Starting Saturday, Central Oregon will no longer have a 24-hour veterinary clinic for pet emergencies.

Bend Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center plans to start closing at midnight due to a staff shortage, which is part of a national veterinary staffing issue, said Shalet Abraham, medical director at the emergency center.

The center, the only around-the-clock care offered in the region, will be open 2 p.m. to midnight on weekdays and 8 a.m. to midnight on weekends.

“We unfortunately don’t have the ability to be open right now,” Abraham said. “We have enough business. It’s a matter of hiring and staffing.”

Abraham said the center has lost about half its staff in recent years. The center has three veterinarians, but ideally could use three more, she said.

The staffing shortage is caused by a combination of factors, Abraham said. Nationwide, there has been a spike in veterinarians retiring or leaving the profession, while fewer people are entering the workforce, Abraham said.

Data from the American Veterinary Medical Association showed the number of U.S. veterinarians 65 years and older was 102,000 in 2018, a 30% increase from 2007.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused additional stress for veterinarians both in their personal and professional lives that led to more leaving animal medicine, Abraham said. The high cost of housing in Central Oregon also makes it difficult to recruit new employees, she said.

“I do think there are a lot of people who are leaving the profession and choosing to not get back into it,” Abraham said.

The emergency center has no timetable for returning to 24-hour service because it depends on finding enough staff, Abraham said.

Abraham encourages pet owners to coordinate with their regular veterinarians about possible emergency services.

“We are trying to get back as soon as possible, but in the meantime they are going to have to rely on their regular veterinarians,” Abraham said.

Dr. Deb LaPaugh, veterinarian and owner of La Paw Animal Hospital in Bend, said she will meet with her staff this week to discuss the possible need for on-call work without a 24-hour clinic open in the area. But she doesn’t anticipate having to increase services since most urgent cases still go to the emergency center or the Veterinary Referral Center of Central Oregon, which has an office in Bend and stays open until midnight every day . LaPaugh said the VeterinaryReferral Center of Central Oregon, which provides emergency and specialty animal care, has enough staffing to stay open past midnight if necessary.

“We still have some places to send people,” LaPaugh said.

LaPaugh has dealt with the shortage of veterinarians at her own clinic. People haven’t had the same interest or dedication to the profession in recent years, she said.

“When I was looking for a vet to work here with me, it took me three years,” LaPaugh said.