Emergency & ICU

We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
365 days per year to help you in an Emergency situation

24-hour Emergency Service

We offer 24-hour Emergency Service with a full-time staff of 8 emergency veterinarians and a support staff of veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, and receptionists. With a staff focused on the practice of Emergency and Intensive Care medicine, we can provide emergency service around the clock to you and your pet.

Being transferred from your regular veterinarian?

24 hour constant monitoring of your pet is a crucial component in the treatment of many diseases. Your veterinarian may refer your pet for medical supervision after hours. A detailed history would be forwarded and the care of your pet continued. This is especially important for critical cases such as seizures, respiratory or breathing disorders, diabetes etc. This gives you the peace of mind knowing your pet is being cared for while you sleep.

Triage

Soon after your arrival a veterinary technician will assess your pet and discuss the case with the veterinarian. Patients will then be seen as soon as possible in order of urgency. We appreciate your patience in this matter.

Medical Fees

Each patient is charged a consultation fee and an emergency fee that covers the doctor's initial examination and assessment. Additional fees are charged for diagnostics and treatments required based on your pet's condition. An estimate for these charges will be presented and discussed with you in advance.

If you have financial concerns, please let us know. Independent financing can be applied for through Petcard by calling 1-888-689-9876 or visiting www.petcard.ca

Over the Phone Medical Assistance

Because of the serious and sensitive nature of emergency and critical care veterinary medicine, the emergency service at Alta Vista Animal Hospital does not give medical diagnoses or advice over the phone or through e-mail. The health of your pet is very important to us. We believe that in order to give you and your pet the appropriate care, we must see your animal before we can accurately give a diagnosis or advice. We are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for emergency and critical cases. Your regular veterinarian may be best suited for non-emergency questions or concerns.

For more information about pet-related emergencies, please visit the First Aid and Emergency Care reference guide.

Intensive Care Unit

Pets with serious and life-threatening medical and surgical conditions are treated in our 24 hour Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Our Intensive Care staff are responsible for caring for a wide variety of cases including:

• Trauma
• Immune-mediated Diseases
• Heart Failure
• Kidney and Liver Failure
• Cancer
• Gastrointestinal Diseases
• Diabetes
• Toxicities
• Neurological diseases
• Respiratory diseases
• Post-operative surgical management

We are equipped to monitor blood pressure, oxygen saturation, heart rhythms via EGC as well as a number of different blood parameters. We provide pain management, oxygen therapy, fluid and drug therapy, blood and plasma transfusions, and nutritional support.