Aug 9, 2026

7 Emergency and After-Hours Vets Near Bar Harbor, ME

There is no emergency veterinary hospital on Mount Desert Island, and the nearest after-hours clinic is ninety minutes away and closed on weekday daytimes. Here is exactly who to call, and when.

Luis ZamoraCo-founder of PetCompass; Dog Dad to Banzo and Tuck

Bar Harbor, Maine10 min readPet Care & Services

Read this one before you need it, because the answer for Bar Harbor is genuinely uncomfortable.

There is no emergency veterinary hospital on Mount Desert Island. The nearest dedicated after-hours clinic is roughly an hour and a half away, in Holden, on the far side of Bangor. And it is closed during weekday daytime hours, because it is an after-hours clinic rather than a 24-hour hospital.

That combination means Bar Harbor has two distinct gaps: nights and weekends on the island, and weekday daytimes at the emergency clinic. Knowing which gap you are in determines where you drive.

Save two numbers now, before you go any further.

The dedicated emergency clinic

1. Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic

820 Main Rd, Holden, ME 04429 (207) 989-6267 Tuesday to Thursday, 5:30pm to 8:00am. Then continuously from 5:30pm Friday to 8:00am Tuesday. No appointment needed

The nearest dedicated emergency clinic to Bar Harbor, described by the Maine Veterinary Medical Association's directory as the region's emergency provider and named as the after-hours referral by multiple Bangor-area practices.

Read those hours carefully, because they are the crux of this article. The clinic covers every night and the whole weekend, from Friday evening straight through to Tuesday morning. It does not cover Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday during the day.

A note on the address. The clinic's own website gives 820 Main Rd, Holden. The Maine Veterinary Medical Association directory lists 15 Dirigo Drive, Brewer, and several referring practices describe it as being in Brewer. Holden and Brewer sit next to each other on Route 1A. The phone number is consistent across every source at (207) 989-6267, so call before you drive and confirm where to go.

Distance from Bar Harbor: roughly an hour and a half, via Route 3 to Ellsworth then Route 1A. That is a long drive with a sick animal, and it is the reality of veterinary care on Mount Desert Island.

On Mount Desert Island

2. Acadia Veterinary Hospital

21 Federal Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 (207) 288-5733 Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 6:00pm. Closed weekends.

The veterinary practice in Bar Harbor itself, caring for dogs and cats on Mount Desert Island since 1998.

This is your first call for anything that happens during a weekday. A 6pm weekday close is later than most rural Maine practices, which matters for a dog that got hurt on an afternoon hike.

Outside those hours, there is no veterinary care on the island, which is the single most important sentence in this article.

In Ellsworth, roughly 20 miles from Bar Harbor

Ellsworth is the mainland town you drive through to reach Mount Desert Island, and it holds the closest daytime options after Bar Harbor itself.

3. Small Animal Clinic

9 Toothaker Lane, Ellsworth, ME 04605 (207) 667-2341 Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Saturday, 8:00am to 3:00pm. Closed Sunday.

This is the most useful listing in the region for a visitor, because of one detail: it opens on Saturday. On a Saturday afternoon, when Acadia Veterinary Hospital is closed and the Holden emergency clinic has not opened for the evening, this is the nearest practice with a veterinarian in the building.

4. Ellsworth Family Veterinary Clinic

389 Surry Road, Ellsworth, ME 04605 (207) 667-7111 Monday to Thursday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm. Closed weekends.

A second Ellsworth option and a useful backup if the first is at capacity, which happens in peak season.

In the Bangor area, roughly 45 to 50 miles away

Worth knowing because they cover the Tuesday-to-Thursday daytime gap that the Holden emergency clinic does not.

5. Broadway Veterinary Clinic

1391 Broadway, Bangor, ME 04401 (207) 942-2281 Weekday hours running to between 6:00pm and 7:30pm, plus select Saturdays 8:00am to 1:00pm

Prioritises urgent cases during normal business hours, and its published weekday hours run later than most practices in the region. Outside those hours it refers to Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic on (207) 989-6267.

6. Veazie Veterinary Clinic

1522 State Street, Veazie, ME 04401 (207) 941-8840 Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 6:00pm

States plainly that it is not an emergency clinic but does accept emergency cases during normal office hours, and refers after hours to Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic, describing it as open most nights, some holidays, and all weekend.

The 7:00am opening is the earliest in the region, which is genuinely useful if something went wrong overnight and you want to be seen first thing.

The 24-hour phone resource

7. Animal poison control lines

Two national services take calls around the clock, and they are the correct first call if your dog has eaten something rather than injured itself.

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: (888) 426-4435 Pet Poison Helpline: (855) 764-7661

A consultation fee applies to both. Pay it. On Mount Desert Island, where the nearest emergency clinic is ninety minutes away, a two-minute call that establishes whether the dose your dog swallowed is actually dangerous can save a pointless night drive, or start treatment before you leave.

The list at a glance

#	Facility	Location	Phone	Availability
1	Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic	Holden	(207) 989-6267	Tue-Thu 5:30pm-8am, Fri 5:30pm to Tue 8am
2	Acadia Veterinary Hospital	Bar Harbor	(207) 288-5733	Mon-Fri 8am-6pm
3	Small Animal Clinic	Ellsworth	(207) 667-2341	Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 8am-3pm
4	Ellsworth Family Veterinary Clinic	Ellsworth	(207) 667-7111	Mon-Thu 8am-5pm, Fri 8am-4pm
5	Broadway Veterinary Clinic	Bangor	(207) 942-2281	Weekdays to 6-7:30pm, some Saturdays
6	Veazie Veterinary Clinic	Veazie	(207) 941-8840	Mon-Fri 7am-6pm
7	ASPCA Animal Poison Control	Phone only	(888) 426-4435	24 hours, fee applies

Which one to call, by when it happens

Weekday daytime, on the island. Acadia Veterinary Hospital, (207) 288-5733.

