Columbia Animal Hospital to shut down; reason for closure remains unclear

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Animal Hospital is set to close on Friday, but a clear reason for the sudden shutdown hasn't been provided.

The hospital, located in northern Columbia, announced the closure last week in a social media post saying, "After many years of serving the Columbia community, it is with sincere sadness that we share that Columbia Animal Hospital will be permanently closing as of Friday, March 20th."

No reason was given, and a staff member says employees haven't been given one.

“I’m so sorry, but I really don’t have a solid answer on why we are closing, as our staff is also unsure,” a staff member wrote in an email to ABC 17 News.

The hospital is owned by CareVet LLC, and registered to a Jefferson City address. CareVet describes itself as a partnership with more than 500 licensed veterinarians.

Staff members say they were given about two weeks’ notice of the closure by the hospital’s corporate ownership. In total, eight employees are affected, according to the staff.

The hospital is encouraging clients to request their pets’ medical records as soon as possible, but warned there may be delays in fulfilling those requests.

At this time, the hospital has not recommended a specific veterinary clinic for clients to continue their pets’ care.