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24/7 Emergency

Address: 6700 Laurel-Bowie Rd (Rt.197), Bowie, MD 20715

Phone: (301) 809-8800

If your pet is experiencing an emergency, please bring them to our hospital immediately. If possible, please pre-register your pet prior to arrival.

Register Your Pet

Triage Process

Examination

Diagnostics

Critical Care

Meet the Doctor

ER TRIAGE ASSESSMENT AND CLASSIFICATION PROCESS

Much like a human hospital, we use a triage assessment and classification process to help determine if your pet's medical condition is critical, urgent, or non-urgent.  The most critically ill patients are prioritized first to ensure they receive immediate, life-saving interventions.

CLASSIFICATION 1: CRITICAL

Treatments must be initiated within minutes.

  • Actively Seizing

  • Road Traffic Accidents

  • Excessive Bleeding

  • Heat Stroke

  • Poisoning

  • Difficulty Breathing

CLASSIFICATION 2: URGENT

Currently stable, but is a first priority patient.

  • Closed Fracture

  • Diarrhea

  • Actively Vomiting

  • Bowel Obstruction

  • Urinary Tract Problems

  • Birthing Difficulties

CLASSIFICATION 3: NON-URGENT

Stable and patient will be seen as soon as possible.

  • Skin Conditions

  • Lameness

  • Sore Eyes/Ears

  • Abscesses

  • Minor Wounds

  • Chronic Diseases

Examination

The goal of our team is to form a partnership with you and your primary care veterinarian to ensure that your pet is receiving the most comprehensive care. To help us achieve this, please ensure records are available prior to your appointment. During your examination, your pet’s doctor will:

  • take a thorough medical history

  • review any medical records available

  • perform a physical examination

  • develop a treatment plan

  • discuss any recommended diagnostic and treatment options

  • provide an itemized estimate for your approval

  • provide you with a summary of your visit and communicate a follow up plan with your primary vet

Visit Preparation

Diagnostics

  • Cage-side ultrasound (fluid check): Commonly used as a patient-side diagnostic tool to rapidly identify underlying conditions, such as the detection of abdominal, thoracic, and cardiac effusion, and help direct further diagnostics and therapy.

  • In house lab work (CBC, Chemistry, Urinalysis): our in-house laboratory allows us to perform many types of testing that can aid in the diagnosis and treatment of your pet. Common lab work includes CBC, Chemistry, and Urinalysis.

  • Telemetry monitoring (ECG): This diagnostic is used to record the electrical activity of the heart at rest. It provides an accurate assessment of the heart rate, and it registers the type of disturbance in the heart rhythm. Allows doctors to quickly intervene in cases of arrhythmia.

  • Radiology Ultrasound: One of the most common test, at DCES this is performed by our radiologist 5 days a week, allow for immediate interpretation and ability to perform guided sampling.

Critical Care

Our collaborative, team-oriented approach to the treatment of our patients means that your pet is always receiving the very best, most comprehensive care possible. Each morning our team of emergency doctors and board-certified specialists will discuss your pet's treatment plan during case rounds, and you can expect daily phone updates from our Hospitalists or Critical Care Specialist to keep you apprised of your pet's progress.

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