Poway Emergency Vet

After-Hours Vet Emergency Care

Find a local 24-hour emergency clinic nearest you.

Steps to Take In A Pet Emergency

If you are experiencing a veterinary emergency, follow the steps below.

• Call Ahead If Possible - Call us immediately during regular business hours. After hours, call the emergency animal hospital on the list above to notify them of your impending arrival.
• Follow Instructions Provided - When you call to notify the emergency pet hospital of your impending arrival, you may be given instructions on how to administer first aid or otherwise make your pet as comfortable as possible. Take care to follow these instructions.
• Remain Calm - Maintain a calm demeanor and exercise extra caution around your pet. When an animal is in pain, it frequently reacts negatively to anyone attempting to assist it, biting or scratching.
• Bring Your Pet In For Care - Take care not to endanger yourself! Bring your pet to our Poway veterinary clinic or the above after-hours emergency veterinarian location in a safe manner.

Emergency Vet FAQs

Read through our most frequently asked questions below to learn more about bringing your pet in for an vet emergency appointment at Best Friends Veterinary Hospital. 

• Do I need to call ahead?

  Best Friends Veterinary Hospital provides vet emergency care for cats and dogs during our regular clinic hours. It's always best to contact us in advance if you can, but we understand that in emergencies that's not always possible. 

  If we are unable to fit your pet into our schedule, we recommend that you visit the after-hours emergency vet location shown above. 

• When is your clinic open?

  Our Poway emergency vet team see cases during our regular business hours:

  • Monday:09:00 am - 08:00 pm
  • Tuesday:09:00 am - 08:00 pm
  • Wednesday:09:00 am - 08:00 pm
  • Thursday:09:00 am - 08:00 pm
  • Friday:09:00 am - 06:00 pm
  • Saturday:08:00 am - 04:00 pm
  • Sunday:Closed

   

• What situations require emergency veterinary care?

  The following situations are examples of emergencies that require immediate care:

  • Severe bleeding or bleeding that doesn't stop
  • Obvious signs of pain or extreme anxiety
  • Choking, difficulty breathing, or continuous coughing/gagging
  • Fractured bones or severe lameness
  • Seizures and/or staggering
  • Bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum, or blood in the urine
  • Inability to urinate or pass feces, or pain associated with urinating or passing feces
  • Severe vomiting or diarrhea; 2+ episodes in 24-hours
  • Injuries to the eye(s)
  • Your pet has ingested something poisonous (such as antifreeze, xylitol, chocolate, rodent poison, etc.)
  • Heat stress or heatstroke
  • Refusal to drink for 24 hours or more
  • Unconsciousness
• How long will we have to wait to see the vet?

  Our Poway animal hospital is just like a human doctor's office—it can be unpredictable and you may have to wait. 

  We cannot predict what cases we will see and when they will arrive. If possible, call ahead to find out whether we can provide emergency care for your dog or cat.

  If we are unable to fit an emergency appointment into our vet's schedule we recommend that you visit the 24/7 animal emergency hospital detailed above. 

• What happens if my pet needs to stay in the hospital?

  Some veterinary emergencies require intensive overnight care. At Best Friends Veterinary Hospital we provide overnight care for animals in need.

  While in our care, our dedicated team will treat your pet as if they were our own.

• What types of animals do you treat?

  Our emergency veterinarians are experienced with cats and dogs.