Dayton Referral Information

Why has my veterinarian referred
me to Dayton CARE Center?

Chances are the problem that brought you to your family veterinarian, and caused them to refer you to Dayton CARE Center is unlike what you have dealt with in the past. Your pet is sick and you're worried.

At the very time you would like to avoid any additional stress to you and your best friend, your trusted veterinarian sends you to a new place.

Why?

Quite simply, because your family veterinarian has identified a situation that calls for special care. It may be that your pet needs constant, intensive care and monitoring, the kind that only a 24 hour facility can provide.

Your vet knows you want the best possible care for your pet. In most circumstances, that means diagnosis and treatment with your trusted family veterinarian. He or she knows your pet best, has a history with you and your friend, and is in the best position in most cases to decide on the best care. And sometimes your vet's assessment will indicate a need for an advanced care facility like Dayton CARE Center.

We take the trust your veterinarian has placed in us very seriously, and make it a priority to keep your vet fully informed of all care provided at Dayton CARE Center. We think you'll find your vet's trust well-placed.

So if you've been referred to Dayton CARE Center by your family vet, or you've gotten our number off their answering machine, keep in mind that they've recommended us out of concern for your pet's well-being and yours.

Emergency Medicine

Emergency medicine in Veterinary care closely parallels emergency medicine in the human field. Emergencies commonly arise from the same types of sources: Trauma such as dog fights, cat bites, being hit by a car, falling off a deck or balcony; Medical emergencies such as a diabetic crisis, seizures, severe dehydration from profuse vomiting and diarrhea, or toxicities: either accidental or environmental: over-dosage with medication, pets ingesting household products or human medications, etc. Acute, severe changes in a pet's status: heart failure, bleeding internally, etc.

The process of treating the emergent patient is therefore much the same as you have seen in an ER: triage, diagnosis, and treatment. When a patient presents to the Dayton CARE Center, they will first be triaged to identify how critical they are. Patients will be treated in order of criticality, NOT in order of presentation. So the first thing that must be done is to determine IF they are critical. The patient is then examined in the appropriate order, and a diagnostic and treatment plan formulated. The emergency veterinarian will then discuss this plan with you, and cover any questions you may have.

If admitted, the emergency staff will call you if there is a change in your pet's condition, or if there is new information to be discussed with you. Because we are fully staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you are always welcome to call in to ask about your pet's condition, and our nursing staff will be happy to give you an update.

The ICU (Intensive Care Unit)

The major difference between our facility and a human emergency room is that CARE Center functions not only as an ER, but as an Intensive care Unit (ICU). At all times, our facility is not only receiving new emergencies, but also monitoring and treating the critical cases that have been admitted to our hospital. Some of these cases came in as emergencies; others were referred to us because of our critical care capabilities. So while you may have been the only client in our waiting room at 3am., the ICU was full of critical patients, keeping our staff busy.