Triage Process is the Same – Emergency Patients have Increased

December 23, 2020

In pre-COVID times, pet owners with routine health concerns would make an appointment to be seen by their family veterinarian within a day or so of identifying a need. If a referral was needed, your family veterinarian would perform initial evaluations, run blood work and other appropriate diagnostics, then you would make an appointment at one of our hospitals. During this unprecedented time, we understand that many of our partners at General Practice veterinary clinics are seeing fewer patients than usual resulting from the fact that it takes significantly longer to manage visits with curb-side drop off, maintain COVID precautions, and keep their teams safe. These additional precautions have meant that in some cases an appointment with your regular veterinarian isn’t possible within the time frame needed. As a result, those clients are now coming to us through our Emergency department, which has led to a significant increase in ER volume over the past year.

As we enter the holiday rush and the busy weekends ahead, we want to remind you that as we continue to see an uptick in emergency visits, wait times may be longer than usual. We understand that waiting is never fun, and we appreciate your understanding if you do have to wait.

Our triage procedures have not changed. Every emergency patient is evaluated by a member of our team and seen based on the severity of the issue. Patients with critical life-threatening illnesses and injuries always take priority. As a result, it can seem like the ER wait times for your pet are stressful. Our team is working diligently, compassionately, and carefully to ensure your pet is cared for. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

We hope you have a very safe and happy holiday.