Open 7am Friday through 7:30am Tuesday

Closed Wed and Thurs

(406) 587-3996
1103 Reeves Rd W,
Bozeman, MT 59718

What to Expect at the Emergency Veterinary Clinic: Triage, Diagnosis, and Treatment

If you’ve never been to an emergency veterinary clinic before, it may be a nerve-racking experience to take your pet to the ER for the first time. Naturally, you will be worried about your pet and anxious to find out what is wrong. When you visit Pet Emergency Trauma Services in Bozeman, MT, the first step in their care will be triage. This will help us assess your pet’s condition and provide the most urgent critical care to pets facing the most serious injuries and illnesses. 

What is triage?

Triage is the process of assessing pets upon arrival to the ER to evaluate their condition and determine the urgency of their care needs. Triage won’t yield a full diagnosis for your pet, but it will include a brief assessment that includes recording your pet’s vitals, evaluating their general appearance and alertness, and looking for signs of respiratory issues like labored or rapid breathing.  

What happens after triage?

Your pet will be categorized into one of three levels. At the most urgent level, your pet has a critical condition and needs immediate care and stabilization. Conditions like active seizures, severe bone fractures, significant head and neck wounds, bloat, heatstroke/hypothermia, and severe allergic reactions fall into this category. At the next level, pets have urgent care needs, but they may need to wait behind pets in the most critical condition. Eye injuries, straining to urinate, vomiting and diarrhea, and closed fractures all fall into this level. Finally, there are pets who need veterinary care but will not face complications if they need to wait to be seen by the veterinarian. Conditions in this category include weight-bearing lameness, broken nails, chronic disease complications, minor cuts and wounds, and intestinal parasites. 

After your pet’s care needs are assessed, they may be seen right away in our critical care unit, or they may have a wait before undergoing diagnostic care and receiving treatment. PETS provides a wide range of emergency and critical care services, including surgery, antivenom for snake bites, IV infusions, and oxygen therapy. 

How long will your pet be at the emergency hospital? 

The length of your pet’s visit to the emergency hospital may range from a few hours to one or more full days with overnight care from our nursing staff. Every case is unique, and we will walk you through your pet’s care needs throughout the process. 

Pet Emergency Trauma Services offers the highest level of emergency and critical care for pets in Bozeman and throughout the Gallatin Valley. We are open from 7 a.m. Friday through 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. If you are experiencing a pet emergency, do not hesitate to visit us for immediate care. No appointment is necessary, but you can call us prior to your arrival to let our team know that you are on the way.