VCA Canada CARE Centre Animal Hospital Emergency Service
Any time, every time. We are here for you and your pet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
403-520-8387

Our highly trained emergency veterinary health care team is dedicated to helping you and your companion any time of the day when your pet is sick or injured. No appointment is necessary.

Whenever possible, our veterinarians work in consultation with your primary care veterinarian.

“Triage”: What happens when you arrive at CARE:
Our Emergency department functions much like a human hospital wherein upon arrival pets are initially assessed by one of our Registered Veterinary Technologists (RVT, like a nurse in the human setting) to determine if your pet is stable or unstable. Pets are then seen by an Emergency Veterinarian in order of their stability, with more unstable pets being seen before those that are more stable. The goal is to ensure that pets in most urgent need of treatment are always prioritized. Like a human emergency hospital, emergency caseload can vary at any given time, so wait times to see a veterinarian may apply particularly for pets that are more stable.

There are some scenarios for which a pet may present that prompts our front desk staff or the RVT to bring your pet into our back treatment area right away for immediate assessment and intervention. These are situations wherein a pet is more likely to be in unstable condition, such as a pet that has undergone major trauma (for instance, those involved in a motor vehicle accident).

Pets may arrive on Emergency in two different ways:

1. Pet owners may call the hospital with a medical concern and be directed to come in for assessment, or may come to the hospital concerned about their pet’s condition without calling in advance. 
2. A pet may have been evaluated at another veterinary hospital and that veterinarian recommended direct transfer to CARE for ongoing treatment. Such direct transfers are admitted to the hospital by our Emergency veterinarians for initial assessment and care, with subsequent involvement of other specialty services as needed. When being transferred, your veterinarian is encouraged to call CARE to discuss your pet’s case so that we are prepared for your arrival and also so that we may relay any initial information to you through your veterinarian.

In either of the above scenarios, once your pet arrives at CARE they will undergo an initial triage assessment with one of our RVTs as outlined above. For pets that have been directly transferred from another veterinary hospital, information already gathered from that hospital can factor into the assessment of how stable or unstable your pet is, and during your consultation our ER veterinarians will verify this information with you. Pets will be seen by an Emergency Veterinarian in order of medical urgency. The most urgent cases will be seen first while more stable pets (even if they arrived as a transfer from another hospital) may be subject to wait times to see a veterinarian. This ensures that the pets who need treatment most rapidly are always prioritized. 

We will endeavor to keep pet owners updated as to an estimated wait time to see an Emergency Veterinarian, though estimated wait times are subject to change.

Financial Policy & Fee Structure
Each patient is charged an emergency consultation fee that covers the doctor’s initial examination and assessment. Additional fees are charged for all diagnostics and treatments required based on your pet’s medical condition. It is our policy to prepare a detailed estimate of your pet’s medical costs for your review on admission and keep clients updated on the ongoing medical costs of their hospitalized pets. We do not wish to extend anyone beyond their means. Please do not hesitate to communicate your intentions or concerns to your doctor.

Our fee schedule is structured to support a modern, fully equipped medical facility enabling our staff to deliver the highest possible quality veterinary services by highly trained staff. A 75% deposit is required for all hospitalized cases with the balance due in full at discharge. For your convenience we accept cash, debit, AMEX, Visa & Master Card.

If you have financial concerns, please let us know as soon as possible. Whenever possible, we try to provide appropriate diagnostic and treatment options to ensure that your pet receives quality care. Please see our Payment Options page to learn about our financing options.