Many members of the Coronado pet-owning community received a disturbing email from Crown Veterinary Hospital over the Thanksgiving holiday. The letter, dated November 25, and signed by “Crown Vet Staff,” stated that Crown Veterinary’s last day of business would be the end of the month.
Image: Crown Veterinary Hospital facebook page
Crown Veterinary Hospital is owned by Dr. James Speir, who has been with the hospital since 2005 and owned it since 2008. According to Crown Vet staff, who asked not to be named, Dr. Speir has been the owner, but not the practicing veterinarian for some time. The staff member said, “He [Speir] is practically off the grid, doing relief work.” Most work appeared to be done by Dr. Jarvis and, until recently, by Dr. D’Amore. According to the letter, those who would like to be able to follow Dr. Jarvis to her new location should send an email to: [email protected].
According to a second staff member, the cause for closing was financial, but no details of the financial issue were disclosed to the staff, 11 of whom lost their jobs with only one week’s notice. All members of the staff are now interviewing for jobs. Dr. Speir could not be reached for comment.
The phone is currently ringing off the hook with pet owners looking to transfer records, fill prescriptions, and get information. The staff said they are working hard to fulfill pet-owners’ needs. And, they said, “If you have a sick pet, bring it in. We are not turning away any sick pets.”
If you have any questions or want any information, use the email address listed above or call before the end of the month. And, remember to be kind – the staff members did not make the decision to close, nor did they have much notice themselves. As one staff member said, “It’s like people are angry at us. But, we just got fired.”
For those who are looking for veterinary services on the island, there is only one other provider: Coronado Veterinary Hospital. According to their website, they have two veterinarians on staff, Doctors Elizabeth Stone and Liz Noppinger. And, they provide a full-service hospital, emergency care, and pet boarding.
It appears that the imminent closure of Crown Vet may already be impacting Coronado Veterinary Hospital. Despite repeated calls, we were unable to get through to them by telephone without a significant wait time.
