Until recently, a pet emergency in Seattle meant a stressful drive in the black of night to a veterinary ER in Wallingford or Lake City—or to Shoreline, Lynnwood, Renton and beyond. But with the opening last month of Seattle Veterinary Specialists (SVS) (First Hill, 805 Madison St.; svs.com), South Seattle residents can breathe a little easier. Joining the human-centered medical community on Pill Hill, the $1.6 million facility will be a 24/7 go-to for those pet emergencies that always happen at 3 a.m., as well as complex surgery and cancer care.

SVS joins several recent veterinary additions on nearby Capitol Hill, including Urban Animal, which after two years on Broadway and Madison, just moved into The Lyric at 10th and Thomas (urbananimalnw.com) and Madison Street Animal Hospital (2215 E Madison St.; madisonstreetanimalhospital.com). Also, this month, Banfield Pet Hospitals will open a second Seattle location at 1426 Harvard Avenue, adding to its portfolio of 900-plus facilities nationwide (banfield.com).