A question about emergency veterinary services

lorie d.

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This might seem like a strange question, but I have a tendency to panic when something happens to one of my cats. And I am really confused about emergency services provided by vets. A couple of times in the past I have had older cats develop physical problems at inconvenient times. Both times I called my own veterinary clinic and I talked to the vet on call over the phone, but I was always told to wait until the clinic opened to bring the cat in. Both times it was possible to do this. Also my own veterinary clinic is supposed to provide 24 hour emergency service.

I have one older cat right now, and I want to be prepared in case of a sudden crisis that can't wait. I can't locate any veterinary clinics in my area that are open 24 hours a day. Does this mean that if the cat had a major problem like a sudden stroke in the middle of the night, it would just have to suffer until regular business hours?
 

cooie

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Well, this is the way it worked in my town before we got a off-hours emergency vet.

You would call your vet and the answering service would take a message and immediately call your vet (or whoever was on call if he has a cooperative on-call agreement with other vets). The vet would then do phone triage and either tell you to bring the cat to the clinic in the morning or arrange to meet you at the clinic.

Since your vet is 24 hour, I'm sure it would operate in a very similar manner.

In my town, the vets in the area decided to open the emergency clinic and take turns manning it. It is only open when the vets are closed - weekends, nights and holidays.

The downside to someone poor like me, is that my vet will allow me to pay out an emergency bill - the emergency clinic requires payment up front.

They will, sadly, put down a cat in distress with a terminal illness at no charge (the only time I've had to use them).
 
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lorie d.

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Thanks Cooie
You helped clear up a lot of my confusion about emergency veterinary services.
 

jakenjinx

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usually what happens w/my vet is they call the vet and the vet/owner together determine whether the cat needs to be seen right away - now my vet has referred all their emergencies to a clinic on off business hours, because they are so understaffed as it is.

The only thing I don't like about that is the vets at that clinic are like "oh bring the cat and your credit card". Even if you just want to ask a question (ie, do you THINK I should bring them in) - they won't even tell you anything over the phone and I DO NOT LIKE THAT AT ALL. Just bring your money - we'll take it, even if we don't have to


Fortunately, I have a very good relationship w/my vet, so when I call the answering service, I insist on speaking to my vet in very extreme cases (like when I had to put romeo to sleep).
 

valanhb

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Fortunately, I've only had to use the emergency service at my vet once. They have a vet working at the clinic 24-hours a day, which also makes me feel a lot better about ever having to leave my babies there overnight. We called and told the vet Trent's symptoms (he had a high fever due to infection), and she told us to come right in. We obviously had to pay for "emergency service" since this all happened around midnight, but it was nice to be able to have that service.

I guess I just assumed that a full service vet clinic would have this type of set-up. I mean, they have animals recovering from major surgery there who need to be monitored. They don't close up hospitals at night and let the patients fend for themselves. Was I wrong in assuming that vets have someone monitoring their patients 24-hours??
 

jeanie g.

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I remember posting, near the end of Feb., that Precious, my Siamese queen, was spotting. I called my vet and was referred to the emergency vet. I was told that since I am home bound they would not accept either my check nor credit card. I explained that Precious had suffered with uterine inertia before, to which they intimated, "Tough! Send the cash!" (More politely, but that was the message.) I called a vet--this was a SUNDAY night- to whose clinic I had been only once. I know he didn't know me, but took my word, and asked only, "How soon can someone get her here?" He gave her a shot of pituitrin. It cost $80, but the emergency vet would have charged much more. She lost the kittens two days later, and has now been spayed. If I can get my family to travel the extra miles, he's the vet I would prefer. His first concern was the animal, not the cash.
 

jakenjinx

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tell your vet about this?!?!? God, I can't stand some people..... I got the same kinda crap when my cat was having a heart attack in front of me.... oh... we'll need 80 bucks up front...bla bla bla.... gimme a break. Thank goodness for my animals that I've had a great vet for 20 years....sheesh.... I'm sorry that happened to you
 

cooie

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valanhb, most vets have someone on the premises intermittently during off hours. Even then it's seldom a vet, and not always a vet tech. It depends on the vet him/herself if they'll check in or stay with a critically ill animal, but as a rule they don't for routine hospitalizations.

I have only been a client of/employed by smaller animal hospitals, 1 to 3 vets. Larger ones may be different.
 

valanhb

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Wow, I guess I have a pretty good clinic! At least the night that Trent was sick, it was an honest-to-god vet that was there. She told us that the vets take turns manning the clinic so that there is always an actual vet there to take emergencies. It isn't that big of an office, either. I guess they are just committed to their patients!
 
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