An Animal Hospital Serving Maryland

Animal Clinic versus Animal Hospital, What's in a Name?

As with facilities for humans, an animal clinic is usually designated for short term, non life threatening care. Animal hospitals on the other hand, are better equipped to handle more complicated, life-threatening or emergency care. These hospitals are also equipped with the means to provide extended stay recovery care. They also can handle everything else the clinic does.

Now, having said that, we'll say, even though a vet clinic may have the word clinic in its name, that doesn't necessarily mean it cannot function as a hospital. Some of these animal medical facilities have been around long enough where they may have started out as clinics but over the years have evolved into full-blown hospitals. The animal doctor running the business is in complete control of how he or she wants to be branded.

The emergency animal clinic specializes in, as the name implies, animal emergencies and trauma. Some city and state governments may even run free animal clinics and these are usually attached to their official animal shelters. Some services are free while others are greatly discounted due to local government subsidies.

7 Pet Care Services You May Find in The Typical Veterinarian Clinic

The Animal Clinic has one goal, to meet the routine animal medical care your pet needs, in an effort to prevent the development of more complicated situations that will require a visit to a full-fledged animal hospital.

They usually offer:

• Checkups and consultations
• Veterinary Surgery, including spay/neuter
• Veterinary Dentistry, including teeth cleaning for dogs
• Prescription medication for seasonal and other ailments, including flea control
• Animal Boarding
• Vaccinations, rabies vaccinations, puppy vaccines and cat vaccines
• In-house comprehensive work up lab work

The services provides at the Animal Clinic is hardly what will bring you back time and again however. What really sets the clinic apart is the amount of empathy shown by the animal clinic vet. It's the way they treat your pet. Remember, many of these doctors are pet owners just like yourself and they truly understand the anxieties you may be faced with.

Finally, the pet clinic, due to its smaller size will often be a lot more accommodating when it comes time for appointments and drop-in care. Usually, the larger the facility, the longer the wait for routine services. Animal hospitals are not good with making same-day appointments, the clinics are. The only exception? Emergencies, but who wants preferential treatment simply because they are in a crisis situation?

You may never get to know your veterinarian personally at the animal hospitals, each visit may bring a different doctor. In the smaller animal clinic, you will become friends with the vet, in the same way you would become friends with your kid's soccer coach or band teacher. That's in itself is a big plus in our opinion.