Frequently Asked Questions

An emergency visit can be as quick as 30 minutes or as long as several hours. Timing is dependent on the overall hospital caseload and your pet's specific medical needs, which can vary from stable to critically ill. A veterinary emergency room is similar to a human emergency department in that wait times are variable, but our goal is to get your pet seen and treated as efficiently as possible. Our staff will keep you updated, and we very much appreciate your patience throughout your visit.

Yes, we carry the antibody therapy for rattlesnake bites, and water moccasin bites.

If your pet is deemed stable, a triage nurse will take vitals and ask you for a brief history on what has brought your pet into the hospital. Our doctor will perform a physical exam on your pet and may ask more detailed questions. A treatment plan will be discussed and an estimate will be presented to you based on the your pets needs. Once you give approval, diagnostics and treatments will begin. If your pet is not stable, a doctor will meet you in the exam room to discuss how your pet is doing and what their recommend as the next best steps. You are involved in all decisions regarding your pet's care and we will do our best to keep you with your pet as much as possible.

If your pet is in medical distress, the front desk staff will prioritize calling the triage veterinary nurse who will assess your pet as quickly as possible. In most instances of true distress, we may take your pet into our treatment area where stabilization will be started while our team works with you on information gathering. You can expect to be taken into an exam room where an emergency doctor will meet you to discuss the status of your pet family member and next best steps for your pet. If your pet is deemed stable, we will keep your pet with you as long as possible

Due to the complexity of the conditions that we treat and the procedures we perform, postoperative complications may occur.  These could require extended hospitalization and additional diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.  We will try to discuss common potential complications with you prior to surgery.  However, it is impossible to anticipate every complication associated with any surgical procedure.  Should complications arise, we will make every effort to keep you informed of your pet’s status, what further steps will be required in managing these complications, and any additional potential costs.  These costs are not included in your initial estimate, but we will do our best to apprise you of them in this event.

A thorough surgical evaluation can be extensive and time-consuming, so we ask that petowners prepare for a 2-5 hour visit.  Because time is so valuable, many petowners choose to leave their pet with us during this segment so that we can complete the diagnostic services or tests needed to obtain a definitive diagnosis and treatment plan.

Our surgeons will discuss the recommended follow up appointment plan with you prior to surgery and again when your pet is discharged.   Surgical procedures require diligence on the part of the owner to return for the designated rechecks in order to evaluate progress after surgery and address any issue that may arise.

In order to determine the best plan of care for your pet, our team would obtain and review a detailed medical history (including medical records or diagnostics from your referring veterinarian), and perform a physical examination of your pet.  After this exam and review, we would formulate our initial assessment along with any additional diagnostic recommendations and a proposed treatment and/or surgery plan. 

While many surgical cases need monitoring for pain management and complications of anesthesia and/or surgery, we do not keep pets overnight at this time. However, if we feel that your pet’s case may need additional aftercare, we would recommend and help facilitate any aftercare needed at a facility designed to handle this. 

We will discuss the care needed for your pet, as well as answer any questions you may have before your pet goes home.   You will also receive detailed discharge instructions on the day your pet goes home.  A copy will also be sent to your regular veterinarian. We will be available by phone…..and will touch base the following business day.

Every effort is made to discuss fees prior to and during treatment.  The costs associated with specialized medical care are often a concern for families.  Due to the nature of some medical conditions however, it is not always possible to precisely predict the outcome or associated costs.  If substantial deviation from the treatment plan is anticipated, you will be informed by our staff and a new estimate of costs will be presented to you before any new or additional measures are implemented. For your convenience we accept cash, MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express. The hospital does not offer any payment plans, however we do accept Care Credit and Scratch Pay, which are two payment plan options that you can apply for quickly, and within minutes receive a credit-line approval.. Care Credit offers 6 month 0 interest and extended plans with a monthly APR. Unfortunately we can not accept personal checks.

Blood work, radiographs, and/or ultrasound, CT scans, MRI, dye studies, or surgical biopsies are all methods that help establish a diagnosis and form treatment options.

Our professional team is a wonderful mix of experienced Veterinarians, Board-Certified Veterinary Specialists, Certified Veterinary Technicians, and Veterinary Technicians, with backgrounds that vary from Emergency/Critical Care and Oncology to Orthopedics and Soft Tissue/Minimally Invasive Surgery.