If you're a pet owner, you might be wondering what critical veterinary care is and when an injury is qualified as an emergency for your companion. In this post, our Memphis veterinarians discuss what animal critical care is and what classifies a pet emergency.
What is animal critical care?
Just like humans, pets have emergency hospital services available to them in case of trauma or severe injury. Animal critical care is a service at some veterinary clinics similar to the emergency wing at a hospital that ambulances will take patients to.
Critical care is typically offered on a 24/hour basis in emergency animal hospitals. When your pet has an emergency, it can be very scary, so owners should know what their options are for their pets in these situations.
Who can offer critical care to pets?
Critical veterinary care is a specialized service that requires a particular qualification to be performed. Veterinary critical care specialists at some hospitals are able to perform care for seriously ill or injured pets in an emergency state.
At Animal Emergency Center, our qualified veterinarians are equipped with the knowledge and tools to intake animals who require critical care. Depending on their condition, your vet might take your pet in overnight and/or provide detailed after-care instructions for when you take your companion home.
Because critical animal care requires a specialization, not every animal hospital offers emergency services. This is why, if your pet is having a medical emergency, it is important to know what emergency and 24/hour animal hospitals are near you. Even if you know of a 24/hour emergency animal hospital, always take care to call ahead to ensure that the veterinarian is available to take your pet when you arrive.
What to Expect in the ICU
The animal intensive care unit (ICU) is a caring and compassionate environment for critically ill animals that provides advanced monitoring and treatment of injury and ailment.
While in critical care, there are a number of services that can be offered to your pet depending on their condition. Some of these services include:
- CPR
- Arterial Blood Gas Test
- Multimodal Analgesia
- Continuous Chest Drainage
- Long-term Mechanical Ventilation
- Status Epilepticus Treatments
- Transfusion Therapy
- Vasopressor Therapy
- Parenteral Nutrition
- Peritoneal Dialysis
Our critical care team at Animal Emergency Center in Memphis will take care to choose the best treatment method for your pet.
