What to expect when bringing your pet for an emergency or urgent care.
Just like the human ER, our hospital accepts walk-ins and we triage pets according to what is going on with them. We know you are worried, and we will work hard to move quickly and appropriately based on your pet’s symptoms.
When you arrive, a client service representative will meet you and provide you with some paperwork to fill out and ask specific questions about why you are bringing your pet it. They will relay that to our nurses. If necessary, a nurse may come ask more questions and triage your pet. This means they will conduct a preliminary assessment of your pet in order to determine the urgency of their need for treatment and the nature of treatment required. They may look at gum color, feel their pulse, get a heart rate, assess for any difficulty breathing, and check the mentation or alertness of your pet.
Once the nurse does their evaluation, they may say that your pet seems stable at the moment, and add your pet to the list of other stable pets waiting to be seen. Or they may take your pet into our treatment area for further assessments to ensure your pet is not in a critical condition, shock, or require other stabilization methods.
What Happens Next?
Assuming that your pet is in stable condition, all that’s left is to wait for the doctor to see your pet. How long you wait really depends on what is currently going on:
- Is there a list of stable patients ahead of you, waiting to be seen?
- Are there more critical patients we may be dealing with?
- Or, did a critical patient arrive after you, bumping you and your pet down the waiting list because your pet is more stable than the critical patient that needs us immediately?
Wait times after bringing your pet into any emergency vet or urgent care vet can vary greatly, but it really depends on what is currently going on. It can be a quick visit of about 45 to 60 minutes if your pet is in stable condition or is not seriously ill. On the other hand, it can be a much longer wait if the hospital is busy, has multiple critical and/or stable patients, and your pet requires certain diagnostics. It is best to ask the staff for a rough wait time estimate and do your part in asking for updates if you have not been updated in a while.
What Happens Once You Have Seen the Doctor?
In a perfect work situation we would have unlimited doctors and extra nurses and support staff just waiting for patients. Unfortunately, we all know this is not a perfect world and having unlimited staff is not always possible nor a responsible use of our resources. We staff to the “average” caseload in a day. We can never predict what days will see more emergencies or urgent care cases. This issue is currently compounded by a shortage of emergency veterinarians and trained nurses and support staff. We move as quickly as we safely can to meet the needs of each client and pet that comes through our doors. We ask that you treat our team with gratitude and respect since they are the ones that are here to help you and your pet.
Once your pet is seen by our doctor, they will discuss with you what he or she thinks may be going on with your pet. A nurse will create a treatment plan that includes prices. You can decide which aspects of the treatment plan you choose to accept or decline. From there, waiting really depends on what the recommendations are. We have the capability to do in-house lab screenings, such as blood counts, blood clotting analysis, biochemistries, urinalysis, digital x-rays, and ultrasounds. Additionally, we often submit radiographs electronically to an off-site board-certified radiologist who will use their advanced training to better interpret our x-rays to make sure nothing is missed. All of these diagnostics usually take another 1 to 2 hours to get results.
Once all results from the initial diagnostics are complete our veterinarian will discuss the recommended next steps. If hospitalization is not required, we will create an outpatient treatment plan. Most of the time, outpatient treatments include oral medications, some injections in hospital, subcutaneous fluids, or a mix of all three. After the nurse goes over the treatment plan and delivers the approved treatment to your pet, the doctor will complete paperwork to send home with you.
If your pet is severely injured or sick, we will discuss admitting your pet to the hospital for ongoing care and will provide an updated treatment plan with prices so that you can determine the best course of action for you and your pet. Additionally, if your pet has to stay with us we will make every effort to create a warm, safe, low stress, and comfortable housing situation for them. We have freshly laundered beds, blankets and towels to offer them so we ask that you do not leave any personal pet items with them. We know how much you love them and want them happy, and so do we. However, we also don’t want germs to come or go on any personal items or for a special item to be lost in our “laundry-land.”
What to expect at your Wellness visit.
What to expect for Integrative TCVM clients.
We want your visit to Allure to be as smooth as possible on you and your pet. Here are some tidbits to help you prepare.
- Allow about 60-120 minutes for your appointment. Whenever possible, arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time to ensure we have all the necessary information collected about you and your pet.
- We will make every effort to contact your family veterinarian before you arrive to obtain your pet’s medical records. You can help this process by contacting your family veterinarian and requesting the records be sent to us at info@allure.pet. Your family veterinarian can also upload your pet’s records in our private, electronic veterinarian portal.
- After your pet’s examination and assessment of their history, Dr. Bammel will create a treatment plan. This treatment plan will be discussed with you prior to any additional treatments, herbals, or therapies.
What to expect for Rehabilitation clients.
Your first appointment with our Physical Therapist, Nancy Doyle MPT, will focus on a comprehensive rehabilitation evaluation and creation of a customized therapy plan. Please arrive 10-15 minutes prior to your appointment time to complete paperwork. This appointment will last approximately 60 minutes, dependent on your pet’s needs and tolerance. The Therapist will take measurements, discuss your goals for your pet, and make recommendations for the rehabilitation plan. Depending upon your pet’s tolerance and the clinic’s appointment schedule, an initial treatment may also be provided at a discounted rate. In order to facilitate owner education and instructions, we ask that you remain with your pet during this visit.