Urgent Care

URGENT CARE

Chaos seems to strike when we’re least prepared. When your pet needs urgent care, the last thing you want to have to do is research where to take them. At Long Lake Animal Hospital, we work hard every day to help our clients have peace of mind that they can call us when their pet needs immediate care. Our exceptional doctors and veterinary teams have experience in urgent cases and are ready to provide high-quality service for your pet during their time of need.

On Thursdays and Fridays from 2:00pm – 10:00pm, we take care of any issues that fall between the typical veterinarian practice visit and an emergency by appointment only.

Urgent Care vs. Emergency Care

Emergency veterinary hospitals prioritize and treat patients based on their symptoms or condition severity. Any patient needing medical attention but not in a life-threatening situation may be asked to wait.

An urgent care situation involves issues that need medical attention but are not life-threatening. These patients might be uncomfortable, but they are stable and can be seen at regular appointments.

Doctors in emergency hospitals use the patient severity index to decipher your pet’s condition. This index includes the following levels:

• Level one: Resuscitation – the patient is seen before all others, exhibiting severe physical trauma or cardiac arrest.
• Level two: Emergent – these traumas are not life-threatening but are time-sensitive, including a venomous snake bite and heatstroke.
• Level three: Urgent – these patients are seen after levels one and two are taken care of. Examples of urgent care include sudden illness, severe cuts, vomiting, trouble walking, allergic reactions, or difficulty urinating.
• Level four: Non-urgent – minor cuts, prolonged low appetite, limping, fever, and mild injuries are non-urgent conditions that can be treated after the first three levels.
• Level five: Stable – the patient is uncomfortable but stable, experiencing diarrhea, low appetite, ear infection, or skin irritation.

As a rule of thumb, pets in the first two levels should be taken to the emergency room. Levels three through five can receive veterinary urgent care services.

Contact Long Lake Animal Hospital

At Long Lake Animal Hospital, we provide call-ahead appointments for dogs and cats needing urgent care. 

At the office, we will assess your pet’s symptoms and walk you through the next steps, so you always know what to expect.

We commit to providing your pet with the services and care they deserve. Our urgent care is open from 2-10pm on Thursdays and Fridays: ready for you when you need us. For more information, contact us today by calling 231-947-2365