We just recently finished our week of emergency on call, and I thought that emergencies might be a good topic for this instalment of Kelly's Corner. Fort McMurray doesn't have an emergency clinic. All four veterinary clinics share the emergency call. It works out that every clinic is on call one week a month.
If you call our clinic after hours, our message will either tell you what clinic is on call and their phone number; or it will tell you to leave a message if we are on call. When we are on call, one of the four Techs carry the pager and are the ones who you will be talking to. We then contact one of our doctors and arrange to meet at the clinic.
Emergencies can be very scary and it's very common for people to get emotional. Remember if you can, when you call the pager, to leave your name and phone number first, then a brief message. I have listened to many messages where people are quite frantic and they tell me their pet's names and what's going on, but no phone number.
When we are on emergency on call, we still go home at night, we don't have access to your files, so it's very important you leave your phone number. The next common question I get from clients is, "What is an emergency?" or "When should I call the pager?" Basically I tell people that whenever you think your pet is in severe distress or has an injury that might be life threatening, call us right away. Another way to look at it, is to give yourself the ailment that your pet has.
For example, if you had a bout of diarrhea, would you rush to the emergency room? Probably not. If you vomited a couple of times? You would probably stay home from work and keep yourself quiet. If it persisted, then you would make an appointment with your doctor. On the other hand, if you had an accident and thought that you broke your leg, you would be heading to the emergency room. We never plan for emergencies, but they happen. Hopefully with this information, if one occurs with your pet, you'll be a little more prepared!

K