Animal Companions urge emergency pet care in Las Cruces

Dear editor,

When people relocate to a new city, most consider the availability of a good medical support system. Pet owners also want to ensure the availability of excellent veterinary services.  Las Cruces has been without emergency veterinary services since 2018, when the Animal Hospital and Emergency Center on Wyatt Drive closed, forcing residents with sick or injured pets to travel to El Paso for this much needed service.

Animal Companions of Las Cruces, an all-volunteer organization, was formed to address this untenable situation and is working diligently on many fronts to bring back emergency animal care to Las Cruces. We are:

• Recruiting veterinarians for Las Cruces by participating in AVMA conventions and vet school job fairs nationwide.
• Building up a scholarship fund to assist veterinarians with paying down their student debt in exchange for a two-year commitment to work in the region.
• Advocating at the city, county, and state level for resolutions, ordinances and legislation to ease the current crisis.

Dr. Dawn Duncan, Founder/Chair of ACofLC, worked with Rep. Joanne Ferrary on House Bill 452 in 2023, to eliminate non-compete agreements. She spoke as an expert witness to end this detrimental practice. Dr. Duncan supported HB 384, which became law last year, providing for expedited licensure of veterinarians licensed in other states. Dr. Duncan has also presented to the Las Cruces City Council, the Mesilla Board of Trustees and the Doña Ana County Commissioners about the serious lack of animal services.

ACofLC has accomplished much, but there is so much more to do to achieve the goal. The support of the generous Las Cruces community is greatly needed to bring and sustain an emergency veterinary clinic for the city and surrounding communities, that will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. See AnimalCompanionsOfLasCruces.org for more information.

Miguel Márquez

Treasurer, Animal Companions of Las Cruces