of 28 September 2026 | 4 states, as of 28 September 2026 |
| Share of chain listings (%) | 39.2%, as of 28 September 2026 | 3.2%, as of 28 September 2026 | 3.4%, as of 28 September 2026 | 9.8%, as of 28 September 2026 | 6.9%, as of 28 September 2026 |
Ethos Veterinary Health stands apart. Its 51 emergency-named locations in 23 states are 39.2% of the 130 locations it lists; the next-highest share among chains with 5 or more is Innovetive Petcare's 9.8% (8 of 82). National Veterinary Associates lists 29 (3.2% of the 903 it lists that are not marked closed), PetVet Care Centers 13 (3.4% of 384) and United Veterinary Care 7 (6.9% of 102). The two largest overlap: 22 of NVA's 29 emergency-named listings share a street address and ZIP with an Ethos listing, so the same hospital appears in both finders. Across all 10 chains, the 122 emergency-named listings cover 98 distinct addresses.
Where the emergency-named chain locations sit
Emergency-named listings appear in 32 states; 12 have 5 or more, and the table shows those 12. Florida leads with 16 listings from 6 chains, then California and Texas with 11 each (4 chains apiece). The top 3 states hold 38 listings and the top 5, adding Colorado and Tennessee at 7 each, hold 52 of the 122. Counted by distinct address rather than by listing, Florida has 12, Texas 9 and California 8, because the same hospital often appears in both the Ethos and NVA finders. All 5 Arizona listings come from Ethos, the only state in the table with a single chain.
Emergency-named chain locations per state
| Rank | Name | Listings | Chains | Distinct addresses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FL | 16 listings | 6 chains | 12 distinct addresses |
| 2 | CA | 11 listings | 4 chains | 8 distinct addresses |
| 3 | TX | 11 listings | 4 chains | 9 distinct addresses |
| 4 | CO | 7 listings | 3 chains | 5 distinct addresses |
| 5 | TN | 7 listings | 4 chains | 6 distinct addresses |
| 6 | GA | 6 listings | 4 chains | 6 distinct addresses |
| 7 | KS | 6 listings | 2 chains | 3 distinct addresses |
| 8 | MD | 6 listings | 3 chains | 4 distinct addresses |
| 9 | WA | 6 listings | 3 chains | 4 distinct addresses |
| 10 | AZ | 5 listings | 1 chain | 5 distinct addresses |
| 11 | MA | 5 listings | 3 chains | 4 distinct addresses |
| 12 | NC | 5 listings | 5 chains | 5 distinct addresses |
The table covers the 12 states with 5 or more emergency-named listings. Another 20 states have 1 to 4, and 19 jurisdictions (18 states and DC) have none in these chains' finders.
Urgent-care and specialty naming alongside emergency
The same name-based classification picks up two smaller adjacent groups. Urgent-care names are led by Mission Veterinary Partners / Mission Pet Health with 23, then PetMedic Urgent Care and Western Veterinary Partners with 5 each; every PetMedic location carries the urgent-care name. Specialty or referral names are led by Ethos Veterinary Health with 27, then National Veterinary Associates and PetVet Care Centers with 9 each, and Mission Pet Health and United Veterinary Care with 5 each (Vettica, 28 September 2026). A hospital named for both emergency and specialty counts once, as emergency, so these groups exclude the emergency-and-specialty hospitals above.
Urgent-care-named locations per chain
Mission Veterinary Partners / Mission Pet Health
23 locations
As of 28 September 2026
Source: Vettica crawl of Mission Veterinary Partners / Mission Pet Health's location source, 27–28 September 2026, checked 28 September 2026
PetMedic Urgent Care
5 locations
As of 28 September 2026
Source: Vettica crawl of PetMedic Urgent Care's location source, 27–28 September 2026, checked 28 September 2026
Western Veterinary Partners
5 locations
As of 28 September 2026
Source: Vettica crawl of Western Veterinary Partners's location source, 27–28 September 2026, checked 28 September 2026
| Attribute | Mission Veterinary Partners / Mission Pet Health | PetMedic Urgent Care | Western Veterinary Partners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Locations | 23 locations, as of 28 September 2026 | 5 locations, as of 28 September 2026 | 5 locations, as of 28 September 2026 |
Specialty- or referral-named locations per chain
Ethos Veterinary Health
27 locations
As of 28 September 2026
Source: Vettica crawl of Ethos Veterinary Health's location source, 27–28 September 2026, checked 28 September 2026
National Veterinary Associates
9 locations
As of 28 September 2026
Source: Vettica crawl of National Veterinary Associates's location source, 27–28 September 2026, checked 28 September 2026
PetVet Care Centers
9 locations
As of 28 September 2026
Source: Vettica crawl of PetVet Care Centers's location source, 27–28 September 2026, checked 28 September 2026
Mission Veterinary Partners / Mission Pet Health
5 locations
As of 28 September 2026
Source: Vettica crawl of Mission Veterinary Partners / Mission Pet Health's location source, 27–28 September 2026, checked 28 September 2026
United Veterinary Care
5 locations
As of 28 September 2026
Source: Vettica crawl of United Veterinary Care's location source, 27–28 September 2026, checked 28 September 2026
| Attribute | Ethos Veterinary Health | National Veterinary Associates | PetVet Care Centers | Mission Veterinary Partners / Mission Pet Health | United Veterinary Care |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locations | 27 locations, as of 28 September 2026 | 9 locations, as of 28 September 2026 | 9 locations, as of 28 September 2026 | 5 locations, as of 28 September 2026 | 5 locations, as of 28 September 2026 |
Decisions this data supports
For distributors and recruiters planning by territory, start where the listings cluster: Florida, California, Texas, Colorado and Tennessee hold 52 of the 122 emergency-named listings. Treat that as a floor for where chain emergency hospitals are, not a map of emergency care, because hospitals outside these chains and chain hospitals whose names omit the format are not in it. De-duplicate before counting targets: 22 Ethos listings reappear in the NVA finder at the same address.
