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Veterinary Urgent Care by ETHOS

Golden retrievers running in a field of tulips

What is Urgent Care?

Veterinary Urgent Care vs. ER

Where Do I Bring My Pet?

When a person is sick, we have several treatment options for medical care. We know when to go to an emergency hospital when we need to get same-day urgent care, and when it’s ok to wait and see our PCP. This wasn’t the case in veterinary medicine until recently. Happily, animal urgent care clinics have started to become more common, giving us more options for same-day treatment of stable, but painful conditions.  As a pet owner, it’s important to understand what options are available near you so you can be prepared in the event your dog or cat needs you to spring into action.

Depending upon the severity of your dog or cat’s medical condition, you might choose to go to an ER, an animal urgent care clinic, or your GP. The list below is incomplete, but it covers some of the more common emergencies and conditions that should be seen by each of these different types of veterinary medical care facilities.

Where Should I Bring My Pet?
Primary Care VetUrgent Care VetEmergency Hospital
Sneezing or runny noseVomiting/diarrhea with change in behaviorForeign body or toxin ingestion
Coughing without respiratory distressEyes: redness, discharge, or squintingSerious trauma (i.e. hit by car)
Itchy ears or skinPorcupine quillsCannot breathe, choking
ScootingBlood in urine or stoolUnconsciousness/collapse
LimpingWounds & injuriesBroken bone
Hot spotsLameness, difficulty walkingBloating, retching, or unproductive vomiting
Vomiting/diarrhea 1-2x within 24 hours but acting normalAllergic reactionsStraining or unable to defecate or urinate
Broken nailTick-borne diseaseSnake bite

What Should I Know About Veterinary Urgent Care?

Veterinary Urgent Care clinics are open later in the day and into the evening, 7 days per week.  In this way we can extend the number of hours where urgent pet care is available after your family vet has closed for the day. Pets in stable condition who can’t wait to get an appointment with their regular veterinarian should be seen at an animal urgent care clinic. Having an appointment eliminates the need to wait at a busy emergency room when your pet is uncomfortable, but stable.

Same-Day Appointments

A human can tell you what is hurting and provide some possible scenarios for why it might be hurting, a pet doesn’t have that luxury.  Our appointments are intentionally only available for the same day because some conditions really can’t wait, if you can’t get an appointment with one of our clinics, please continue to seek care for your pet elsewhere as soon as possible.

Veterinary Urgent Care is part of Ethos Veterinary Health. We have 24-hour emergency/critical care and specialty referral hospitals nationwide.

ETHOS EMERGENCY HOSPITALS >

Veterinarian Holding a Brown Dog in a Clinic

Emergency and Triage

Patient Severity Index

Patient Severity Index

Emergency veterinary hospitals are geared to provide life-saving care.  Patients are triaged and treated based on the severity of their condition. A patient who needs medical care, but who is more stable than a pet in a life-threatening condition, will be asked to wait.

At Veterinary Urgent Care, all our patients are stable, so your pet will be seen at his or her scheduled appointment. We treat patients who are at levels 4 and 5 on the patient severity triage index graphic below. This allows you to wait more comfortably at home, knowing your pet will get the care he or she needs and can reduce stress and anxiety for everyone involved, including your pet.

Daycare
Canine
LuxuryPremiumStandard
5x7 Cage-free Space
Luxury Kuranda® Dog Bedding
Daily Peanut Butter Kong
Daily Choice of Coat or Tooth Brushing
One Daily Individual Playtime
Nightly Price$51$41$30
Additional canine in the same suite: 2nd dog is $20 per day, and 3rd dog is $19.50 per day.
Feline
LuxuryPremiumStandard
10 Cubic Foot Fun Cat Condo
Cozy Bedding
Daily Coat Brushing
Purr Time
Nightly Price$43$33$22
Additional feline in the same suite: 2nd cat is $17 per day. Additional private cat boarding available in the medical area for our senior, shy and medical cat boarders.