Emergencies

We understand how scary it is to have a pet with an emergency situation.  While we are not equipped to handle any emergencies due to not having the equipment nor facilities necessary to treat seriously ill pets, we can still help our patients get the care they need.  We have built relationships with local general practices, emergency clinics, and specialty hospitals so when your pet is sick beyond our capabilities to treat them, they still get the care they need.  

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Your pet's complete records since June 2021 are available through your pet portal.  Prior to that, you were emailed a complete history and lab results from each visit, which hopefully you saved!  We can email records prior to June 2021 during our regular business hours.  

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If you do take your pet to an emergency veterinarian, please let us know ASAP.  We always want to know how our patients are doing, and follow up with you for their continued care.  If you have any questions about your pet's care elsewhere, ask us.  We are always here for our patients and clients, because that's what Family does.  

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Our Preferred Emergency Partners

Emergency clinics are slammed

Through no fault of their own, emergency clinics have been faced with a serious increased demand for services combined with a shortage in emergency veterinarians.  This has resulted in many clinics having to close their availability on a temporary basis so the patients they have already accepted get the care they need.  Other clinics experience extremely long wait time often exceeding 5 hours or more.   Your pet will be triaged and admitted according to how serious their condition is.  You may be bumped back in line numerous times if your pet's condition is relatively stable as more critical patients arrive.  

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CALL AHEAD.  BE PATIENT.

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We can't stress either of the above enough.  Veterinarians have a moral, ethical, and legal duty to provide our best care to those patients we have already accepted.  Our promise is that if we take on a patient, we will do everything in our power to ensure that pet gets excellent medical attention.  Sometimes that means we just can't do any more without compromising patient care.  

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We are all doing the best we can under extremely challenging circumstances.   Please be your kind, compassionate selves when at the emergency clinics.  We all know emergency situations extremely frustrating and scary, but yelling, cussing, and threatening our colleagues is not going to help you or your pet.  Thank you.  

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Emergency Situations
Examples of signs that indicate an emergency.  Emergency means drop what you are doing right now and go to the nearest open veterinary facility.  

• Trouble breathing, breathing too fast

• Trauma such as hit by car, even if your pet looks OK; internal organ damage can be fatal

• Attacked by another animal

• Collapse or falling down

• Heat exhaustion or heat stroke

• Eye injuries or infections

• Straining to urinate

• Constipation or straining to have a bowel movement

• Vomiting and/or diarrhea especially if the pet is not eating or acting sick

• Decreased appetite for more than 24 hours

• Uncontrollable bleeding

• Anything painful 

• In labor for more than 2 hours without producing a puppy or kitten

• Seizure lasting more than 2 minutes or multiple seizures within 24 hours

• Changes in mental status, such as stupor, "spacey," or sudden severe personality changes such as aggression

• Eating anything poisonous or toxic including all human medications or drugs (we won't tell, we promise).  List of common poisons found here!

• Snake bite

• Bloated abdomen

• Blood in urine or stool

Euthanasia

Family Veterinary Mobile Clinic only performs planned euthanasia on patients currently in our care.  

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For all others in the Sanford area, we can recommend Lap of Love.  Their phone number is (919) 439-5922 and their email address is TheTriangle@LapofLove.com

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In the Southern Pines areas, we recommend Peak Performance Mobile Veterinary Service.  Dr. Commerford's phone number is (910)225-4838 and her email address is peakperformancevet@gmail.com

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