Emergency Care

OUR EMERGENCY NUMBER - 703-823-3601

VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital is here for you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
You can count on our critical care team to be here when you need them the most.

Find out what might constitute an Emergency below.

• Difficulty Breathing - Noisy breathing, blue tongue or gums, abnormal panting, gasping for air, or very shallow breathing.
• Unstoppable Bleeding - Before transporting, apply pressure with a clean cloth. Do not use a tourniquet.
• Inability to Urinate or Defecate - Continuously straining with little or no result. Blood in stool or urine, painful urination or defecation.
• Heatstroke - Signs include: heavy panting, extreme weakness, a body temperature above 104F. Wrap your pet in cool, wet towels prior to transporting.
• Bloated or Distended Abdomen - With or without vomiting.
• Inability To Deliver Kittens or Puppies - Continuous contractions for more than 4 hours, or more than 2 hours between babies, or more than 15 minutes of labor with fetus or membranes protruding.
• Loss of balance, Unconsciousness, or Seizure - Tremors, staggering, convulsions, sudden blindness, fainting, tilting of the head, or sudden changes in behavior, such as unusual withdrawal or aggression.
• Pain - Especially continuous pain. Signs of pain in animals include whimpering, restlessness, crying, reluctance to move or change position, dilated pupils and a fast heart rate.
• Major Trauma or Injury - If your pet has fallen, been hit by a car, or has suffered wounds anywhere on the body, but especially to the eye, chest or abdomen, or has broken bones.
• Shock - If your pet shows signs of weakness, collapse, shallow breathing, rapid heartbeat, or weak pulses.
• Poisoning - If you believe your pet has been exposed to a poison, call first, then bring the container with you if you have it, or the commercial name or chemical name with a list of ingredients. Common poisoning: insecticides, snail bait, antifreeze, rat poison, over-the-counter drugs (Tylenol, ibuprofen, etc.), prescription medications, snake bites and some plants.
• Vomiting and/or Diarrhea - Excessive, continuous, or contains blood.
• Lameness - Continuous, not bearing weight on limb, or swollen limb.
• Eyes - Eye injuries, sudden blindness, cloudiness or abnormal discharge.
• Allergic Reactions - Swollen face, hives, red skin, difficulty breathing, severe itching or a rash.
• Diabetics - Shaking, excessive salivation, abnormal behavior, excessive vomiting, seizures.
• General - Severe lethargy, anorexia, fever greater than 104F or anything else that concerns you.

Click Here to Request an Appointment

emergency

Emergency

Sign Out

What can we dig up for you?

What can we dig up for you?

skip to Main Navigation
skip to Main Content
skip to Footer

Hospital
Team
- Veterinarians
- Support Staff
Services
Know Your Pet
For Vets
- Diagnostic Imaging
Contact Us

Emergency Care

OUR EMERGENCY NUMBER - 703-823-3601

VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital is here for you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
You can count on our critical care team to be here when you need them the most.

Find out what might constitute an Emergency below.

• Difficulty Breathing - Noisy breathing, blue tongue or gums, abnormal panting, gasping for air, or very shallow breathing.
• Unstoppable Bleeding - Before transporting, apply pressure with a clean cloth. Do not use a tourniquet.
• Inability to Urinate or Defecate - Continuously straining with little or no result. Blood in stool or urine, painful urination or defecation.
• Heatstroke - Signs include: heavy panting, extreme weakness, a body temperature above 104F. Wrap your pet in cool, wet towels prior to transporting.
• Bloated or Distended Abdomen - With or without vomiting.
• Inability To Deliver Kittens or Puppies - Continuous contractions for more than 4 hours, or more than 2 hours between babies, or more than 15 minutes of labor with fetus or membranes protruding.
• Loss of balance, Unconsciousness, or Seizure - Tremors, staggering, convulsions, sudden blindness, fainting, tilting of the head, or sudden changes in behavior, such as unusual withdrawal or aggression.
• Pain - Especially continuous pain. Signs of pain in animals include whimpering, restlessness, crying, reluctance to move or change position, dilated pupils and a fast heart rate.
• Major Trauma or Injury - If your pet has fallen, been hit by a car, or has suffered wounds anywhere on the body, but especially to the eye, chest or abdomen, or has broken bones.
• Shock - If your pet shows signs of weakness, collapse, shallow breathing, rapid heartbeat, or weak pulses.
• Poisoning - If you believe your pet has been exposed to a poison, call first, then bring the container with you if you have it, or the commercial name or chemical name with a list of ingredients. Common poisoning: insecticides, snail bait, antifreeze, rat poison, over-the-counter drugs (Tylenol, ibuprofen, etc.), prescription medications, snake bites and some plants.
• Vomiting and/or Diarrhea - Excessive, continuous, or contains blood.
• Lameness - Continuous, not bearing weight on limb, or swollen limb.
• Eyes - Eye injuries, sudden blindness, cloudiness or abnormal discharge.
• Allergic Reactions - Swollen face, hives, red skin, difficulty breathing, severe itching or a rash.
• Diabetics - Shaking, excessive salivation, abnormal behavior, excessive vomiting, seizures.
• General - Severe lethargy, anorexia, fever greater than 104F or anything else that concerns you.

Hospital + -
Team + -
- Veterinarians
- Support Staff
Services
Know Your Pet
For Vets + -
- Diagnostic Imaging
Contact Us

Request an Appointment

Click Here to Request an Appointment

emergency

Emergency

Sign Out

What can we dig up for you?

What can we dig up for you?

VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital

Hours

Closed
Mon-Fri:

8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sat:

8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Sun:

Closed

Emergency Hours:

24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Location

2660 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA, 22314

Get Directions

Contact

Main 703-751-2022

Fax 703-370-8049

Send Us Email

VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital

703-751-2022

Contact Us

VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital

2660 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel: 703-751-2022
Fax: 703-370-8049

Send us a message.

Please use this form to send us an email. Please do not use this form for urgent matters. If you require immediate attention, or have an emergency, please call us.

First Name

Last Name

What can we help you with?

Email Address

Phone

How would you like us to contact you?

City

Hospital

Message

Captcha

We respect your privacy and will not share your information with other parties. For more information, see the Privacy Policy.

Loading... Please wait

Hospital
Team
Services
Know Your Pet
For Vets
Contact Us
Pet Portal Login

Why VCA
Press Center
Careers
VCA Inc

Emergency
Appointments
Search

©Copyright VCA Hospitals all rights reserved.

Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
Web Accessibility