What are Emergency Services?
In veterinary medicine, emergency services refer to medical treatments, diagnostic tests, and palliative care provided to patients (pet and other animals) in urgent, critical, or life-threatening medical situations.
Emergency services could involve care for a broken bone, a severe allergic reaction, kidney failure, unresponsiveness, severe dehydration, and more. Emergency services often involve testing -- such as MRI scans, CT scans, ultrasounds, bloodwork, urinalysis, and x-rays -- to determine the root issue so that your pet can be treated appropriately. Patients might require IV fluids, pain medication, surgery, a cast, and/or other treatment plans. In some cases, hospitalization may be necessary to treat and monitor pets in recovery.
How Emergency Services Work
Pet owners may find the need for emergency vet services no matter how careful they try to be, in which case they’ll have to take their pet to an emergency vet at a nearby animal hospital. A vet technician will most likely use the triage intake system to determine who receives critical care first, based on the severity of the pet’s emergency medical condition.
Pet owners with a pet insurance policy can receive reimbursement for up to 100% of unexpected vet costs (after the deductible is met). Note that emergency services related to sudden illness, such as heart or kidney failure, can only be covered under accident-illness insurance plans.
Key Takeaways
- Emergency services provide essential medical care in critical situations that threaten a pet’s life or pose serious harm to their health and wellbeing.
- Medical emergencies in pets often require veterinary services for testing, treatment, and occasional hospitalization necessary for the animal to heal.
