Emergency Veterinary Care in Rockland County

After-Hours Emergency Animal Hospitals

Steps to Take In A Pet Emergency

If you and your pet are experiencing a veterinary emergency, follow these steps:

• Call Ahead If Possible - Call us immediately if your emergency is during our normal hours of operation. For after-hours care, contact one of the emergency pet hospitals noted above to inform them that you are on your way.
• Follow Instructions Provided - When you call to let the emergency animal hospital know you are coming, they might give you instructions to help you give your pet first aid or to make them as comfortable as possible. Carefully follow these instructions.
• Remain Calm - Be calm and extra careful near your pet. When animals experience pain they often react negatively towards anyone trying to help and could bite or scratch.
• Bring Your Pet In For Care - Don't put yourself at risk! Safely take your cat or dog to our Rockland County veterinary clinic or the after-hours emergency vet location above.

Pet Emergency FAQs

Browse the answers to our most frequently asked questions below to get more information about bringing your pet to Rockland Veterinary for an emergency appointment. 

• Do I need to call ahead?

  Rockland Veterinary offers urgent and emergency care for cats and dogs during our usual hospital hours. It's always best to call us ahead of time if you can, but we know that in emergency situations it's not always possible. 

  If we can't fit your pet into our schedule, we suggest visiting one of the after-hours emergency veterinarian clinics shown above. 

• When is your clinic open?

  Our veterinarians take emergency and urgent care cases during our regular hours of operation:

  HOURS

• What situations require emergency veterinary care?

  Below are examples of situations that require immediate emergency care:

  • Obvious signs of pain or extreme anxiety
  • Severe bleeding or bleeding that doesn't stop
  • Fractured bones or severe lameness
  • Choking, difficulty breathing, or continuous coughing/gagging
  • Severe vomiting or diarrhea; 2+ episodes in 24-hours
  • Seizures and/or staggering
  • Bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum, or blood in the urine
  • Inability to urinate or pass feces, or pain associated with urinating or passing feces
  • Injuries to the eye(s)
  • Your pet has ingested something poisonous (such as antifreeze, xylitol, chocolate, rodent poison, etc.)
  • Heat stress or heatstroke
  • Refusal to drink for 24 hours or more
  • Unconsciousness
• How long will we have to wait to see the vet?

  Our Rockland County animal hospital operates similarly to a human doctor's office—the wait times can be unpredictable and you might have to wait. 

  We are unable to predict the cases we will see and when they will arrive. If you can, call ahead to see if we are able to provide emergency care for your pet.

  If we can't fit an emergency appointment into our vet's schedule we suggest visiting one of the 24/7 animal emergency hospitals listed above. 

• What happens if my pet needs to stay in the hospital?

  Some veterinary emergencies need intensive overnight care. At Rockland Veterinary we provide overnight care for animals that require it.

  While in our care, our dedicated team will treat your pet as if they were our own.

• What types of animals do you treat?

  Our emergency veterinarians are mostly experienced with cats and dogs although we will see other small animals and exotic pets, such as birds and rodents, in serious situations.