When you or a loved one is sick, you know when to go to an emergency room or urgent care clinic. Sadly, the option was not always available to pet parents. Notably, urgent veterinary care services are popping up in many cities, which is good news for pets and pet owners. Urgent care services are adjuncts to primary care and critical care services. It is important not to confuse urgent care with critical care because they are different. As the name implies, urgent care veterinary services target sick pets (with non-life-threatening conditions) that need immediate attention. This article highlights tips for getting the most out of veterinary urgent care services.
Forward Medical Records
If your pet is vomiting or presenting with diarrhea, inappetence, blood in urine, difficulty breathing or bite wounds, you should seek a vet offering urgent care services. A vet first conducts crucial tests to develop a health profile for your pet. However, it can take a long time, affecting the timely administration of treatment. Besides, comprehensive care delivery can be challenging for vets if they do not have enough information about your pet's medical history. In this regard, it is critical to have your pet's medical record on hand when you take a pet for urgent care. It is mainly the case if you visit different vets since it saves time and money by preventing repeat diagnostic tests.
Understand Vet Triage List
Many pet owners do not know that urgent care services in veterinary clinics work the same way as in general hospitals. Thus, vets attend to pets based on their condition and vet triage list. Typically, urgent care services are reserved for pets whose conditions are colour-coded yellow, orange and red in the vet triage list. Thus, you must understand the triage classification ethos when your pet needs urgent care vet services. For instance, it allows you to provide a vet with accurate information for better diagnosis and treatment. If you do not understand the severity index, you might struggle to explain to a vet what is wrong with your pet.
Call in Advance
The inclusion of urgent care in the list of vet services has seen an influx of parents seeking medical help for their pets. Unfortunately, it means you could encounter long queues at a vet clinic. Therefore, it is advisable to call a vet clinic in advance and describe your pet's symptoms to an urgent care team member. Staff will inform you about the current capacity and availability of appointment slots. If no appointment slots are available, you could be referred to another vet clinic. Thus, it goes a long way towards saving you time and ensuring your pet receives timely urgent care.
Contact a local veterinary service to learn more about emergency care options.
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