River City 6: Dr. Scott Yonker
Urgent Pet Care is an emergency veterinary clinic with locations in Papillion and Millard. Dr. Scott Yonker is the owner and one of the veterinarians on staff at Urgent Pet Care West.
Tell us a little about your business. – Urgent Pet Care’s mission is to provide caring, compassionate, and affordable after-hours care when your family veterinarian’s clinic is closed. Unlike most emergency pet hospitals, that are open all night, Urgent Pet Care’s hours are Monday through Friday 5 p.m. – 1 a.m., Saturdays 12 p.m. – 12 a.m., and Sundays / Holidays from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. These limited hours allow us to better serve pet owners at a cost comparable to their family veterinarian. Pets requiring overnight care are monitored and treated by the veterinarian and our staff until their family veterinarian is available. Since we do not see emergencies all night this allows us to focus only on our pet patients that are hospitalized. The clinic welcomes pets with all types of illnesses and injuries. We are equipped with in- house laboratory, radiology, surgery, isolation room, and a separate quiet room for cats. We ask that you call first but an appointment is never required. We now have two locations in the Omaha Metro. Our original Papillion location is at 73rd and Giles and our newest Millard location is at 4257 S. 144th Street in the Southwestern Plaza.
How did you get started in the business? – I grew up on the farm in Springfield, NE. We had horses, cats, and dogs. I knew I wanted to become a veterinarian since the fourth grade. I did my undergraduate work at University of Nebraska – Lincoln from 1980 to 1983 and was accepted to the University of Missouri, where I graduated with a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1987. I came back to Omaha after I graduated and have worked in emergency medicine since 1988. It has been a challenging and rewarding career.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – I recently decided to leave a position after 26 years to become the owner of my own clinic. I think my biggest challenges are yet to come and I look forward to taking them on.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – Helping to provide emergency medical care for pet owners and their pets who were sick or injured for over the past 26 years, and knowing that I have treated over 40,000 pets during this time.
Tell us a little about your family. – I recently got engaged and we currently live on an acreage in Glenwood, IA. We have 5 horses, 2 dogs, 7 cats and 1 lovebird. They keep me very busy.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – I enjoy working around the farm and tinkering with old tractors and cars. Currently, I have been working on restoring my dream car – a 1968 Mustang Convertible. So far it has taken me 20 years (and counting) but I am looking forward to completing the restoration in time to drive it in my retirement. I also love to attend Nebraska football games. Go Big Red!
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – Work hard, believe in yourself, and success will follow.
If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – Well, punctual sure wouldn’t be it…
If you could choose any other profession to be successful in, what would it be? – Probably a carpenter or a mechanic. I love to build and repair things.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – They can reach me via our website at urgentpetcareomaha.com, through our Facebook page, by phone at (402) 991-9444, or email me at syonker@urgentpetcareomaha.com.