Emergencies can happen at any time when you have a pet, and if it happens to you, we are here to help. If you believe your pet requires emergency care, or if you’re not sure, please call us right away at (718) 347–1057 or (516) 922–5850.
Our staff considers emergencies a priority. The Bellerose Animal Hospital’s critical care unit is capable of managing the most challenging cases using equipment and technology found in all busy human hospital critical care units as well as in veterinary teaching hospitals. We will accept all emergency cases, including those needing advanced care from other facilities as well as overnight emergency practices.
The following emergencies require you to call us no matter what hour of the day, night, or weekend:
- Frequent vomiting within a short period of time
- Frequent bouts of diarrhea
- Difficulty breathing
- Very fast or very slow breathing (get to know your pet’s normal resting pulse)
- Straining to urinate and/or blood in the urine
- Paralysis
- Dangling limbs
- Any trauma—being hit by a car, falling out of a window, a fight with another animal—even if the pet appears to be acting normally
- Injury or irritation to the eyes
- If you suspect poisoning
- Burns
- Bleeding wounds
Our entire staff, starting with our receptionists, is well versed in how to manage and prioritize an arriving emergency patient. Emergencies are handled by a team of skilled professionals including veterinarians, New York State-licensed veterinary technicians, and veterinary aides.
After triaging the patient, the hospital is capable of performing immediate laboratory tests using the most current veterinary testing equipment.
In addition, when appropriate the hospital can:
- Perform routine and sophisticated laboratory monitoring
- Monitor EKG, blood pressure, and oxygen levels on a continuous basis
- Provide fluids and treatment using the same central IV catheters as used in human emergency room
- Take X-rays and ultrasounds to help diagnosis your pet’s condition
Pet owners are encouraged to stay in our waiting area so that they can be updated as needed and visit with their pet if he or she is medically stable.
Intensive care is available for the management of any medical or surgical patient including emergency patients. These patients are cared for and monitored by our highly skilled staff.
Nutrition is critical for our ICU and emergency patients
Bellerose Animal Hospital has the capability of “feeding” critically ill patients using specially formulated intravenous diets and by multiple types of feeing tubes, both temporary and permanent.
Anxiety and pain management
We take pain management very seriously and will do all that we can to ensure your pet’s comfort and ease at all times.
Staff credentials
All professional staff members at Bellerose Animal Hospital are required to receive continuing education (CE) in emergency and critical care medicine. This CE includes national, local, and in-house education.
We hope that you will never need the treatment offered in this unit, but we welcome pet owners to take a guided tour.
After-hours veterinary procedures
If you are calling before or after our reception hours:
Your call will be answered by Blue Pearl Specialty & Emergency Medicine for Pets. Blue Pearl provides 24–hour veterinary emergency care. A triage technician will answer the phone to help you with your pet’s emergency and tell you what to do.
If it is recommended you see a veterinarian, you will be offered three choices:
-
Bring your pet to their emergency hospital located at:
204B Glen Cove Road, Carle Place, NY 11514 (parking is available) -
Take your pet to The Animal Medical Center (AMC) located at:
510 East 62nd Street, New York, NY 10065 -
Suggest that you go to Long Island Veterinary Specialists located at:
Exit 46 Long Island Expressway (Sunnyside Blvd. exit)
136 South Service Road, Plainview, NY
All 3 facilities, though not related, are staffed by veterinary emergency and critical care specialists and specialized technicians. They are fully equipped to handle any emergency with standards of care meeting Bellerose Animal Hospital’s criteria for animal care. All 3 hospitals will advise Bellerose Animal Hospital of the medical care they have given your pet and will send you back to Bellerose if your pet needs further treatment after they have stabilized your pet’s condition.