This information has been prepared to help answer questions regarding your pet’s stay at the St. Louis Animal Emergency Clinic.
Emergency Clinic Operations Our emergency clinics are located in Kirkwood, Bridgeton, O’Fallon and Chesterfield. We are here to provide emergency services for your pet and your regular veterinarian when they are not available. We staff multiple veterinarians, and several relief veterinarians at the four clinics.
Hospital Hours The Kirkwood and O'Fallon facilities are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year including holidays. The Chesterfield clinic is open Monday through Thursday from 6 pm until 8 am, and from Friday at 6 pm until Monday at 8 am including all holidays. The Bridgeton location is open Monday through Friday from 5 pm until 1 am, and Saturday from 12 pm until 12 am, and Sunday from 8am until 12 am. During hours of operation there is always a veterinarian on duty.
General Information Many pets receive regular medications or special diets. Please inform the doctor so that your pet receives the appropriate care. You may be asked to provide these to the hospital for use with your pet. We ask that you do not leave any personal belongings at the hospital. Please take all leashes, collars, pet carriers, and blankets, etc. with you.
Being an emergency facility, we are often faced with a wide variety of patients. While most of our patients do well, some may deteriorate rapidly or even expire. Because of our unique situation, we require that all patients that are hospitalized have “code” status sheet signed by the owner. This does not mean that we expect problems with your pet, but that we can be prepared in case of an unexpected event that requires life saving measures. We will make every attempt to contact you if there is a change in your pet’s condition.
Estimates You are entitled to an estimate of expected cost to treat your pet. All hospitalized pets will have a written estimate prepared for your approval. We require that a portion of the estimate be left as a deposit. Please review the estimate carefully and if there are questions please ask. Please remember that treatment plans can change and costs could be altered. The veterinarian should discuss these situations with you. If at anytime you wish to know the total of your bill please ask and it will be calculated. It would be beneficial to check daily on your account balance.
Patient Care Your pet will have it’s vital signs taken and will be monitored and observed on a regularly scheduled basis. Your pet’s condition may require treatment with various medications, fluids, special diet, or physical therapy. Most patients will have blood taken for laboratory analysis and intravenous catheters. Hair will probably be clipped for these procedures.
Checking on Your Pet Please make sure that we have correct phone numbers in order to reach you. These may include home, work or cell numbers. We encourage you to call daily to check on your pet’s progress. Due to the number of emergencies that we see, the doctor may not be able to come to the phone each time you call. The technicians will answer questions if possible or take messages. They can have the doctor return your call at a more convenient me. We ask that you limit the number of people calling for updates on your pet. This allows us to spend more time caring for your pet and the other hospitalized patients.
Visitation Visiting periods are allowed if possible and sometimes encouraged for some pets. Please call first to see if visitation is possible. We ask that visits be kept to 15 minutes or less. During our peak times or during certain procedures you may be asked to reschedule your visit. No one will be permitted to spend the night in the clinic.
