Emergency Veterinary Care

Carlsbad Animal Hospital provides emergency and urgent veterinary care for cats and dogs during our regular clinic hours. It's always best to contact us in advance if you can, but we understand that in emergencies that's not always possible. 

If we are unable to fit your pet into our schedule, we recommend that you visit the after-hours emergency vet location shown above. 

Our veterinarians see emergency cases during our regular business hours:

The following situations are examples of emergencies that require immediate care:

• Severe bleeding or bleeding that doesn't stop
• Obvious signs of pain or extreme anxiety
• Choking, difficulty breathing, or continuous coughing/gagging
• Fractured bones or severe lameness
• Seizures and/or staggering
• Bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum, or blood in the urine
• Inability to urinate or pass feces, or pain associated with urinating or passing feces
• Severe vomiting or diarrhea; 2+ episodes in 24-hours
• Injuries to the eye(s)
• Your pet has ingested something poisonous (such as antifreeze, xylitol, chocolate, rodent poison, etc.)
• Heat stress or heatstroke
• Refusal to drink for 24 hours or more
• Unconsciousness

Our Carlsbad animal hospital is just like a human emergency room—wait times can be unpredictable.

We cannot predict what cases we will see and when they will arrive, however cases are treated based on medical need. If possible, call ahead to find out whether we can provide emergency care for your dog or cat.

If we are unable to fit an emergency appointment into our vet's schedule we recommend that you visit the 24/7 animal emergency clinic detailed above. 

Some veterinary emergencies require intensive overnight care. If your pet requires overnight care, your Carlsbad veterinarian will be able to make the appropriate recommendations for transfer to a 24/7 animal hospital nearby. 

Our emergency veterinarians are mostly experienced with cats and dogs but will see other small animals, such as birds and rodents, in serious situations.