Emergency & Critical Care

Our Emergency and Critical Care units can assist in all of the following situations:

  • Evaluation and treatment of walk-in patients and referred cases during our emergency hours
  • Initial diagnostics (digital radiographs, point of care assessment ultrasound, ECG, blood pressure, bloodwork and urine analysis)
  • Arrangement of further diagnostics and consultation with other internal specialties
  • Initial stabilization and therapy for variety of trauma and medical illnesses
  • Continuous care and therapy for hospitalized patients
  • Surgical repair of minor wounds and other injuries
  • Emergency soft tissue surgery such as GDV/gastropexy, enterotomy, resection/anastamosis, emergency ovariohysterectomy for pyometra (infection in the uterus), Cesarian section, splenectomy
  • Oxygen therapy and respiratory support
  • Nutritional support
  • Advanced pain management
  • Transfusion therapy
  • Arterial and central venous blood pressure monitoring
  • Pulse oximetry
  • Blood gas evaluation and monitoring
  • End-tidal carbon dioxide measurement
  • Electrocardiography (ECG) continual monitoring

Our ICU's specialized services and equipment:

  • 24-hour care and monitoring by veterinarians and veterinary technicians
  • Complete diagnostic lab for immediate test results
  • Blood gas analyzer
  • Emergency surgery
  • Small animal ICU equipment
  • Digital radiography and ultrasound
  • Oxygen therapy
  • Pulse oximetry, end-tidal CO2, blood pressure and continuous ECG monitoring
  • Continuous rate infusion for IV fluids and medications
  • Advanced pain management
  • Video-endoscopy
  • Nutritional support

What is Critical Care?

While an emergency is unfolding, or throughout recovery from a serious illness or accident, ongoing diagnostic and therapeutic care and constant monitoring of your pet's condition may be required. Many emergency and critical care facilities offer 24-hour supervision of critically ill pets and may have dedicated Intensive Care and Critical Units (ICU/CCU). Such facilities are equipped to provide oxygen therapy, cardiac monitoring, blood transfusion, and nutritional support. Such facilities also typically have advanced diagnostic capabilities onsite, such as ultrasound, echocardiography, CT scan and MRI.

Will My Regular Veterinarian Still Be Involved?

Most emergency hospitals work on a referral basis with general practitioners. In some cases, your pet will only be referred to the emergency service for after-hours care. In other cases, your pet may be in the care of the emergency and appropriate specialist for the duration of the emergency and recovery, but then referred back to your general practitioner veterinarian for follow up and routine care.

Frequently Asked Questions

It goes without saying that the best way to avoid an emergency is to prevent it in the first place. To reduce the chances that you will experience an emergency situation during the lifetime of your pet, consider the following tips:  

Follow your veterinarian's advice regarding all relevant wellness care, including vaccinations, age appropriate health screenings, and parasite prevention.

Prevent traumatic injury by keeping pets under your control at all times. Keep cats indoors and dogs fenced. When pets venture outdoors, keep them leashed at all times. If you do allow them off leash, limit this privilege to large enclosed areas away from traffic, other potentially aggressive pets, and wildlife.

Invest the time in training your pet to obey simple commands, such as Come, Sit, Down, Stay, and No.

Never leave your pet alone or unattended in a car, even with the windows open.

Pet proof your home, removing all potential hazards from your pet's reach, much the same as you would do with an infant or toddler.

Supervise your pet as much as possible. Puppies and kittens, just like human babies, like to explore with their mouths. Supervising them during playtime can prevent their ingesting poisonous substances or choking hazards.

If your pet is coping with a chronic illness, carefully follow all of your veterinarian's recommendations regarding medication administration and check ups.  

Make sure you know ahead of time what your veterinarian's policy is regarding emergency care, both during regular practice hours and after hours. If your veterinarian does not have a referral relationship in place, then make sure you know the location of the closest emergency referral center for your area.

If your pet has an ongoing medical problem that could result in a sudden emergency, make sure you keep any pertinent medical records in a handy place so that you can quickly locate them and bring them with you to the emergency service or hospital in the event of a crisis.

Keep your veterinarian's phone number and any emergency phone numbers and directions next to your phone along with all other important emergency information for your family.

Know basic first aid tips for pets. Ask your veterinarian for these ahead of time during a routine wellness exam

Handle With Care

Pain, fear, and shock can make animals behave differently. When you are faced with a pet emergency, remember that even the most well trained and loving pet can behave differently when feeling ill or in pain. Also realize that even relatively small animals, such as cats or small dogs, are capable of inflicting serious bite and scratch wounds when they are disoriented and in pain. If this occurs, it is important not to take such actions personally, but to realize that it is an expression of the extreme pain or disorientation your pet may be experiencing at the time.

Approach all injured pets with caution. Despite your natural wish to comfort your ill or wounded pet, do not place your face or hands near his or her head until you can assess your pet's condition. If you feel you cannot safely manage the emergency situation, ask your veterinarian for advice on how to handle and transport your pet when you call to report the emergency. Sometimes wrapping small, injured pets in towels (taking care not to cause further injury or pain) or placing larger pets in crates or carriers for transport may be the safest option for both you and your pet.
 

Veterinarians who want to become board certified in emergency and critical care medicine must seek additional training to become a specialist and earn this prestigious credentialing. Specialty status is granted by the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC). A veterinarian who has received this specialty status will list the initials, 'DACVECC,' after his or her DVM degree. Or, the veterinarian may indicate that he or she is a 'Diplomate' of the ACVECC. The word 'Diplomate' typically means the specialist has achieved the following:  

Obtained a veterinary degree (three to four years of college plus four years of veterinary school).

Completed a one-year internship at a referral private practice or veterinary teaching hospital.

Completed an additional three years of advanced training in emergency medicine, surgery, and critical care through a residency at a veterinary teaching hospital where the veterinarian will have trained with some of the best specialists in the field and obtained hands on experience. This training focuses on the most up to date techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of life threatening disease processes or injuries, not only for the duration of the emergency but throughout the critical care period right after.

Passed a rigorous examination.

After completing and passing all of these requirements, the veterinarian is then recognized by his or her peers as a board certified specialist in veterinary emergency and critical care. When your pet faces an emergency, years of additional training and education will be focused on helping him or her to recover from injury or illness and enjoy the highest quality of life possible.
 

Stay calm and call your veterinarian immediately. Even if it is after hours, most veterinarians have recordings that explain how to obtain emergency help for a pet when the practice is closed. Do not leave a voicemail.

If you do not have a local veterinarian or you are travelling when your emergency happens, search online for the nearest emergency veterinary facility. It is always best practice to call the emergency hospital to determine if they are open and able to receive emergencies and can prepare for your arrival.

High Tech Help

Much of the same high tech equipment that human doctors use to help critically ill humans is also available to help save injured or seriously ill pets. Emergency and Critical Care specialists are more likely to have access to the following cutting edge equipment or capabilities to help your pet recover:

  • Supplemental oxygen delivered via oxygen cages or nasal tubes
  • Pulse oximeters
  • Blood gas monitoring
  • End tidal carbon dioxide measurement
  • Colloid oncotic pressure measurement
  • Continuous ECG monitoring and telemetry
  • Ultrasonography
  • Endoscopy
  • Blood pressure and central venous pressure measurements
  • Blood transfusions
  • Advanced imaging techniques, such as CT scans and MRI