Emergencies

EMERGENCY INFO

 

It is Hometown’s goal to offer pre-scheduled, home care appointments to our clients. We do realize that there will be times when emergency care is requested. We will make every effort to accommodate emergencies, but please be informed that due to scheduling and travel constraints we may not be available to provide emergency care “on demand”. In the event of an emergency call from a non-client, priority will be given to established Hometown clients. If we are not already occupied with a client and/or we can mobilize to assist with an emergency we will make every effort to do so. If an emergency should arise and it is after hours, or we are unreachable please do not hesitate to contact another local veterinary hospital or an emergency veterinary clinic.

Please phone if you have any questions or concerns about your pet.

If we are unavailable, leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible (518) 796-0023.

EMERGENCY SYMPTOMS

 

If you are uncertain whether your pet is experiencing a TRUE emergency, we have provided a short list of symptoms or problems that the American Veterinary Medical Association feels require emergency medical consultation or immediate care.

  • Severe bleeding or bleeding that doesn’t stop within five minutes
  • Choking, difficulty breathing or nonstop coughing and gagging
  • Bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum, coughing up blood, or blood in urine
  • Inability to urinate or pass feces (stool), or obvious pain associated with urinating or passing stool
  • Injuries to your pet’s eye(s)
  • You suspect or know your pet has eaten something poisonous (such as antifreeze, xylitol, chocolate, rodent poison, etc.)
  • Seizures and/or staggering
  • Fractured bones, severe lameness or inability to move leg(s)
  • Obvious signs of pain or extreme anxiety
  • Heat stress or heatstroke
  • Severe vomiting or diarrhea – more than two episodes in a 24-hour period, or either of these combined with obvious illness or any of the other problems listed here
  • Refusal to drink for 24 hours or more
  • Unconsciousness

Emergency Contacts

 

We believe that an emergency in a pet is not much different than an emergency in a person. If you felt like your life was in danger, you would act quickly and seek out the most readily available care possible, most likely an emergency center: to some degree the same is true for your beloved pet. We realize that taking a pet to an emergency center can be emotionally and financially overwhelming, but we urge you to consider this option if your pet appears to be suffering and we or another veterinarian cannot be reached. Below are the contact numbers for the surrounding 24hr emergency care centers.

Upstate Veterinary Specialties: 518-783-3198
Northway Animal Emergency Clinic: 518-761-2602
Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital: 518-785-1094

emergency care