1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

When the emergency room veterinarian first arrives at the hospital, he/she consults with the veterinarians and veterinary technicians from the previous shift and performs “rounds” during which the staff reviews the cases of all the animal patients in the hospital and discusses each one’s diagnosis, care, and treatment plan. Usually the rest of the day centers around caring for the current animal patients, consulting with specialty veterinarians on complicated cases, updating owners about their pets, writing reports and ordering medicines, and treating emergency cases as they arrive. Some emergency room veterinarians also find time to write articles or books, while others present medical lectures to veterinary students or work with veterinary interns. Resource Guide copyright © 2007 American Veterinary Medical Association. Teachers may use for classroom support without further permission. hat kinds of emergencies does an ER veterinarian treat? sutures, s, , cows, etc.) and other emergency ospitals are equipped to handle any size or species of animal. hat kind of medical equipment is used to treat animals? RI) r respiratory tract or to retrieve foreign objects such as pennies r bottle caps from an animal’s stomach. hat types of veterinary specialists are available today? ts n also cognized veterinary specialist W Like people, animals are subject to accidents and illness, so an emergency animal hospital has to be prepared to treat a wide variety of cases. For instance, emergency room veterinarians may see a dog that swallowed a foreign object (such as a small ball or a child’s toy) or a rabbit with a cut that needs or a cat that has been hit by a car and is in need of emergency surgery. While many veterinary emergency hospitals primarily treat small animals such as dogs, cats, birds, mice, rabbits, and snake some specialize in emergency services for larger animals (horses h W The equipment to treat animals is very similar to that found in human hospitals. Radiographs (X-rays) are taken to look at the patient’s bones to see if there are any fractures. Magnetic resonance imaging (M machines and Computed Tomography (CT or CAT) scans may be used to photograph the animal’s internal organs. Blood tests are performed to monitor infection and illnesses. Lasers are now used routinely instead of scalpels during some surgeries. Endoscopes (tubes with tiny cameras on the end) are used to see inside an animal’s digestive o o W Just as in human medicine, veterinary medicine includes many different types of specialties. For example, veterinary cardiologists treat heart-related illnesses and perform heart surgery. Veterinary oncologis treat all types of cancer in animals. Veterinary anesthesiologists administer medications that relieve pain and keep the animal sedated during surgical procedures. Veterinary neurologists treat nervous disorders and perform brain and spinal surgeries. Veterinary ophthalmologists treat eye disorders. Veterinary orthopedic surgeons repair bone and joint injuries, and veterinary soft-tissue surgeons perform surgeries for digestive, respiratory, or other non-orthopedic problems. Veterinarians ca specialize in emergency medicine. To see a complete list of re organizations, go to the following page of the AVMA Web si w . hat kinds of foods are toxic to animals and could result in a visit to an animal ER? ures; ods, which can cause Cardiac emergencies include a variety of different diseases, including congestive heart failure, cardiac tamponade, arrhythmogenic disease, and thromboembolic disease. Cardiac emergencies are life-threatening conditions that must be diagnosed quickly to avoid delays in therapy. The increased use of thoracic ultrasound and focused echocardiography in the rapid diagnosis of HF and cardiac tamponade as well as the use of pimobendan for the treatment of HF in both dogs and cats are the most important recent advances in the management of cardiac emergencies. Cardiac emergencies include a variety of different diseases, including congestive heart failure (HF), cardiac tamponade, arrhythmogenic disease, and thromboembolic disease. Many of these diseases are life threatening and must be diagnosed quickly and efficiently to provide relief of symptoms and to avoid delays in definitive treatment. New modalities and medications used in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac emergencies are reviewed. The timely and accurate diagnosis of HF can be challenging. Historical and physical examination findings are not pathognomonic for HF and can be compatible with other diseases, such as primary respiratory disease. Many dogs and cats presenting with HF are in severe respiratory distress, which limits diagnostic evaluation. In acute HF, treatment consists of stabilizing the patients’ clinical condition while establishing the diagnosis, the underlying cause, and any precipitating factors for the HF. In small animal veterinary medicine, the most common causes of HF are degenerative mitral valve disease (MVD) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in cats. Other less common diseases include congenital heart disease, infectious endocarditis, cardiac neoplasia, heartworm disease, or other conditions leading to pulmonary hypertension. There is no single diagnostic test for HF. The diagnosis is based on a combination of findings, including signalment, historical interrogation of clinical signs, and results of diagnostic tests (including physical examination) and cardiac imaging (specifically, thoracic radiography and echocardiography). See Table 1 for a summary of clinical findings that are suggestive of HF or for findings that usually refute the diagnosis of HF. The response to treatment directed at HF can also provide supportive evidence for the diagnosis of HF (ie, the furosemide-response test).Rapid clinical recognition of HF includes being familiar with the common signalment with a