During clinic hours:
To help us prepare for your emergency:
•Please call ahead to advise us that you have an emergency coming to us and the nature of the emergency- This enables us to prepare for your arrival.
•Depending upon the nature of the problem we may need to advise you to proceed directly to the emergency clinic rather than to us.
•Knowing what and when an emergency is coming allows us to advise clients with scheduled appointments that there may be a delay with their appointment due to an emergency and/or to reschedule their appointment if necessary.
After hours: Please follow the directions on our answering machine message – it will give you 2 options:
1. For serious/life threatening emergencies (refer to our “what is an emergency” example list below) call and proceed immediately to:
Ottawa Veterinary Hospital on Carling Ave (613-725-1182)
OR
Ottawa Animal Emergency & Specialty Hospital on Lola Street in Ottawa’s East End (613-745-0123)
OR
Alta Vista Animal Hospital on Bank St at Hunt Club (Tel 613-731-6851)
These are currently the only 24 hour emergency veterinary hospitals in our area.
2. For prescription refills, food orders and appointments – you may leave a message and we will respond to you on the next business day.
What is an Emergency??
Examples include…..
•severe breathing problems or choking
•birthing difficulties
•unconscious or fainting spells
•hit by car or other trauma
•severe bleeding or pale gums
•blocked cat – straining but unable to urinate
•porcupine quills
•seizures that lasts for more than 1 minute
•repeated seizures
•sudden collapse
•ingestion of poison
•vomiting for more than 12 hours without being able to keep down food or fluids or profuse diarrhea with blood
•dehydration – skin tent stays standing
•eye trauma or foreign body in eye: bleeding, squinting unable to open eye or eye very red.
