Taking your pet to an emergency veterinary hospital is generally unexpected and can be very emotional. At the Animal Emergency Center, we strive to make the experience as calm and efficient as possible.
When you arrive at Animal Emergency Center, please ring the doorbell and you will be greeted by one of our nurses or nurse assistants. You will be given our sign-in sheet to fill out, or you may print this off of our website and bring it with you. If possible, we will place you directly into one of our exam rooms, or you may be asked to wait in the lobby until an exam room is available. We pride ourselves on a wait time in the lobby of no more than one hour, however, due to the nature of emergency medicine, wait times may vary.
Because we see emergency patients only, no appointments are made for our hospital. We always accept walk-in patients during our business hours. Patients are seen based on the severity of their condition, or otherwise on a first-come, first-serve basis.
If your pet is in critical condition and requires immediate medical attention, the nurse will triage your patient to our treatment area while you fill our new client form. As soon as your pet is stabilized, a nurse or doctor will update you as to your pet's condition.
When you are placed in an exam room with your pet, you will first meet one of our highly experienced veterinary nurses. The nurse will ask you questions about your pet's history, as well as why your pet is being brought in today. The nurse will then check and record your pet's basic vital signs: weight, heart rate, respiration rate and temperature. After all of this information is obtained, the nurse will enter your record into our practice management software and give a brief synopsis to the doctor. Your pet will then be examined by one of our doctors, who will do a full physical exam, from nose to tail, and discuss with you his or her findings. Based on the doctor's findings, an estimate for needed diagnostics and treatment will be created. Your nurse will go over this estimate with you, collect payment, and begin treatment for your pet. Please see the section of our website titled "Services" to see a full listing of diagnostic and treatment services available at our hospital.
Based on the doctor's findings, some pets will require hospitalization overnight or for the weekend. Your pet will be admitted to our intensive care unit and monitored closely by our nurses and doctors. Patients that are hospitalized for a weeknight are to be picked up no later than 7am the following morning and transferred to your regular veterinarian for continued care. Weekend patients are to be picked up no later than Monday morning at 7am.
Upon checkout or pickup you will be provided with an invoice of the services performed as well as copies of x-rays if taken, a letter stating all of the doctor's findings, all blood work results, and the doctor's recommendations for continued care. We also fax all of this information to your pet's primary care veterinarian so that they are also aware of the care that your pet received at our hospital.
On behalf of Dr. Brown-Tabbenor and the Animal Emergency Center team, we would like to thank you for the opportunity that you have entrusted us with the care of your beloved pet during your time of emergency.