Emergency veterinary care can be a very effective, though very costly, way of curing your pets of sudden, severe injuries. Pet owners tend to seek out emergency veterinary services when regular veterinary clinics are closed or lack the resources to treat their animals. Due to the substantial cost of emergency care, many people only visit emergency veterinary clinics when their animals find themselves in life or death situations.
Reasons Behind the Costs
Emergency veterinary care is considerably more expensive than standard care. There are many reasons for the higher costs, the most prominent of which include:
- Animals with life-threatening ailments often require an advanced level of testing and treatment.
- Because most emergency veterinary clinics operate around the clock, there are heavy overhead costs involved with their staffing.
- Most animals that are treated at emergency clinics require serious medical attention, which generally entails making use of highly advanced (and therefore highly expensive) medical equipment.
- Most emergency clinics require pet owners to pay a hefty examination fee before any serious medical procedures are performed. These fees generally range from $100 to $300.
Reasons to Seek Emergency Veterinary Care
There are a wide variety of reasons for which people seek emergency veterinary care.
- Animals that have been struck by vehicles are perhaps the most common recipients of emergency veterinary care. This is one of the severest, and therefore one of the priciest, emergency procedures.
- If an animal suddenly collapses and is unresponsive to attempts at waking it up, it's highly recommended that the owner promptly seek emergency veterinary services.
- If your pet consumes something it shouldn't, like a household poison or a medication intended for people, emergency care is recommended.
- Sudden seizures and extensive bouts of vomiting are other common reasons people take their pets to emergency clinics.
Assistance with Emergency Care Costs
You can find assistance with emergency care costs via:
- Pet health insurance - Purchasing pet health insurance before your pet comes is ill or injured is a proactive way to cut emergency care costs.
- Payment plans - Most emergency clinics are more than willing to work out generous payment plans with the owners of their patients.
- Humane Society resources - The Humane Society can help you find local vet clinics that offer subsidized payment options and financial assistance if you qualify. They can also point you to vet clinics that offer discounts to senior and disabled pet owners.
- Despite the fact that emergency care can be a drain on one's pocketbook, it is often the only way to save the life of a beloved family pet. Don't let the potentially high cost of care deter you from visiting an emergency clinic, as most clinics are perfectly willing to hammer out reasonable payment plans with the owners. Emergency vets, like the pet owners who enlist their help, value the well being of the animals over all else.