Pet emergency? CSU small-animal ER open 24/7 for urgent and critical care

If your dog, cat, exotic pet, or backyard chicken has an emergency or needs urgent care, the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital is open 24/7, ready to diagnose and treat everything from broken toenails to life-threatening illness and trauma.

No appointment is necessary, but you can call the hospital ahead of time and talk to the triage line at (970) 297-5000, staffed 24 hours a day. Upon arrival, your animal will be assessed and stabilized by a team of emergency veterinarians, technicians, and students in the Small Animal Emergency and Urgent Care service.

About 50 percent of the animals that come into the emergency room need specialty care. As the only verified Veterinary Trauma Center (VTC) in Colorado, the hospital’s 28 specialties are on call at all hours to consult on emergencies.

“We have 24-hour access to those specialists. Because it’s such a big hospital, anything I need after hours, I have access to a specialist for consultation,” said Dr. Amanda Cavanagh, board-certified assistant professor of small animal emergency and critical care, and service leader of the emergency and urgent care service. “If we need an echocardiogram at 2 a.m., I have a cardiology resident available on call.”

And if the animal needs blood, “we have a really robust blood bank, which sets us apart,” Cavanagh said.

Once stabilized and evaluated, depending on the severity of their condition, the animal might be treated and sent home. More serious cases are referred to one of the specialty services for follow-up, or admitted to the Small Animal Critical Care unit. Similar to a human intensive care unit, the critical care service provides highly skilled nursing, diagnostics, access to the blood bank, and specialists from the Small Animal Anesthesia and Pain Management service to monitor patients’ vital signs and potential side effects during any procedure requiring pain management, sedation, or anesthesia.

In 2021, the hospital was forced to reduce its hours due to a shortage of veterinary technicians available for overnight hours, but the unit is now fully staffed with technicians trained in emergency patient care, along with board-certified veterinarians, veterinary residents and students.

“We have such a great breadth of services here at the veterinary hospital, it’s great to be able to extend our ability to take in and evaluate patients to around the clock again,” said Dr. Kelly Hall, board-certified professor, and medical director of small animal specialty services.