Choosing the Best Critical Care for Your Pet

When you think of a person in critical or intensive care, you think of a life-threatening scenario. It is the same with our pets. Urgent veterinary care is for pets in critical condition.

Since illnesses can strike at any time, your pet may need immediate veterinary care in the middle of the night. Sometimes when the worst happens, your regular family veterinary clinic is not available.

Pet Emergency Center in Missoula, MT, is an emergency veterinary hospital that is always ready to treat pets in critical condition. Although appreciated, we do not require you to call ahead.  And, we do not require appointments to be made during your pets’ critical hour of need. Our team is always on-site, nights, weekends and holidays to provide services when you arrive.  And although we specialize in critical care,  we can also help with less critical needs when you can't get into your regular veterinarian.

What Does an Emergency Vet do?

When you contact Pet Emergency Center in Missoula, MT, our veterinary team will immediately start attending to your pet. We do the following as soon as soon as your pet enters our facility:

• Obtain vital signs: A technician assisting the veterinarian will obtain your pet's vital signs - temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate, mucous membrane color and capillary refill time along with a detailed history.
• Control pain: If your pet is in a lot of pain, our veterinarian will first try to minimize the pain your pet is experiencing most likely with injectable pain medication.
• Blood pressure and circulation monitoring: Our emergency team can read your pet’s blood pressure and take steps to improve blood pressure and circulation. If your pet is bleeding, our vet will try to minimize blood loss and may even recommend a blood transfusion.
• Fluid therapy: This is fundamental in managing the health of a pet to treat shock and prevent or manage dehydration.
• Ventilation support: Our veterinarian will immediately check to ensure your pet is breathing, and if it isn’t, will work to restore your pet’s respiration.  We have climate controlled oxygen chambers where your pet can receive immediate life saving oxygen therapy.
• Diagnostics: Our emergency veterinarians have many diagnostic tools at their fingertips including ultrasound, x-ray and a full in-house laboratory for blood, fecal and urine analysis.  Most results can be obtained quickly while you wait.

Signs that Your Pet Needs Treatment at an Emergency Animal Hospital

• Ingestion of a harmful object: As soon as you notice that your pet has ingested something it shouldn't like a rock, a toy, a sock, a large bone or something toxic, you need to contact us right away.  Do not wait for symptoms to develop. 
• Acute diarrhea/vomiting or both: Sudden and severe dehydration and vomiting can be a sign of a serious underlying health issue. Contact us immediately.
• Traumatic injury: Traumatic injuries take many forms, such as a dog fight or your pet being hit by a car.
• Eye injuries: The eyes are two of the most delicate parts of the body. If your pet has sustained an eye injury, visit us immediately.
• Seizures: Seizures should never be ignored.  The underlying cause should be identified if possible and anti-seizure medication should be considered.
• Weakness or collapse: Your pet should never appear weak or collapse.  Weakness or collapse usually indicates serious changes in blood pressure or circulation, such as occurs with internal bleeding or a dangerous underlying metabolic condition.
• Lethargy or anorexia: If your pet is lethargic or skips a meal, this is not normal and can often indicate a serious underlying problem that may get worse without treatment.

This is not an exhaustive list. If your pet’s health is deteriorating fast, contact us at Pet Emergency Center in Missoula for an immediate assessment.

How to Choose the Best Emergency Vet Care for Your Pet

Sudden pet illnesses are not something you plan for. They happen when you least expect them to. That is why you need to have an emergency animal hospital that you can trust.  Look for an emergency veterinary hospital that has a long track record of:

• Experience: Pet Emergency Center has been serving Missoula and surrounding valleys for nearly 20 years. Our doctors and staff are trained to tackle critical emergency situations. Our focus and continuing education training is with emergency and urgent/critical care - we do not do routine procedures.
• Honesty: Your pet is an important part of your family. You should choose an emergency veterinarian who is trustworthy. At Pet Emergency Center you will not be misled. We will make recommendations as to the best treatment options and let you make the final decision on your pet's care.
• Compassion: You should choose a veterinary team who cares. Many of the team at Pet Emergency Center have pets and have had pet emergencies of their own. We love pets and we understand what you are going through! We hurt when your pet is hurting. We are happy when your pet is healthy!

If your pet requires 24hour/overnight  hospitalization please be aware that many veterinary clinics do not have a staff member monitoring your pet at night.  This may be alright in some scenarios but it is generally risky.  You should ask if your pet will be monitored when the office is closed. At Pet Emergency Center your pet is never left alone and we accept patient transfers for overnight treatment and monitoring when your regular veterinary clinic is not open such as overnight or on the weekend.

At the Pet Emergency Center in Missoula, MT, we are always ready to receive and care for any dog or cat that needs urgent care. We receive and treat patients in the order of arrival, but we also prioritize based on the severity of the pet’s illness. If you are concerned that your pet may need to be seen, contact us by calling ahead at (406) 829-9300.   

Pet Emergency Center is located in Missoula , MT, on the corner of North Ave. and Reserve St.  We're two blocks north of the Rosauers grocery store and directly across from CS Porter Middle School.