Animal Emergency and Specialty Center
If you are experiencing an emergency, please call or come directly to our hospital.
- 10520 White Diamond Pt Colorado Springs, CO 80908
Our experienced team is prepared for any pet emergency and will provide the highest quality of care for your beloved family member.
If your pet ingested something, please call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435.
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Emergency
Emergency Veterinarians are an integral part of veterinary medicine. Many serious conditions occur without warning and cannot wait for a scheduled appointment with your primary care veterinarian.
The Emergency Team at North Springs Veterinary Referral Center are here to help you and your pet through these emergency situations. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays, to ensure that you get the care and attention you need, when you need it.
Common Reasons for an Emergency Visit
Uncontrolled bleeding is a serious condition. It may be obvious if you can see it externally coming from your pets nose, mouth, genitals or rectum, or from wounds that may be present. Bleeding can also be internal and cause them to be weak, collapse or have pale gums.
Pets gums should be a bubble-gum pink color or pigmented to match their skin. If you notice your pets gums are pale, white, gray, blue, muddy, or bright red, they should be evaluated urgently.
If your pet has a known medical condition and they are showing signs that their condition is not well regulated, they may need urgent help depending on the disease present and how severe their symptoms are.
Changes in breathing typically occur due to disease of the airways, lungs, or heart. These conditions require emergency attention to avoid low oxygen levels in the body that can cause your pet to pass away.
Animals are prone to becoming overheated in the summer months and they cannot cool off on their own as efficiently as people. Animals that become overheated can experience severe damage to their internal organs that can be life threatening very quickly.
Most animals communicate that they are unwell by not eating. If your pet’s unwillingness to eat lasts more than 24 hours, they need to be evaluated urgently.
The inability to eliminate waste typically indicates that there is a blockage that needs to be alleviated before they become seriously ill.
Pets may ingest a toxic substance that could be life threatening. Common examples include human or animal medications, rodent/insect bait, chocolate, xylitol, antifreeze, grapes/raisins, raw bread dough, and recreational drugs such as marjuana.
If your dog is trying to vomit but nothing comes up, they may have a twisted stomach that needs to be treated emergently.
Seizures can occur for many reasons including dysfunction to major organs, intoxications, traumatic injuries, or primary disorders of the brain. Seizures lasting longer than three minutes, multiple seizures in one day, and prolonged abnormal behavior following a seizure warrant an emergency visit.
Diarrhea can be a sign of many disease states happening in the body and if significant enough can lead to dehydration if not addressed.
Eyes are a sensitive organ. If your pet is having eye pain, redness, swelling or an injury has occurred to the eye, urgent help is recommended for the best chance at saving vision.
Vomiting can occur for many reasons including severe internal organs dysfunction, primary disease of the GI tract, intoxications, and ingestion of inappropriate objects causing blockages.
Traumatic injuries happen for many reasons and can result in injury to the eyes, broken bones, damaged organs, muscle tears, brain injury, and lacerations to the skin, to name a few.
Sudden changes in your pets mental state and ability/willingness to be active is indicative of a serious condition occurring in the body that needs attention.
Common Emergency Surgeries
- Cesarean Section
- Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (GDV)
- Pyometra Surgery
- Wound Repair
- Emergency Gastrointestinal Surgery
- Mesenteric/ Colonic Torsion Surgery
- Splenectomy
Emergency Services
If your pet is experiencing a life threatening emergency, our Emergency team will act quickly to provide immediate stabilizing care, perform diagnostics to understand the nature of the illness, then treat them back to health.
Leaving your pets in the hospital is stressful. You can feel at ease knowing that our hospital is staffed with skilled veterinary technicians and doctors 24-7. They will receive gold standard, compassionate care throughout their entire stay.
Standard blood work, urinalysis, fluid analysis, x-rays, and ultrasound evaluations can all be performed within the hospital for same-day results.
Our hospital is equipped with cutting edge oxygen kennels for treatment of respiratory emergencies. They are designed to increase the percentage of oxygen surrounding your pet while also controlling temperature and humidity so your pet can rest comfortably as they recover.
Upon arrival at the hospital, your pet will be evaluated by the Emergency team. During that initial evaluation, vital signs and a physical exam will be performed to help the veterinarian understand how quickly your pet needs help.
Our hospital works closely with reference laboratories to utilize board-certified pathologists and highly trained staff to evaluate more specialized diagnostic tests.
Many illnesses are urgent but, thankfully, not life threatening. When you need urgent help, our team is here to help.
Reliable Communication
The Emergency team will have direct communication with your primary care veterinarian to maintain a collaborative approach to your pets’ medical care. If you or your primary care veterinarian have any questions regarding any diagnostics or procedures, please contact us and we will be happy to answer any questions.