Medical Management for Pets
If your four-legged companion becomes severely ill or injured, they'll need urgent veterinary attention and life-saving care.
Continued veterinary nursing care and medical management is the constant and ongoing care provided to animals when their condition is serious, isn't stable and may require quick medical intervention.
Our veterinarians provide immediate emergency services to pets, monitor their condition and support their recovery through our continued care services, including:
- Continuous oxygen delivery, nursing care and medical management
- Blood pressure and other vital monitoring equipment
- Emergency anaesthesia and surgery
Continued Care in Burlington
An animal requires veterinary continued care services when they are experiencing a health issue that demands consistent monitoring, treatment and therapies over an extended period of time - whether that be hours, days or even weeks.
Any health condition that demands extended and complex treatments, drug therapies or monitoring will likely fall under the purview of continuing care. The following are some examples of health issues that may require continued medical care and management:
- Respiratory failure
- Sepsis (extreme immune response to infection)
- Multi-trauma patients (severe physical injuries)
- Recovery from a major veterinary surgery
- Venomous snakebite
- Congestive heart disease
Veterinary Continued Care FAQs
The following are some of the most common questions our Burlington veterinary team gets about the continued care and medical management services at our emergency and referral hospital.
- Can I call the hospital to check up on my pet in continued care?
Yes, you absolutely can get in touch with us to check in on your pet's health and status while they are being cared for at our facility.
Rest assured, though, that if there is any problem or change in your pet's condition, we will contact you promptly for information or updates about your companion's health.
- How long will my pet have to remain in continuing care?
Continued nursing care and medical management work somewhat similarly to a human hospital — while we may be able to provide an estimate of your pet's length of stay with us, factors may arise that impact that timeline.
We aren't able to predict if and when your pet's condition will change or a complication will occur, but rest assured we will communicate with you as much as possible about any changes in your companion's condition while in our care and what that means for the duration of their stay.
- What is the difference between emergency and continued care?
While veterinary continued care and emergency services have some overlap — both deal with seriously ill or injured animals — there are some important differences between these two services.
Veterinary emergency services treat pets that are suffering from serious and acute illness or injury that requires intensive and immediate care.
In comparison, veterinary continued care services also deal with serious illness and injury, but do so in cases where animals require continuous nursing care and management, complex treatments and crate rest in a medical environment to help them recover.
So, while veterinary emergency services at our clinic may transfer our patients to critical care after initial triage and treatment, not all emergencies will require continued care.
Likewise, in situations where a pet has undergone major planned surgery, they will require continued care to remain stable and begin their recovery without ever having been a veterinary emergency case.
- When do your continued care services operate?
The continued care services at Burlington Veterinary Emergency & Referral Hospital operate with on-site veterinary staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help provide treatment and attentive monitoring of your companion's health.
- Will you keep in touch with our primary care veterinarian?
Yes, we will keep your primary care veterinarian updated on your pet's conditions while they are in continued care.
We will provide your primary care vet with your pet's medical history and files to ensure your pet receives seamless, integrated care when they return home and are seen by your vet for routine care and checkups.