Emergency Care Service – when is it an emergency?
We have an ‘Emergency Care Service’ that operates afterhours to service both of our clinics. This service is available to help our clients when they are faced with a pet emergency.
A ‘veterinary emergency’ is defined as “any sudden, unforeseen injury, illness or complication in an animal, demanding immediate or early veterinary treatment to save life or to provide timely relief from unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress”.
Some pet emergencies include (but not limited too)
- Significant trauma (such as a road traffic accident or dog attack)
- Respiratory distress – trouble breathing, non stop coughing or gagging
- Cardiac issues
- Severe bleeding
- Toxic ingestion (antifreeze, chocolate, rat bait, xylitol)
- Seizures or staggering
- Unconsciousness
- Complications during labour or delivery
- Bloated stomach
- Severe Vomiting or diarrhoea
- Heatstroke
- Eye injuries
- Unable to pass urine or feces
- Not moving – extremely lethargic
Things that are not urgent include:
- flea/worm treatment questions
- booking routine appointments/surgeries
- asking to check clinical records for vax history
- pricing or information about food
- behaviour issues
These questions can wait until normal business hours or you can chat with our Virtual Vet Nurse Bruce who can give you information about products – you will find him on our website.
- If you need to organise a repeat prescription try our website
- If you need to book a routine appointment – book online via our website
If you pet becomes unwell or hurt during our closed hours – please call our normal phone number (06) 7584006. If we do not answer straight away, please leave a clear detailed message regarding your concerns and wait for the vet to return your call.
We do ask before you call our emergency service, that you take a moment to pause and think whether your pet requires emergency care or could be seen by a vet during normal business hours. In that case we encourage you to wait and contact the clinic when we are open again.