Accidents and medical concerns can occur at any time of day or night. So, it’s important to be prepared and have a plan for potential emergency situations that occur outside of your vet clinic’s business hours.

Fortunately, several resources are available to give you immediate answers and peace of mind about your dog’s health. Here are some things you can do if your dog has an injury or other medical concern, and your vet clinic is closed.

The 6 Steps to Take If the Vet Clinic Is Closed

1. Call Your Vet Clinic

It doesn’t hurt to call your vet clinic after hours. Most vet clinics will have a voicemail message that provides a list of contact information for emergency animal hospitals near you.

In some cases, vet clinics offer 24/7 telehealth services. They’ll have an on-call veterinarian or veterinary technician who can provide general information on medical-related questions. They can also let you know if your pet emergency requires immediate attention or if it can wait until the following morning.

2. Contact an Emergency Animal Hospital

Most cities and towns have an emergency animal hospital that operates 24/7. Since not all accidents or injuries require immediate in-person care, you can try contacting one of these hospitals before driving over.

Emergency animal hospital lines have someone on staff who triages calls. After you share about your emergency, they can let you know if you should bring in your dog or if you can wait to see your own vet the following morning.

3. Contact an Online Veterinarian

Online vets and vet telehealth apps are other options to consider for afterhours advice. Online vet services like PangoVet provide vet tele-triage services that can walk you through an afterhours health concern. These services will connect you with a licensed vet via live chat or a video call.

Online vets can do a visual exam on your dog and let you know if your dog needs immediate medical care or if you can wait to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. They can also provide care instructions for your dog and advise you on what to do if your dog’s condition worsens.

4. Call a Pet Poison Hotline

If you suspect your dog has consumed something harmful, you can contact a pet poison hotline. These hotlines have experts on the line who can help you determine if your dog has ingested something toxic and what to do if your dog is experiencing poisoning.

Make sure to quickly gather as much information as possible before contacting a pet poison hotline. It will be helpful for the specialist on the line if you provide information on what your dog ate, how much, and how much time has passed since they consumed something.

5. Do Not Self-Medicate

While there are many effective at-home remedies, it’s not recommended to give your dog medication or treatment without consulting a vet first. There are just too many things that can go wrong if you give your dog medication on your own. Medications can cause negative side effects, and providing the wrong dosage can just worsen your dog’s condition. Some medications can interfere with the current medication your dog is taking, and dogs can also have allergic reactions to certain medicines.

Even if it seems like a medication has worked on your dog, it’s still not beneficial for them in the long run because they’re less likely to receive follow-up care. In many cases, a dog’s symptoms may have gone away, but the underlying medical issue remains unaddressed, which can hurt them significantly in the long run.

6. Do Not Wait It Out

It’s better to be safe than sorry and act immediately instead of waiting for your vet clinic to open in the morning. Dogs can be very good at masking their pain, so it can be difficult to gauge just how sick or injured they are without the help of a veterinary professional. Therefore, it’s important to get in contact with a vet if you suspect something is wrong with your dog.

Using an online vet service or app can help prevent an unnecessary trip to an emergency animal hospital and provide tips on caring for your dog at home. They can also let you know if your dog’s situation is serious and requires immediate veterinary care.

Can I Use Pet Insurance at Any Vet Clinic?

Pet insurance can help offset some veterinary care costs and make budgeting much easier for you. It differs from health insurance in the sense that you don’t have to stick to in-network veterinarians. Pet insurance works on a reimbursement system. So, you can visit any vet clinic or animal hospital and submit a claim for your medical bill. As long as the service your dog receives is within their pet insurance plan’s coverage of services, you’ll get reimbursed. So, if you have pet insurance and your dog gets into an accident, you can expect your pet insurance to work at any emergency animal hospital you contact.

Conclusion

Sometimes, a medical concern doesn’t require immediate veterinary care. However, contacting emergency care or using an online veterinarian service can give you peace of mind and concrete next steps for helping your dog.

It’s best to be prepared in advance, so make sure to explore options and come up with an emergency plan for when you can’t contact your vet clinic. Look into vet telehealth apps and emergency animal hospitals near you so that you know exactly what to do in case your dog experiences a medical emergency.

Featured Image Credit: STEVEN CHIANG, Shutterstock