If you think your pet is sick or injured and you’re not sure what to do, call Red Bank Veterinary Hospital at (732) 747-3636 and speak to one of our experienced triage technicians.  They will help assess the situation and determine whether your pet needs to be seen by a member of our emergency staff.

Emergency situations include:

Trauma

• Bite wounds
• Broken bones
• Burns
• Distended abdomen
• Hit by car
• Excessive bleeding
• Eye injuries
• Heatstoke, frostbite
• Trouble breathing; gagging; choking

Ingestion
Substances such as chocolate, mushrooms, onions, household plants, antifreeze, insecticides, rat poison, household cleansers, pool chemicals, human medication, bones, pennies, other foreign objects or excessive amounts of food or garbage.

Symptoms to Watch For:

• Allergic reactions, including swelling, rashes, or itching
• Bumping into things, becoming disoriented
• Changes in behavior, appetite, or stools
• Coughing, sneezing, or difficulty breathing
• Diabetic animals refusing food
• First time seizure, seizures lasting more than 3 minutes, or multiple seizures
• Inability to urinate; straining to urinate
• Non-productive retching/vomiting
• Pregnant animals that have gone more than 3-4 hours between delivering
• Signs of pain such as whining, shaking, hiding, or dull behavior
• Vomiting blood/passing blood in the stool or urine
• Weakness; inability to walk; sudden collapse

Red Bank Veterinary Hospital provides 24-hour emergency and critical care 365 days a year. This service is open to all small animal companion pets that are in need of immediate medical attention. Experienced veterinarians are on premises at all times, assisted by technicians trained in emergency and critical care. Together, they are equipped to handle a wide range of medical and surgical emergencies.

All of Red Bank Veterinary Hospital’s emergency centers have the same goals as an emergency room for humans – to stabilize, treat, and monitor patients. Our emergency teams utilize current technology including blood gas analysis, blood transfusion therapy, capnography, indirect and direct arterial blood pressure monitoring, oxygen therapy, pulse oximetry, digital radiography, EKG, and ultrasound to evaluate and stabilize patients. Pets also have access to further diagnostics such as endoscopy, MRI, and CT at our Tinton Falls facility. Emergency surgery can also be performed any time of the day or night.

Patient care and client satisfaction are our top priorities. We understand that each pet is accompanied by a concerned owner. That’s why we take the time to comfort both of you.

Critical Care

Our Critical Care Unit provides 24-hour care for the most critically ill patients in the hospital. It is equipped with oxygen cages, ventilators, computerized fluid pumps, heart monitors, and other advanced technology. Critical care doctors and technicians deliver the most comprehensive care available for companion animals.

Specialists

We are proud to have our emergency doctors working side-by-side with our specialists. This multi-disciplinary approach gives the emergency team access to full-time board certified veterinarians in the fields of behavior, cardiology, clinical nutrition, critical care, dentistry & oral surgery, dermatology & allergy, internal medicine, neurology & neurosurgery, oncology (medical & radiation), ophthalmology, and surgery (orthopedic & soft tissue).

Patient Transport Service
Should a consultation with a veterinary specialist be required after your pet's condition has stabilitzed, and that specialty is not available in-house, a complimentary patient transport service is available to take your pet to the nearest RBVH location with that particular specialty on staff. This is our way of offering you convenience and giving patients the greatest access to the multitude of specialists network-wide.

If your pet needs to be transferred to the care of a specialist, it can be done without interrupting ongoing medical treatment. The ability to transfer in-house helps promote better outcomes with less stress.

Pharmacy
All of our emergency hospitals have an on-site pharmacy to assist you and your pet in the hours following an emergency. We dispense enough medication to benefit your pet until you can visit your primary care veterinarian for follow-up care. To encourage the relationship you share with your pet’s primary care veterinarian, we only fill prescriptions for patients seen through our emergency service.

Working with Your Primary Care Veterinarian
Red Bank Veterinary Hospital partners with your primary care veterinarian by being available as an emergency hospital 24 hours a day. Patients are treated and stabilized and then sent home or back to their primary care veterinarian. Those requiring further hospitalization are transferred to our critical care unit or patient wards until they are able to be discharged. We work cooperatively with referring veterinarians to ensure they have all of the information needed for optimal follow up.

In order to maintain the trust that referring veterinarians have in us, we will not accept referred clients to our general practice. We appreciate the confidence you place in our doctors to care for your pet, but ask that you return to your family veterinarian to continue overseeing your pet’s general healthcare needs.