After a March snowstorm, Jessica Chase’s dog Capri began having seizures five minutes apart. The nearest 24-hour veterinary hospital was normally about 90 minutes away, but more than 2 feet of snow covered the streets and Chase was warned that another wait could follow when she arrived.
Capri, a shepherd, husky and Rottweiler mix, died on Chase’s kitchen floor less than 12 hours after her first seizure. Her death underscores an emergency-care gap that leaves Door County dog owners between one and three hours from a round-the-clock veterinarian, depending on where they live on the peninsula.
That distance matters because some conditions require immediate assessment. Cornell University’s canine health guidance advises owners to seek immediate veterinary care when a seizure lasts longer than five minutes.
While a dog is seizing, Cornell advises moving nearby hazards when that can be done safely, staying away from the dog’s mouth and timing the episode. Owners should contact a veterinarian for direction; those steps are not a substitute for emergency care.
Local clinics cannot fill every emergency role
Peninsula Veterinary Hospital in Sturgeon Bay receives at least five emergency calls each day. The clinic works cases into its schedule when possible, but it does not have the equipment or staffing to manage every emergency.
Regional access narrowed further when BluePearl closed its Green Bay facility in early 2025 without publicly giving a reason. That left the BluePearl hospital in Appleton as a distant option for many Door County families.
JoAnne Rosenfeld faced that trip after her nearly 4-year-old Boston terrier, Butch, began seizing. Butch died during the 90-minute drive toward Appleton, 18 miles before reaching the emergency hospital.
Rosenfeld proposed having local veterinarians rotate after-hours coverage. Dr. Sherry Billett said the existing workload makes that approach impractical: “There is no way that a doctor or nurse could work their full 40- to 50-hour workweek and still be capable and fresh for after-hours or weekend emergencies.”
Opening a dedicated facility presents another set of obstacles. Billett said research indicates a population of 100,000 is needed to sustain round-the-clock veterinary care. Door County has about 30,000 year-round residents, although it receives more than 2.5 million visitors annually.
A 24-hour hospital also needs specialized equipment and enough employees to cover nights, weekends and holidays. Peninsula Veterinary Hospital has sought another veterinarian for an extended period, while local appointments may be booked weeks or months ahead. Housing is another hiring barrier; the average Door County home value was nearly $440,000, according to Zillow.
Training capacity and debt narrow the workforce
Wisconsin has one veterinary training program, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. About 2,500 applicants compete for 100 seats each year, and roughly half of the school’s graduates remain in the state.
Dean Dr. Jonathan Levine said physical space limits enrollment. “We are capped out at the number of students we can admit because … the facilities just literally cannot fit any additional folks,” Levine said. The university is examining renovations that could allow the class size to grow.
Debt and compensation complicate rural recruitment. American Veterinary Medical Association data put average debt for veterinary graduates at nearly $175,000 in 2025, while rural practice typically pays less than companion-animal work in metropolitan areas.
The broader rural workforce problem extends beyond Door County. The American Veterinary Medical Association has identified educational debt, compensation, emergency duties and long on-call hours as factors affecting recruitment and retention in rural practice. Loan-repayment and grant programs can help individual veterinarians, but the association says they were not designed to resolve rural shortages comprehensively.
One material change has arrived closer to the peninsula. Veterinary Emergency Group had planned a Bellevue hospital about 40 miles closer to Door County than Appleton, and the company’s Bellevue hospital page now lists the location as open around the clock, including holidays, with no appointment required.
The Bellevue facility offers emergency and urgent care, diagnostic testing, imaging and surgery on site. Its location may shorten the drive for some Door County families, but residents farther up the peninsula can still face a substantial trip when minutes matter. What would you do if your dog were in this situation? Share your thoughts in the comments.
By Sarah Mitchell — 8 years as a local-news reporter covering animal welfare, shelters, neighborhood disputes, and public-safety pet stories.
