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Emergency care isn’t only applicable to human beings. In some of the most advanced countries and cities, there’s also generally the presence of emergency veterinarians. It’s important to note that beloved pets also deserve the same amount of love and care given to humans during an emergency.

The ones who provide critical care are veterinarians (vets) – specialists that have undergone the advanced and necessary training to provide emergency care to different kinds of animals. Life-saving interventions are also the center of their practice. For pets that have critical illnesses, emergency vets are equipped with the best possible solution to attend to their needs.

To help you get a start, should you need an emergency vet, here’s a list of emergency vets in New York that you can reach any time. You might want to bookmark that site or save it in your notes for future reference.

How vital are emergency vets and what do they do? Learn more by reading through below.

1. Evaluates Traumatic Injuries

Animals can go through traumatic injuries, too. This can result from cases such as accidentally getting run over by a vehicle, getting bitten by an aggressive animal, or in worst cases, animals that are in the hands of abusive pet owners. Like human beings, this physical trauma can put their body in a shock. When this happens, time is of the essence.

In an emergency, your pet insurance generally covers emergency vets, too. Hence, that’s one less thing for you to worry about. You only need to focus on getting care for your pet ASAP.

Emergency veterinarians are equipped with the skills needed to evaluate traumatic injuries. When they see one, they immediately stabilize the condition of the animal. In some cases, the pet may need to be placed under intensive care. While in others, they may be able to go home or be admitted under the supervision of the vet for a couple of days.

2. Being On Call In The Intensive Care Unit

In big cities, like New York, veterinary clinics have an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), too. Much like in the hospital for humans, the ICU for animals is where animals with serious injuries are placed. This includes those needing critical care; perhaps even those that are still recuperating from serious injuries.

In the Intensive Care Unit, nurses are going to be around monitoring the animals. But, emergency vets also have to be on call. Should there be another emergency within the ICU, it’s an emergency vet that knows how to handle the situation.

Accordingly, the nurses and other veterinary staff give their vital reports about each animal to the emergency vet each day that they visit. That way, the progress of those on critical care is better monitored.

3. Performing Surgical Procedures

Emergency veterinarians are also animal surgeons. Emergency surgery can vary from physical injuries or even those that need immediate attention, like cancers or tumor removals. Surgeries are also a matter of life and death for animals.

Unlike ordinary veterinarians that can also perform operations, emergency vets have the training to cater to those animals that are really in distress. The goal is always to make the animal survive the surgery.

4. Placing Catheters

If placing catheters on human beings is difficult and painful, it’s also the same for animals. Animals have their respective body parts placement and can also vary in size. This is why the placing of something as painful and important as a catheter should be best left to the hands of experts, which an emergency vet can do.

Emergency vets place catheters to the best of the ability so that the animal stays calm. More so, the animal also feels the least pain possible. For pets already in a lot of physical injury and trauma, emergency vets don’t want to add to any amount of pain.

5. Evaluating Diagnostic Tests

When the condition of the animal has already been stabilized, they can either go home or stay a few days first in the care of the veterinarian. During this time, the emergency vet may order diagnostic tests to be done.

Depending on the situation of the animal, this usually involves blood work and other tests that may be called for. Of all the vets in the clinic, it’s also the emergency and critical care vet that knows best how to read and evaluate diagnostic tests.

Especially when the animal was already in their care from the beginning of the emergency, for better continuity, it’s best to leave this job to the emergency vet that cared for the specific animal.

6. Caters To The Emergency Situations Of Animals

As their name suggests, emergency vet caters to the emergency needs of animals.

But, it’s imperative for you, as a pet owner, to decipher what’s considered an emergency and what’s not. You wouldn’t want to crowd emergency vets clinic, when in fact, what you have is minor. It’s best to leave this space to those that really require immediate care.

Possible emergencies of animals that are answered to by emergency and critical care vets are the following:

  • Unconsciousness
  • Severe bleeding of your pet that isn’t controlled within five minutes
  • Refusal to drink and eat anything beyond 24 hours
  • Choking, difficulty breathing, gagging, and nonstop coughing
  • Severe vomiting or diarrhea
  • Inability to urinate or pass feces
  • Pain when urinating or passing feces
  • Signs of extreme anxiety

The bottom line for you to remember is that if there’s anything that you feel is putting your pet’s health at immediate risk, the emergency vet is the right one to call.

7. Performs X-Ray Of Injured Animals

Any other vet, even those not trained in critical and emergency vet, can perform X-rays on animals. But, the X-ray referred to here has to do with those in an emergency.

Time is of the essence. Also, it may be tough to move the pet around, especially when they’ve been severely injured. In some cases, they may be too weak. Emergency vets may even have to sedate animals first before an X-ray can be taken.

In this case, you can trust that the emergency vet knows how to perform this accurately, with the added pressure of time.

Conclusion

Emergency and critical care veterinarians are the animal professionals best suited for any emergency that your pet may have. In highly critical situations, these veterinarians can spell the difference between your pet surviving, and unfortunately, succumbing to the crisis that they’re facing.

In some cases, they may address a minor emergency. While in others, this can go as serious as having to face emergency surgery.

These are only some of the positive benefits that emergency vets can bring, making them such a gift to pet owners in distress.

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