Weekday evening or overnight. Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic in Holden, (207) 989-6267, open from 5:30pm.

Saturday daytime. Small Animal Clinic in Ellsworth, (207) 667-2341, open until 3pm. This is the gap most visitors do not know about.

Sunday daytime. Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic, which is open continuously through the weekend from Friday evening.

Tuesday to Thursday daytime, if the island practice cannot see you. Ellsworth first, then Bangor. The Holden emergency clinic is closed at these times.

Anything swallowed, at any hour. Poison control first, then drive.

A caution about what you find online

Several widely circulated listings advertise a 24-hour emergency animal hospital in Ellsworth on a toll-free number. The page behind one of those listings carries no street address and gives the wrong state in its contact block.

Verify any emergency clinic against the Maine Veterinary Medical Association's directory or the clinic's own site with a street address before you drive to it. In an emergency, arriving at a place that is not there is the worst outcome available.

Before you need any of this

Save both numbers now. (207) 288-5733 for Bar Harbor and (207) 989-6267 for the emergency clinic. Do it before you leave home, because Acadia has genuine cell dead zones on the carriage roads and the quieter trails.

Screenshot the addresses. Mapping apps need signal.

Understand the geography. Everything except Acadia Veterinary Hospital is off the island, and the only road off Mount Desert Island is Route 3 through Trenton, which backs up in peak season. Add time.

Carry your dog's records on your phone: vaccination history and current medications.

Know that Acadia prohibits leaving pets unattended in vehicles, which matters if you are waiting somewhere.

What actually goes wrong here

Ticks and tick-borne disease. Maine has a substantial tick population and Acadia's woods and grassy edges are prime habitat. Nymphs peak in late spring and early summer, adults become active again in autumn. Check after every walk and discuss prevention with your own veterinarian.

Falls and cuts on wet granite. Acadia's rock grows a thin film when damp and holds water long after rain. Dogs grip it poorly. The carriage roads are the wet-weather answer: 45 miles of packed gravel, all of it open to leashed dogs.

Ladder-trail injuries. Six Acadia trails are closed to pets precisely because they involve iron rungs and cliff edges. Attempting one anyway is how a dog ends up needing that ninety-minute drive. The park publishes the closed list on its own pet page.

Seawater ingestion. A relevant coastal hazard, particularly on the Bar Island crossing and the tide pools at Ship Harbor and Wonderland. Pet first aid basics covers the signs worth acting on.

Being caught by the tide. Bar Island floods on a roughly 12-foot tidal range, and the alternative to timing it right is a water taxi or a nine-hour wait.

General guidance is in emergency vet, what to know, and an emergency pet info card is what you will wish you had filled in. Lodging is via the pet-friendly hotels.

Conclusion

Bar Harbor is one of the best places in America to take a dog and one of the harder ones to get a dog treated in.

One practice on the whole of Mount Desert Island, open weekdays only. The nearest dedicated emergency clinic ninety minutes away in Holden, open nights and weekends but closed Tuesday to Thursday during the day. Two daytime practices in Ellsworth, one of which opens on Saturday and is the answer to the gap most visitors never think about.

Save (207) 288-5733 and (207) 989-6267. Screenshot the addresses. Call before you drive, always, and call poison control first if your dog ate something.

Clinic hours, addresses, phone numbers, and capacity change. Call before you travel, and call again before you drive in an emergency. This article is general information and is not veterinary advice. Then find the trail your pet will wag "yes" to.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an emergency vet in Bar Harbor, Maine? No. There is no emergency veterinary hospital on Mount Desert Island. Acadia Veterinary Hospital at 21 Federal Street, on (207) 288-5733, is open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm and closed weekends. The nearest dedicated emergency clinic is roughly an hour and a half away.

Where is the nearest 24-hour vet to Acadia National Park? The nearest dedicated emergency clinic is Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic on (207) 989-6267, roughly ninety minutes from Bar Harbor. It is an after-hours clinic rather than a 24-hour hospital: it opens Tuesday to Thursday from 5:30pm to 8am, and runs continuously from 5:30pm Friday to 8am Tuesday.

What do I do if my dog is hurt on a Saturday in Bar Harbor? Small Animal Clinic in Ellsworth, at 9 Toothaker Lane on (207) 667-2341, is open Saturday 8am to 3pm and is the nearest practice with a veterinarian in the building at that time. After 5:30pm the Holden emergency clinic takes over.

Which hours are hardest to cover near Bar Harbor? Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday during the day, if the Bar Harbor practice cannot see you, because the Holden emergency clinic is closed at those times. Ellsworth and then Bangor are the fallbacks.

How far is the emergency vet from Bar Harbor? Roughly an hour and a half, via Route 3 to Ellsworth and then Route 1A. Add time in peak season, since Route 3 through Trenton is the only road off Mount Desert Island and it backs up.

Should I call poison control or drive to the vet? If your dog swallowed something, call poison control first. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435 and the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661 both operate 24 hours with a consultation fee, and a two-minute call can save a pointless ninety-minute drive or start treatment before you leave.

Sources

Clinic hours, addresses, phone numbers, and capacity change, and at least one facility's address is listed inconsistently across sources. Confirm current details by calling before you travel and again before driving in an emergency. It is general information, not veterinary advice.