MENASHA (NBC 26) — A new veterinary urgent care facility opened Monday in Menasha, aiming to address the shortage of pet care options in Northeast Wisconsin and across the nation.
Transcend Veterinary Urgent Care welcomed its first patients on Monday morning. It offers services for dogs, cats, and other companion animals.
"Oh, my gosh. I've wanted to be a veterinarian since I was in kindergarten. And everything I did kind of supported that," said Dr. Alissa Dankers, co-owner of Transcend Veterinary Urgent Care.
The facility is already accepting appointments online and plans to expand its services in the coming weeks to include surgeries and an in-house pharmacy.
"Cats and dogs, pretty typical is what we see the most. We are willing to see exotic. You know, pocket pets. You know, your little mammals, guinea pigs, rabbits," Dankers said.
I joked with her, asking if they would see "pet raccoons." She said "yes, but only if it's a pet. We don't do wildlife because of the potential of rabies," she joked.
Dankers and her husband Matt co-own the business, fulfilling a long-time dream for both of them. For Dankers, the venture represents an opportunity to address problems she witnessed firsthand in the veterinary industry.
"I just felt really disheartened a lot, by the veterinary industry. You know, I loved working with people and their pets, but I've heard of people calling into 10 different clinics, and they are all booking out, sometimes years to get a new patient in," Dankers said.
The name "Transcend" reflects their mission to go beyond traditional veterinary care by reducing wait times and preventing staff burnout.
"When there's no options, what do we do? And this was a huge need. The urgent care was a huge need in the community. So having that...transcending, going above and beyond, going to that next level of veterinary care for pet owners," Dankers said.
While the facility is already seeing patients, some services like surgeries and euthanasia will be available in the coming weeks once delayed medical equipment arrives.
"Yeah, we're planning on being here for a while," Dankers said, joyful about the future of their clinic.
Transcend's opening comes a few months after Green Bay lost its only 24/7 veterinary facility. While Transcend is currently only open from 8 am to 5 pm to start, they do offer pet drop-offs, providing another option for Northeast Wisconsinites in desperate need of pet health care.
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