DECATUR - What do you do if your German Shepherd swallows a fish hook on Sunday morning, when the veterinary offices are closed for the weekend?

What if the family cat has her kittens at 3 a.m., and the delivery is not going smoothly?

Many veterinarians respond to calls when their clinics are closed, to give advice on the phone, or rush to their clinics to tend to pets in distress.

Dr. Larry Baker said it is not unusual for him to receive several calls during one night, mostly from regular clients of Northgate Pet Clinic.

"One morning I went in at 2 (a.m.), 4 and 6," he said. "That was unusual."

At 4 a.m. on a recent weekday, a client called to say her dog was having puppies. Baker had X-rayed the dog the previous day, and predicted the births would probably take place a few days later.

When the dog owner described what was taking place in the middle of the night, Baker reassured her that medical help was not necessary.

Sometimes, veterinarians have to jump out of bed on short sleep to help bring new pets into the world.

"A C-section is something we do at night," said Baker, who rotates on emergency duty with four other Northgate veterinarians. "We do a couple a month."

Certain breeds always require C-sections, Baker said.

"English bulldogs cannot have puppies normally, because of their wide shoulders and wide heads," he said.

Baker and other veterinarians said typical off-hour emergencies include vehicle collisions, eye injuries, animal fights, seizures, vomiting and diarrhea, difficult births and poisoning, especially from antifreeze.

Dr. Bill Van Alstine said his clinic, Brush College Animal Hospital, rotates with six other Decatur clinics to provide emergency care: The Animal Clinic, Best Friends Animal Clinic, Cats Only, Decatur Animal Clinic, Fairview Animal Hospital and Wildwood Vet Clinic.

That means they are able to spread those wake-up and weekend calls around, with each veterinarian working once a month or so.

"It's possible to get four of five calls a night," Van Alstine said. "You might not have to go in, but it sure plays heck with your sleep."

A better way

In recent weeks, Van Alstine has been trying to rally other veterinarians around the idea of establishing a clinic dedicated to emergency care in Decatur. The clinic would be open weeknights and weekends to cover the hours veterinarian offices typically are closed.

Emergency animal clinics already are operating in nearby cities including Champaign-Urbana, Springfield, Bloomington-Normal and Peoria.

Van Alstine said having an emergency clinic would serve both clients and veterinarians in a much better way than the on-call system.

"It is preferable to have somebody available all night long, whose only purpose is to take care of animals during those hours," Van Alstine said. "We all have our day jobs. It is not realistic to stay up all night and then do your day's work."

Van Alstine he is hoping to have a clinic up and running next year. He thinks the hardest part will be finding veterinarians who want to work nights and weekends.

Nights and weekends

Dr. Tina Stortzum began working in a private clinic after graduating from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003.

She realized that she liked handling emergencies, so she landed a job at the Animal Emergency Clinic of Champaign County in May 2005. One year later she bought the clinic, located on Champaign's south side.

The clinic - open 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. weeknights and 6 p.m. Fridays to 8 a.m. Mondays - always has one veterinarian on duty. There are five full-time staff members, 7 part-timers.

In addition to handling emergencies, the clinic cares for animals that need constant care and monitoring, such as surgery patients.

"We work very closely with the referring vets in the area," Stortzum said. "We transport patients back and forth."

Stortzum, an Effingham native, said animals suffering from certain conditions such as cancer may be referred to the University of Illinois Veterinary Hospital, which also provides emergency services.

The Animal Emergency Clinic is especially busy during the holiday season, because animals ingest many different things that are toxic. Stortzum said chocolate, especially dark chocolate, can cause serious problems, leading to fatal reactions in some cases.

"Feeding 'people food' in general, especially fried food and fatty food can cause pancreatitits in dogs and cats," Stortzum said.

Pets also ingest potpourri, which can lead to gastritis and kidney/liver abnormalities.

"Drinking live Christmas tree water can cause problems, because of chemicals used on trees," the veterinarian said. Other holiday-related problems include ingesting ornaments and the liquid from broken snow globes.

"Some contain antifreeze," Stortzum said. "If pets lick this, it can be a significant problem. Antifreeze is very, very deadly. It is treatable, but very time sensitive."

In addition to dogs and cats, the clinic's patients include ferrets, rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, and some pet birds.

Van Alstine said he plans to do everything he can to open a similar clinic in Decatur.

"If there is a better way, why not do that?" Van Alstine said. "If there is any way to make this fly, I am going for it. I want it that badly. That is the absolute ideal thing we should be doing."

Huey Freeman can be reached at hfreeman@herald-review.com or 421-6985.