Emergency vet, urgent care or regular vet: which one do you need?
Three kinds of clinic handle sick pets, and picking the right one saves money and sometimes a life.
Go to an emergency hospital now if your pet has
- Trouble breathing, blue or pale gums, or collapse
- Uncontrolled bleeding, a serious wound, or was hit by a car
- Repeated vomiting or retching with a swollen belly (possible bloat, especially in large deep-chested dogs)
- Seizures, inability to stand, or sudden paralysis
- Straining to urinate with nothing coming out, above all in male cats
- Eaten something toxic: antifreeze, rat poison, xylitol, chocolate, lilies (cats), grapes, human medications
- Heatstroke, or a difficult labor
Find emergency vets near you. Call ahead if you can; they can prepare and may tell you what to do on the way.
Urgent care is for same-day problems that aren't life-threatening
Vomiting or diarrhea without other symptoms, limping, ear infections, minor cuts, eye discharge, itching that won't stop, not eating for a day. Urgent care clinics are cheaper than emergency hospitals and often have shorter waits. Urgent care vets.
Your regular vet is for everything else
Check-ups, vaccines, dental care, ongoing conditions, and anything that can wait a few days. Many clinics keep same-day slots for sick patients, so call first. Clinics with same-day appointments (use the “Same-day appointments” filter on your city page).
What to expect to pay
An emergency exam fee is usually two to three times a regular exam fee, before any treatment. Nationally, a routine exam is typically $60 to $85. Where clinics publish emergency fees, we show them on their listing.
This guide is general information, not veterinary advice. When in doubt, call a vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee applies).