An Animal Hospital Serving Maryland

A veterinary clinic or animal clinic, is just one of the places where practitioners of veterinary medicine may be found practicing their craft. A clinic usually is for short term, non life threatening care. A veterinary hospital is for long term, emergency and non emergency care with beds. We did say "usually" and that was because the definition generally holds true when it comes to human facilities but not with animals.

The differences between a veterinary clinic and a veterinary hospital

First, here's one definition that is not quite as accurate when applied to animal health care.

By definition a veterinary "clinic" has a set number of hours in which it is staffed or open and does not provide 24 hour care. A "hospital" is available 24 hours and staffed by either a veterinarian or para-professional vet tech at all times. That sounds good however, take the Banfield Pet Hospital in your local Petsmart for example.

Their name says 'Hospital" but 24 hour availability is certainly not their game. (As far as we know from dealing with our own local Banfield Hospitals).

Over the years, many a vet clinic expanded the services they provided and eventually ended up providing the exact services that a vet hospital would. Instead of changing their branding, they left it in place and simply kept calling themselves 'clinics".

What is an Emergency Vet Clinic?

Emergency clinics are usually staffed 24 hours a day, year round. As with any human crisis, pet emergencies do not occur at out convenience. They happen when most inconvenient, at night, on holidays and on weekends. You need veterinary specialists well versed in animal trauma. Here's a brief list of emergencies pets and their owners experience on a daily basis throughout the United States.

• Acute kidney failure
• Acute heart failure
• Acute pancreattis
• Allergic reactions
• Cruciate injuries
• Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV, Bloat)
• Gastrointestinal foreign bodies
• Heatstroke
• Sprains
• Automobile accidents
• Falls
• Lacerations
• Antifreeze poisoning
• Pesticides poisoning
• Rat/mouse poisoning
• Urinary tract obstructions

And that's just the everyday stuff on the short list!

Your local Veterinary Clinic may offer many of these services in their normal veterinary care packages, however we are talking about the times when they are closed for business. In any event, the emergency veterinarians will provide your normal vet with a complete medical package upon their return as well as return the pet to them for further healing.

Pet Wellness may Prevent A Future Veterinary Emergency

Good health in animals of all ages is paramount to keeping them out of the emergency rooms. Of course there will be times that even that won't, as in your pet suffering from heatstroke or accidentally drinking antifreeze carelessly spilled by a neighbor. Good health include timely dog vaccinations, dietary counseling, behavioral counseling, preventative health care and even something as simple as microchipping.

This means that you, the pet owner must take the necessary disease prevention and detection steps, such as correct nutrition, plenty of exercise and even mental stimulation for these intelligent and easily bored animals. There really is no excuse for not getting involved with your pet's daily life.

That may be the only thing that may keep you away from the animal clinic or worse yet, the emergency veterinary clinic.