Important Notice: Please call the clinic ahead of time to ensure that we are open as we have incremental closures currently. Please be kind, we will not tolerate any kind of abuse towards our staff. Thank you for your cooperation.

What to Expect

How it Works

When you arrive at our clinic, your pet is our priority. We want to make your visit as comfortable and low stress as possible for your pet and your family.

Registration

The first step when you arrive will include checking in and registration at the reception desk. You will be asked to provide your contact information, the name of your regular veterinary clinic, and details about your pet.

Arrival

After checking in, our trained emergency registered veterinary technicians will take you and your pet to an examination room. They will check your pet’s temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, weight, history, and then give that information to the doctor.

If your pet has had diagnostic workup (bloodwork, radiographs, ultrasound, etc) done at your regular veterinary clinic, they will send it to us or you will bring it with you. The doctor will look at the results and then discuss any abnormal findings with you, if there are any. The doctor will also ask questions about your pet’s condition.

We need to check your pet’s overall health before performing anesthesia and surgery. If your pet has not had diagnostics done, we will perform them here. This may include bloodwork and/or radiographs.

Triage

If your pet is having trouble breathing, has collapsed, or is not stable for the initial physical examination, we will need to quickly stabilize them. In that case, we will take your pet straight from reception to our treatment area, and you will be waiting in reception. Stabilizing your pet may involve giving medications, IV fluids, blood products, sedation, or oxygen.

As soon as your pet is stable, the doctor will talk to you and answer any questions you may have.

Treatment / Surgery

First your pet will receive a mild sedative or tranquillizer before the anesthesia. This will help your pet to calm down while we prepare them for surgery.

After the sedation takes effect, your pet will have an IV catheter placed. This requires that their legs are shaved to ensure the skin is as clean as possible. They will have an endotracheal tube placed in their throat so that we can regulate and monitor their breathing and provide oxygen and anesthetic gas. The surgical site and surrounding area will be shaved and cleaned to prepare for surgery.

During the surgery, your pet will be monitored the whole time by a registered veterinary technician and monitoring equipment. The monitoring includes heart rate, respiratory rate, heart rhythm, temperature, oxygenation, and blood pressure.

Recovery / Waiting Time

After the surgery, your pet will continue to be monitored while recovering from the anesthesia.

The doctor will call you with any updates, and will inform you when your pet is awake and ready to go home.