Mississauga - Oakville Veterinary Emergency Hospital & Referral Group

Urgent or Emergency Veterinary Referrals

What is an Urgent Referral?

An urgent referral is any case that requires immediate care and cannot wait for either a specialist appointment to become available, or cannot be stabilized at your clinic for any reason.

Who Sees the Case?

All urgent referrals are seen by the Emergency Department if the Specialist is not available. The emergency veterinarian admits and stabilizes the patient and then sets up internal consults with the appropriate specialists to facilitate appropriate diagnostics and treatment.

Urgent Referral Steps

Call us: 905-829-9444
1. Ask to speak directly with the emergency veterinarian or appropriate specialist about the urgent referral
2. Have the details of the case ready
3. Confirm that the appropriate specialist is available
4. Obtain a rough estimate for the owner
Complete the paperwork
1. Have the owner fill out and sign the Urgent Veterinary Referral Form [pdf]
2. Compile a concise summary of the patient's care, including relevant:
  1. History
  2. Diagnostics
  3. Treatments
3. c. Fax the above to us: 905-829-9646
Prepare the owner
1. Inform the owner of costs, including the rough estimate for the care provided by the Emergency Department

Short-Notice Referrals

Some referrals are not strictly urgent, but would greatly benefit from being seen sooner than the available specialist appointments permit. For these cases, contact the specialist directly, and they will endeavor accommodate short-notice referrals whenever possible.

More Information

For more information, please do not hesitate to call Dr. Lisa Schwarz, Head of Emergency Services.

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