Emergency services

The Critical Care (CC) Service at the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital offers 24-hour emergency service 7 days a week. Pets are admitted to the Critical Care Unit (CCU) when they are critically ill and require moment-to-moment monitoring and adjustments in medications and other therapies.

Conditions requiring critical care oversight

Pets with the following conditions can benefit  from oversight by the critical care service;

• respiratory distress
• severe trauma
• shock
• overwhelming full-body infection (sepsis)
• life-threatening neurologic problems
• unstable post-operative patients
• severe toxin ingestion
• and post cardiac arrest care.

Our expert staff

The Emergency and Critical Care Unit is staffed by a dedicated team of exceptional nurses and experienced veterinarians. The unit is overseen by a highly experienced ECC Veterinarian who has been a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Emergency and Critical Care for over 5 years, and also has a PhD in critical care.

The incredible ECC veterinarians are trained in both emergency and critical care, and are comfortable in dealing with the most critical of patients. The Critical Care Unit can provide critical care, including, but not limited to oxygen support, mechanical ventilation, intensive monitoring (continuous ECG, invasive/non-invasive blood pressure monitoring, capnography, blood gas analysis), blood transfusions and nutritional support as required. The ECC service works closely with the other specialty services to provide an integrative approach which affords patients the highest level of care.