Emergency Care

Emergency care is an escalation above urgent care and implies that your pet should be seen as soon as possible for best outcome. Some cases can quickly escalate into life-and-death situations. During our routine business hours, we are attending to prior scheduled wellness, medical, and surgical appointments. Regretfully, there may be little time during a busy day to adequately handle a severe emergency situation. These are best handled by emergency facilities that have a team of medical professionals well trained in emergency patient management and that are properly equipped with the diagnostic equipment that will get you answers quickly. If your pet requires overnight hospitalization, they are staffed so that your pet will receive the necessary round-the-clock care.

If Your Pet Has a True Emergency

Pet emergencies may be time sensitive meaning that the sooner they are treated, the better the outcome. You can reach out to us by texting and calling (719) 839-0446. If we cannot answer, we will call you back ASAP. In most cases, we will direct you to a specialty emergency clinic.

Examples of Pet Emergencies include but are not necessarily limited to the following:

• Active bleeding from any body orifice and that does not respond to pressure application
• Bleeding and/or bruising of the skin
• Obvious fracture of a limb as noted by non-weight bearing, deformity, swelling and pain
• Paralysis of a limb or limbs as noted by limb being dragged, knuckling of the paws, inability to walk, falling over, incoordination
• Suspect poisoning or known ingestion of a poison such as rat poison or spilled owner’s medication
• Bloating of the abdomen if accompanied by discomfort, panting, inability to settle down, pacing-may be indication of twisting of stomach or worse.
• Bloating of abdomen if accompanied by weakness, pale mucous membranes-may be indicative of internal bleeding
• Protracted vomiting or diarrhea-can lead to dehydration and collapse
• Vomiting following ingestion of known entity such as rocks, toys, clothing, garbage, food wrappers, etc-can lead to gastrointestinal obstruction
• Vomiting/diarrhea/lethargy in puppy not properly vaccinated—may represent parvovirus or other infectious cause
• Rattlesnake bites
• Porcupine quill attack
• Seizures/disorientation/Loss of consciousness
• Automobile trauma-these cases can quickly deteriorate due to internal hemorrhage and lung damage
• Respiratory difficulty-excessive panting, sustained coughing, labored breathing, open mouth breathing
• Straining/inability to urinate or defecate
• Trauma to the eyes, swelling of the eyeball (glaucoma), sudden blindness, cloudiness of the cornea, “red eye.”
• Gunshot wounds
• Difficulty or prolonged labor
• “Big Dog on Little Dog Syndrome”—dog attacks can be vicious and there can be massive internal trauma not readily visible on the outside

Veterinary Specialty Hospitals and Centers

At Home Pet Doctor has developed a list of specialty hospitals in the area, all on the Front Range. We consider these facilities extensions of ourselves in being able to provide the most up to date care for your pet. We can make direct referrals for you once we have seen your pet or you can make inquiries directly.

Specialty centers provide services above and beyond the capabilities of most general practitioners. Just as in the human field of medicine, specialists exist for just about every discipline you can think of including neurology, cardiology, internal medicine, reproduction, orthopedic surgery, sports medicine and rehabilitation, anesthesiology, oncology, pathology, ophthalmology, dermatology, dentistry, exotic animal medicine, critical and emergency care and even nutrition and animal behavior. Their doctors have extensive specialty training well beyond veterinary school and have become board certified after extensive internships and residencies in their chosen field. Depending on their focus, these specialty centers are equipped with the latest medical equipment and technology including CT and MRI scanners, ultrasound/echocardiography, endoscopy, advanced dental digital and CT radiography, interventional radiology and even radiation therapy units for treating cancer. Due to rapidly advancing technology and specialization, the days of a single veterinarian being able to treat all the different species is becoming less feasible.

If you think your pet needs immediate medical attention, please contact us.