Beacon exists to be an extension of your practice—treating your patients and clients with the same care and standards you would.
Need simple overnight monitoring and fluids? Too slammed to fit in a sick pet who needs a full workup? Want peace of mind that your patients will be cared for after hours or over the weekend? That’s where we thrive—providing exactly what your practice needs, when you need it. That’s the Beacon Difference.
Whether you need us to continue a workup, hospitalize for monitoring, or fully manage a case, we’re here to meet your patient’s needs with skilled emergency care, transparent communication, and respect for the trust your clients place in you.
REFERRING VETERINARIANS
Why Partner With Beacon?
A True Extension Of Your Practice
At Beacon, we aim to be the most cost-effective emergency option in Tampa Bay—but more importantly, we’re flexible. We offer three types of financing (CareCredit, All Pet Card, and Scratch Pay) and work with your clients to find solutions that fit their budget and treatment goals.
Clients can often see cost savings of 25–40% compared to corporate emergency hospitals. That pricing advantage isn’t a discount—it’s a reflection of how we operate. As a locally owned hospital, we don’t report to investors—we make decisions based on what’s right for our patients, our partners, and our community.
Because of that, we can adjust treatment plans, transfer care back to you when appropriate, and help secure support through Frankie’s Friends when needed.
Services We Offer
24/7 – 365 Emergency Care
Complete in-house diagnostics
Radiographs with radiologist review
Point-of-care ultrasounds
Hospitalization
Transfusions & antivenom
Emergency surgery (24/7/365):
GDV, Foreign Bodies, Splenectomies (Hemoabdomens), Cystotomies, C-sections, and Pyometras
Equipped with Ligasure, Cautery, and GI staplers
Endoscopy
Cold laser therapy
Parvo monoclonal antibody treatment
CT imaging with radiologist review
Advanced Care, On Site When Needed
Beacon partners with highly trained mobile professionals to offer advanced procedures and diagnostics not routinely performed by our ER team. These trusted collaborators allow us to expand what we can provide in-house—without adding delays or complexity for your clients.
✓ Orthopedic and complex soft tissue surgery with Dr. Megan Sawyer, a mobile surgeon with residency-level training and decades of experience
✓ Ultrasounds, echocardiograms, and critical care consults with Dr. Brittany Sinclair, a board-certified criticalist (DACVECC)
We coordinate these services directly and ensure seamless communication so your patients receive elevated care—without the need for a specialty hospital referral.
We know how important it is that your clients feel supported when they’re referred for emergency care. At Beacon, we go beyond medical excellence—we focus on creating a comfortable, compassionate experience that reflects well on you and your recommendation.
Emergency Care Built Around Comfort And Flexibility
We’ve intentionally designed our hospital to make stressful visits feel more manageable—for both pets and their people.
✓ Overnight stays available for owners who want to remain with their hospitalized pet
✓ Drop-off services to give busy families flexibility while we provide updates by phone
✓ A calm, welcoming environment designed to reduce stress for both pets and people
✓ Flexible financing options, including CareCredit, All Pet Card, and Scratch Pay
✓ Locally empowered decision-making that lets us work directly with families to find treatment plans that align with both their budget and their pet’s medical needs
This level of care leaves a lasting impression on your clients, reinforcing their trust in your recommendation and strengthening their loyalty to your practice.
Why Your Clients Will Love Beacon
A Partnership That Values You & Your Staff
Our relationship with referring veterinarians is at the heart of what we do. We rely on your partnership to deliver seamless, high-quality emergency care—and in return, we’re committed to supporting you, your team, and your practice in meaningful ways.
✓ 25% Discount + No Exam Fees
All veterinary professionals receive a 25% discount on their invoice and never pay an exam fee at Beacon. We hope you never need us—but if you do, we’ll be here to care for you with the same compassion you show your patients.
✓ Team Training & Continuing Education
We offer complimentary lunch-and-learns, CPR training, and emergency care education—customized for your team and delivered right at your clinic.
✓ Partner Video Spotlights
We’ll help create a short promotional video showcasing your practice and our partnership. You can share it with clients, and we’ll help run local ads to boost visibility for both practices.
✓ Collaborative Case Support
Our emergency doctors are always available to talk through active cases, offer second opinions, or help troubleshoot tough scenarios. We’re here to collaborate—judgment-free and solution-focused.
We approach every relationship with professionalism, empathy, and respect. Our team is trained to presume goodwill in every interaction, and we never speak negatively about our referring partners. You can trust us to support your team the way we support our own.
Beacon isn’t owned by a corporation—it’s owned and operated by me, Dr. Ellen Buerkett, an emergency veterinarian, and my amazing husband, Nathan. We live here, raise our family here, and built Beacon to reflect the kind of care we’d want for our own pets and neighbors.
Every decision we make is guided by compassion, transparency, and doing what’s right—for the pet, the client, and the referring veterinarian.
If your experience with us ever doesn’t align with what you’ve read here, we want to know. Please reach out to me directly:
Email: ellen@beaconER.vet
We’ve worked hard to build something different—an ER that’s approachable, collaborative, and community-focused. We don’t just say we’re different—we aim to prove it with every patient we treat, every client we support, and every referring partner we serve.
Locally Owned. Personally Invested.
Let’s Strengthen The Partnership
We see ourselves as an extension of your practice and we want your clients to see it too!
To ensure seamless, consistent care, we ask our referring partners to take a few simple yet important steps. These efforts reinforce our shared commitment to your clients and help them access emergency care without delay and with the level of support and compassion you’d want for your own client base.
Forward Clinic’s Calls
When you’re closed, we’re open. Forwarding after-hours calls to Beacon ensures your clients reach a live, local team ready to help—immediately and compassionately.
Place A Beacon Door Sticker
Let clients know where to turn in an emergency. A simple sticker on your front door signals a trusted referral relationship and provides clarity when every second counts.
Add Us To Your Discharge Instructions
Clear guidance during a crisis matters. Listing Beacon as your exclusive ER partner in your voicemail gives pet owners direct, immediate direction when they can’t reach you.
Together, these small actions create continuity, reduce client stress, and strengthen the partnership between your practice and ours. Let’s work as one team to give every pet—and every client—the care they deserve.
Feature Us In Your Voice Mail
Clear guidance during a crisis matters. Listing Beacon as your exclusive ER partner in your voicemail gives pet owners direct, immediate direction when they can’t reach you.
Unmatched Accessibility & Locations That Matter
St. Petersburg
2909 4th Street North
St. Petersburg, FL
727-619-4800
Send Records to: records@beaconer.vet
Riverview
13141 US-301
Riverview, FL 33578
813-808-8070
Send Records to: records.rv@beaconer.vet