When your pet is injured or unwell, you want to do everything—immediately—to help them feel better. Usually, this begins with a trip to the vet. However, when your primary vet clinic is closed and you must choose between a veterinary emergency center and a veterinary urgent care facility such as UrgentVet, making the right choice can ensure your pet receives the fastest and most appropriate care for their condition.
To help you feel confident in a crisis, the UrgentVet team has compiled this guide on when to seek urgent or emergent veterinary care.
Everything feels like an emergency, but sometimes it’s not
As fellow pet lovers, we understand that having a sick or injured pet can seem like a critical event, but many common pet issues can be better managed through veterinary urgent care. The same is true in human medicine, where over half of the 131 million emergency room visits in 2020 were considered avoidable or non-emergent.1
What is a veterinary emergency?
Generally speaking, emergencies are life-threatening conditions that require rapid intervention, including advanced diagnostics, procedures, treatments, or hospitalization. In addition to obvious emergencies such as being hit by a car, falling from a height, uncontrollable bleeding, or recurring seizures, pets suffering from severe pain, weakness, or difficulty breathing are also candidates for emergency care.
What is veterinary urgent care?
Similar to urgent care for people, veterinary urgent care fills the gap between your pet’s regular veterinarian and an emergency center. Urgent care is intended to provide convenient, timely treatment for non-life threatening, minor conditions when your pet’s primary veterinarian is closed or otherwise unavailable (e.g., you’re traveling with your pet or your regular vet is booked). To ensure we’re here when you need us, UrgentVet is open after hours and on weekends every day of the year.
Why it matters
Knowing where to go is more than a matter of convenience, it ensures the best possible care for your pet. The advantages to choosing the correct location for your pet’s care include:
- Specialized technology and training — Emergency centers are equipped with advanced technology to provide fast stabilization, life-saving care, and round-the-clock hospitalization. Emergency care veterinarians and personnel are also trained to provide a rapid and accurate response for many emergencies.
- Faster treatment — At urgent and emergency veterinary care centers, pets are prioritized or triaged based on the severity of their condition. While this ensures rapid treatment for critical pets at an emergency center, it also means longer wait times for pets with stable or minor conditions. At UrgentVet, we don’t treat life-threatening conditions, which means most pets can be seen and cared for by an UrgentVet veterinarian more quickly than at an emergency center.
- Affordable care — Veterinary urgent care costs are generally lower than emergency fees, helping you save money while helping your pet feel better. However, urgent care is not a substitute for emergency services. If your pet’s condition is life-threatening or requires advanced care, an UrgentVet team member will refer you to the nearest 24/7/365 emergency center.
Recognizing a pet emergency
Pet emergencies aren’t always obvious because pets can hide pain and illness. However, there are some classic events and signs that indicate an emergency. These include:
- Uncontrollable or multiple seizures, or a seizure lasting longer than five minutes
- Respiratory distress (e.g, gasping, wheezing, or struggling to breathe)
- Uncontrollable bleeding
- Major wounds and lacerations
- Sudden extreme weakness or paralysis
- Hit by car
- Fall from a height
- Obvious broken bone or leg trauma
- Extreme lethargy or unresponsiveness
- Swollen abdomen
- Heat stroke
Common veterinary urgent care conditions and signs
UrgentVet provides convenient, knowledgeable, after-hours care for the majority of non-life threatening pet health problems such as:
- Allergies, itching, and skin problems
- Back pain
- Bites and stings
- Coughing or sneezing
- Changes in eating or drinking habits
- Diarrhea
- Ear infections
- Limping
- Minor wounds
- Toenail or paw pad injuries
- Toxin ingestion
- Urinary tract infections
- Vomiting
- And many, many more
When your regular veterinarian is unavailable, an UrgentVet location near you is the best way to ensure your pet receives timely, compassionate care for non-life threatening conditions. If follow-up or higher-level care is necessary, your pet will be referred back to your primary veterinarian or the nearest emergency or specialty center.
What if I can’t tell the difference?
At UrgentVet, we’re here when you and your pet need us. If you’re unsure about your pet’s behavior or condition, let us help:
- Contact us — Call the UrgentVet location near you.
- Speak to a team member — Describe your pet’s behavior, illness, or injury to one of our trained and compassionate team members.
- Stay calm — We created UrgentVet because your pet can’t wait to feel better. Whether that means receiving care at one of our locations or directing you to the nearest emergency center, rest assured that ensuring your pet’s health, comfort, and safety—as well as your peace of mind—is our priority and passion.
Knowing the difference between an urgent and emergent pet health condition can help you save time in a critical situation, and it can also help ensure your four-legged friend receives timely, accurate, and sometimes more affordable care that suits their specific needs. When non-life threatening illness or injury strikes and your regular vet is closed, don’t panic—let UrgentVet help. Simply call or save your spot online, then breathe—we’ll help you both feel better!