GLEN CARBON – Hawthorne Animal Hospital at 5 Cougar Drive, Glen Carbon, will stop accepting new emergency patients overnight beginning Sept. 1, 2026, directing pet owners with emergencies between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. to a nearby 24-hour emergency facility, the hospital announced, citing nationwide veterinary staffing challenges, particularly in overnight emergency care.
The hospital said its phone lines will remain staffed overnight to help clients determine the appropriate next step.
“We know the announcement about changes to Hawthorne’s overnight emergency services is a significant one for our clients and our community, and we understand that it may bring questions and concerns,” the hospital said in the announcement.
Hawthorne said the change applies only to new emergency patients during overnight hours. Pets already hospitalized at Hawthorne overnight will continue to receive continuous, on-site care, the hospital said.
“Our tenured veterinary assistants remain in the hospital throughout the overnight shift, monitoring patients and providing prescribed treatments, medications, fluid therapy, pain management, and other necessary care,” the announcement said.
The hospital said a Hawthorne veterinarian will remain on call throughout the night and can come to the hospital when a hospitalized patient requires additional veterinary care.
“Our hospitalized patients are not left unattended, and this change does not mean Hawthorne is eliminating overnight care for pets already admitted to our hospital,” the hospital said.
From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Hawthorne said its veterinary team will continue offering full-service veterinary care, urgent care and intensive care management, including dedicated availability for urgent and complex cases.
The hospital said its 24-hour emergency service has been an important community resource for many years but that the change was necessary because of staffing challenges.
“This was not a decision we made lightly,” the announcement said. “Veterinary medicine is experiencing significant nationwide staffing challenges, particularly in overnight emergency care. Continuing our previous model without the veterinary staffing necessary to support it would not be responsible for our patients or for the people entrusted with caring for them.”
Hawthorne said the change is intended to protect the well-being and longevity of its medical team while maintaining its standard of care. The hospital said its goal is to restore expanded overnight emergency services “when staffing allows us to do so safely and responsibly.”
The hospital encouraged clients with questions about the transition to contact its team directly for information about their pets’ care and the new hours.
