We sincerely hope that you’ll never find out what it’s like to visit an emergency veterinarian.
But if you own pets your whole life, there’s a chance that there will come a time when you need medical help when your regular vet isn’t open. And if that happens, we want you to be prepared and fully understand what to expect.
1. Let Us Know You’re Coming
While we don’t take appointments for emergency vet visits, we can better prepare for your animal’s situation if we know you’re on the way. This is especially important if your pet’s illness or injury is immediately life threatening.
If you’re not sure if it is, in fact, an emergency you can always call to ask first. Click here to check out some common conditions that do require a visit to an emergency vet.
2. Have Medical Records Ready
You may not be able to access your pet’s medical records if your regular veterinarian’s office is closed, and that’s OK. If you are able to keep them on hand or access them digitally though, that’s ideal. Your pet’s condition could be a random, one-off situation or it could be related to an ongoing health issue. Without their records, it will be difficult for us to know.
3. Be Ready to Wait
To every pet owner, their own furry friend’s health is the most important thing in the world. To our professional veterinarian staff, all of our patients are equally important. So the only way to determine who gets seen first is by the severity and urgency of their condition. This approach to medical intervention is called triage and it’s used in all emergency rooms around the world.
We understand that this can be stressful, but we urge you to try to stay calm, and rest assured that we’re working as hard as we can to see all patients as quickly as possible. While you wait, you will probably be asked to fill out some paperwork about your pet and their situation. One of our techs might also approach you to ask some questions that will help us better understand their injury or illness. All of this is done in an effort to triage appropriately.
4. We May Take Your Pet Back Without You
You’re probably used to accompanying your dog into your vet’s exam room during normal appointments. While each emergency vet is different, you should be prepared to be asked to wait in the waiting room while your pet is taken back.
When it comes to emergency medical interventions, it’s often easier for us to do our jobs if we’re not concerned with upsetting our patients’ owners. Don’t hesitate to ask if you can accompany your pet as it might be OK. But if we ask you to wait outside, please understand there’s a good reason for that.
5. Be Prepared Financially
Before embarking on a treatment plan, we will always update you and ask for your permission.At this point, we will also discuss the costs associated with treatment. It’s difficult to think of money when your pet’s health is on the line, but it’s just something we have to address. Please feel free to ask questions about the costs and your options. If your pet needs to stay for treatment, we will ask you to pay a deposit. And when they’re discharged, full payment is required.
Every member of our staff is also a pet owner, so we’re always sympathetic to the stress and anxiety of bringing your pet to an emergency vet. We hope that understanding more about what happens and why will help you to feel more secure when and if you ever need to visit us.
