FAQs

Urgent care for pets provides immediate medical attention for non-life-threatening injuries or illnesses that require quick treatment but aren’t severe enough for emergency care. Examples include minor wounds, mild to moderate infections, vomiting, diarrhea, or mild pain. Southwest Veterinary Hospital is also equipped to manage more significant emergencies such as stomach bloat (GDV), trauma/injuries, bleeding, and seizures.

You should bring your pet to an emergency or urgent care clinic if they are experiencing issues that require timely attention. Examples include:

• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Cuts or wounds
• Limping or pain
• Allergic reactions
• Difficulty urinating or defecating
• Respiratory distress
• Seizures or collapse episodes

If you believe your pet’s condition is critical or life-threatening, please contact us immediately.

Our clinic is located at 95 Wharncliffe Road S, London, ON (shared facility with Blue Cross Animal Hospital). Parking is located directly behind the clinic.

While we accept walk-ins, we recommend calling ahead of time to minimize wait times, especially during busy hours. If your pet’s condition requires urgent attention, we will see them as soon as possible. We use a “triage” system similar to a human emergency room where we evaluate the pets with the most severe/urgent problems as a priority.

Please bring the following:

• Your pet’s medical history, if available
• Any medications your pet is currently taking
• Payment for services (we accept various payment methods including debit/Interac, VISA, Mastercard, e-transfer and cash)

The cost of urgent care can vary depending on the condition and treatment required. There is an initial fee to cover the emergency examination and assessment. Additional diagnostics may be recommended depending on the findings. We provide estimates upfront for our services before any further diagnostics or treatments are performed.

Please call ahead of coming into the clinic for the most accurate cost estimates.

If your pet requires care outside our regular hours, we recommend contacting your primary veterinary clinic or calling an emergency veterinary hospital in your area.

While we primarily focus on urgent and emergent care, we can address urgent issues related to chronic conditions such as diabetes or arthritis/acute pain control. For ongoing management of chronic health problems, we recommend discussing this with your regular veterinarian. We will communicate with your primary veterinarian after each visit to keep them informed about any diagnostic tests or treatments performed by our team.

We perform minor procedures and can also perform more extensive surgeries (e.g., foreign body ingestion, GDV). For more complex or life-threatening surgeries, we may refer your pet to an emergency surgery center or a specialty clinic. If needed, our team can stabilize patients prior to surgery or prior to transport.

Yes, we will send a summary of your pet’s visit to your regular veterinarian if you provide their contact information. We encourage follow-up care with your regular vet for ongoing management after your visit to our clinic.

We accept various forms of payment, including VISA, Mastercard, Interac/debit, e-transfer and cash.

Our focus is on urgent and emergency care, so we do not provide routine wellness exams or vaccinations. We recommend scheduling these appointments with your regular veterinarian.

We strive to see all patients as quickly as possible. Wait times depend on the severity of other pets’ conditions. We prioritize patients based on the urgency of their health concerns. If you have called ahead and we have provided an approximate appointment time, we will do our best to keep wait times to a minimum.

If you have multiple pets that need care or need to bring another pet for any reason, please call ahead so we can make accommodations and ensure everyone is seen as quickly as possible.