Emergency Services 24/7
Appointments are not needed for the Emergency Service, but we ask that you call ahead to discuss the problem, when possible.
The Emergency Service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to receive referral cases from local veterinarians and animals with serious or life-threatening problems that require immediate attention. In addition, we are available at any time of day for owners whose pets become ill and require urgent care. The Emergency Service is staffed by an integrated team of professionals who attend to patients' emergency and critical care needs. This team is composed of board-certified specialists in emergency and critical care, residents, interns, nurses, nurse assistants and receptionists.
The primary goal of the Emergency Service is to rapidly assess patients to determine the severity of a problem and initiate appropriate stabilization, treatment and diagnostic testing. The Emergency team provides service to the surrounding community while also teaching veterinary students, interns, residents and nursing students.
Operational Procedures
Triage receptionists handle all incoming phone calls and help clients determine whether their pet has a serious medical problem that requires immediate care. The emergency nursing staff triage all incoming patients and determine the medical priority. All patients in life-threatening situations are immediately brought to the treatment area, where the emergency clinician performs a physical examination and provides emergency stabilization.
Patients are seen on a medical priority basis. Waiting times for clients can range from 1-4 hours depending on the caseload at the time of presentation. Patients seen by the Emergency Service can be transferred within the hospital to the appropriate department between 7-8 a.m. the following day, transferred to their local veterinarian by 12 noon the following day or discharged to go home from the Emergency Service.