For anyone checking whether a specific clinic offers emergency care, an emergency name is a lead, not proof of hours or staffing, and a name without it tells you nothing either way: 95.5% of listed names state no format. Confirm on the hospital's own site or by phone. South Carolina is the only state among the 14 board rosters we pulled that publishes an emergency clinic list (12 records, retrieved 29 September 2026); the other 13 rosters record a facility's licence, not whether it offers emergency care.
For pet pharma and insurance compliance teams sampling by chain, the chain mix matters: 39.2% of Ethos's 130 listings are emergency-named, against 3.2% of NVA's 903. A sample drawn from Ethos will be dominated by emergency and specialty hospitals; one drawn from NVA will be mostly locations whose names state no format.
Limits of this data
Coverage is in the records' own terms. The chain figures come from 25 of the 27 chains in our crawl of 27–28 September 2026, most from public location finders and four from careers or office listings, with a minimum group size of 5 locations per reported group. They leave out the two host-store chains and the 71 rows our chain profiles also exclude: 56 National Veterinary Associates listings marked CLOSED, 10 office or remote-role rows and 5 repeated GoodVets rows. They cover what those chains list, not every practice, not independent hospitals, and not the whole market. The state comparison covers 12 jurisdictions; 39 of 51 are not in the table, and no claim is made about emergency capacity in those 39.
Definitions matter. Classification is by the location's own listed name, so a 24-hour hospital that calls itself something else counts as "not stated." Each chain's figure counts that chain's listings, and one hospital can be listed by two chains, or twice by one; the 122 emergency-named listings cover 98 distinct addresses. An emergency-named site's actual staffing, hours or case capability is not measured. A listed location is a listing, not a verified operating status.
The snapshot is late September 2026 (chains 27–28 September, South Carolina roster 29 September). One collection date; nothing here describes growth or change over time. Units also differ: chain and state figures count locations, while the South Carolina record counts facility records in a board roster, so the two are not directly comparable.
How to use the dataset
The CSV and JSON files hold 49 rows: one row per aggregate group (each published figure), plus one row per derived figure with its formula and inputs (40 observed, 9 derived). The rows behind each group (the collected source rows) are not published.
Columns: id (row id (observed rows r01..., derived figures d01...)), kind (observed or derived), entity, attribute, scenario, value, number (the figure as a plain number), unit, scope (the scope, or a derived figure's input row ids), input_price_scope, scenario_scope, formula (a derived figure's formula in words), expression (its arithmetic over the input figures), source_owner, source_url, observed_at, fixture.
Variables: Listed locations by chain scope; Crawl rows excluded by the chain profiles; Listed locations by named format; Emergency-named listings and distinct addresses; Emergency-named locations per chain; Emergency-named listings shared across chains; Emergency-named chain locations per state; States with 1 to 4 emergency-named chain listings; Jurisdictions with no emergency-named chain listing; States with no emergency-named chain listing; Urgent-care-named locations per chain; Specialty- or referral-named locations per chain; Emergency clinics in a state board roster; Derived figure. Data as of 29 September 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
Each observed row's source_url is its public source (the page the data came from) or, for a figure built from several sources, the section of the source manifest that lists them; derived rows list their input rows in scope.
To use it, filter attribute to the figure you need, sort by number, and cite the row's source_owner and observed_at. Recompute any derived row from its expression and the input rows its scope lists.