What to Expect: Emergency Veterinary Care in Massachusetts
It is important to have a plan in advance in case you need emergency services. This is true for you, your family and even your pets. You need a South Coast veterinarian for regular veterinary check-ups, vaccinations, and preventive veterinary care in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, but you should also know about an emergency veterinary hospital where you can go in an emergency. Anchor Animal Hospital is both a general veterinary clinic and a local Dartmouth emergency vet. Our team is trained to handle a wide range of professional services, including veterinary dental care, surgeries, ongoing therapy and other treatments, in addition to urgent care services.
A veterinarian that has been board certified to specialize in emergency and critical care veterinary services and has obtained ongoing training to provide services for life-threatening conditions is considered an emergency or critical care specialist within the veterinary industry. They can help your pet with traumatic injuries, such as burns or lacerations, bite wounds from animal fights or fractures, as well as respiratory emergencies where ventilators are needed. They can also help animals that are in shock, require blood transfusions, or that are experiencing severe seizures. There are a wide range of incidents, issues, problems, diseases, and conditions that can be treated by a qualified Dartmouth emergency vet.
Benefits of Choosing Quality Veterinary Care
Of course there are many obvious benefits associated with choosing veterinary care in Massachusetts that is top of the line when it comes to quality and professionalism. When you want the very best in care for your dog, cat or other type of household pet, you can count on the team at Anchor Animal Hospital to go the extra mile to provide comprehensive services when you need them the most. By offering both general practitioner veterinary services through our team of South Coast veterinarians and urgent care services at our emergency veterinary hospital, we are able to provide our patients with the best possible veterinary care in the local region.
Some of the services that we provide at Anchor Animal Hospital include:
- laboratory and radiology
- ultrasound and echocardiograms
- pharmacy services in-office and online for refills
- veterinary care for small mammals
- veterinary dentistry services and treatments
- surgery and pain management
Anchor Animal Hospital can treat animals with emergency care situations during office hours (please see our website for accurate hours of operation), but we do refer our patients to 24-hour clinics for after-hours services. We ensure that the emergency veterinary hospital locations we refer our patients to measure up to our own high standards for emergency veterinary care in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Our team can provide you with contact information for after-hours emergency service providers in the local area so you can have it on hand in case of an emergency situation. It is always good to be prepared and know where you would take your pet if they need medical attention by a qualified South Coast veterinarian.
How to Know if Your Pet Needs Emergency Services
Since our pets can’t communicate to us when they are in need of emergency care, it is important to know the signs to watch for in order to identify small problems before they become serious, life-threatening emergencies. Even if it turns out to be something simple when you visit your Dartmouth emergency vet, it is better to be safe than sorry. You can also contact our office if you aren’t sure or just bring your pet in straight away to our emergency veterinary hospital.
Some of the situations we will mention here are obvious and require emergency services right away. They include difficulties in breathing, loss of consciousness, vomiting blood, serious wounds, injuries to the eye, possible broken limbs, seizures, inability to move, and unusual or erratic behaviors. Other possible symptoms that you should watch out for include bleeding – even a small amount, ingestion of a foreign object or unknown substance, and blood in the feces or urine.
If your pet has an abdomen that is hard, swollen or painful to touch, you should bring them in to see your South Coast veterinarian. Sudden weakness, whining or whimpering, unusual shaking, straining to urinate, signs of heatstroke – these are all things that could require emergency care. A female that is in labor and is not progressing, could also be in danger and you should at least contact Anchor Animal Hospital to find out if you should come in for emergency services. When in doubt call, but if the situation looks serious or if your pet is in serious distress, bring them in right away.
Contact Anchor Animal Hospital Today
If you have a pet and live in the South Coast area, contact Anchor Animal Hospital to set up a first visit appointment. Even if your pet isn’t in need of veterinary care right now, it is good to build a relationship with a local Dartmouth emergency vet to provide preventive care and treatment that will help keep your pet happy and healthy for many years to come. Give us a call today at 508-996-3731 to schedule an appointment or to learn more about our services.