You should take your pet to an emergency veterinarian when they are experiencing a sudden illness, injury, or change in condition that could be serious or life-threatening. Difficulty breathing, collapse, severe bleeding, trauma, seizures, repeated vomiting, inability to urinate, toxin exposure, and significant pain are examples of conditions that may require immediate veterinary attention.
If you are unsure whether your pet’s condition is an emergency, it is always appropriate to contact an emergency veterinary hospital for guidance. When a pet’s condition appears serious or is rapidly worsening, seeking care promptly is generally the safest choice.
LAASER – Los Angeles Animal Specialty, Emergency & Rehabilitation provides emergency veterinary care in Los Angeles.
Signs that your dog or cat may need emergency veterinary care include:
This list is not exhaustive. If your pet is experiencing a sudden or concerning change in their condition, contact a veterinarian promptly.
Yes. LAASER – Los Angeles Animal Specialty, Emergency & Rehabilitation provides emergency veterinary care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Our emergency team evaluates dogs and cats experiencing urgent illnesses, injuries, trauma, and other medical emergencies.
If your pet is experiencing a potentially life-threatening emergency, you may come directly to LAASER for evaluation.
No. A referral is not required for emergency veterinary care at LAASER.
Pet owners may bring their dog or cat directly to our emergency department when emergency care is needed.
For specialty services, your primary veterinarian may refer your pet to one of our specialists and provide relevant medical records, laboratory results, and diagnostic imaging. Depending on the specialty and situation. You may contact LAASER directly to ask about scheduling an appointment directly as well. You do not need to have a veterinarian referral.
Do not delay emergency care because you do not have these items. Medical records can often be requested from your primary veterinarian after your pet arrives.
If available, bring:
When your pet arrives at LAASER, a member of our veterinary team will assess their condition and determine how urgently they need medical attention. This is called Triage.
Emergency hospitals use triage, which means patients are evaluated based on the severity of their condition rather than solely on their order of arrival. Critically ill or unstable patients may need to be treated immediately.
After evaluation, the veterinarian will discuss your pet’s condition, recommended a treatment plan, and an estimate for the recommended care.
The cost of emergency veterinary care depends on your pet’s condition and the diagnostics and treatment required.
A relatively straightforward emergency visit may require an examination and medications, while a critically ill or injured patient may require bloodwork, diagnostic imaging, hospitalization, surgery, intensive monitoring, or specialist care.
After evaluating your pet, the veterinary team will discuss recommended care and provide an estimate based on your pet’s individual medical needs. If additional treatment becomes necessary, the team will communicate updated recommendations and costs whenever possible.
Pet insurance can often be used to help with eligible veterinary expenses at LAASER. Coverage, reimbursement, deductibles, and exclusions depend on your individual insurance
In terms of payment options, we accept all major credit cards, cash, Cherry Financing and Care Credit.
A veterinary specialist is a veterinarian who has completed extensive additional education and clinical training in a particular area of veterinary medicine.
Following veterinary school, specialists typically complete advanced training that may include an internship and a multi-year residency. Board-certified veterinary specialists have also completed the requirements and examinations established by their specialty’s recognized veterinary specialty organization.
Specialists often work closely with primary care and emergency veterinarians to diagnose and manage complicated medical and surgical conditions.
LAASER – Los Angeles Animal Specialty, Emergency & Rehabilitation provides multidisciplinary veterinary care for dogs and cats in Los Angeles.
Our services include:
Having emergency and multiple specialty services within one hospital allows our veterinary teams to collaborate when patients have complex conditions requiring care across multiple disciplines.
The diagnostic tests your pet needs depend on their symptoms, physical examination, and medical history.
Bloodwork can provide information about organ function, blood cells, electrolytes, blood sugar, and other important health indicators.
X-rays (radiographs) are commonly used to evaluate the chest, abdomen, bones, joints, and certain types of injuries or foreign objects.
Ultrasound provides real-time images of internal organs and can be useful for evaluating conditions affecting the abdomen and other areas of the body.
Advanced imaging, such as CT and/or MRI, may be recommended for certain neurologic, spinal, orthopedic, or soft-tissue conditions.
Your veterinarian will recommend diagnostic testing based on the information needed to understand your pet’s condition and determine appropriate treatment.
Yes. Veterinary rehabilitation can be an important part of recovery following certain surgical procedures.
Depending on the patient and procedure, rehabilitation may help improve strength, mobility, balance, flexibility, and range of motion while supporting a controlled return to activity.
A rehabilitation plan should be individualized based on your pet’s surgery, condition, recovery stage, and recommendations from their veterinary team.
At LAASER, having specialty surgery, neurology, and rehabilitation services available allows for collaboration when a patient’s recovery requires multiple areas of veterinary care.
Yes. Veterinary rehabilitation may help senior dogs and cats experiencing arthritis, weakness, decreased mobility, or difficulty performing normal activities.
Depending on the patient’s condition, a rehabilitation program may incorporate therapeutic exercises and other modalities designed to support strength, mobility, comfort, balance, and quality of life.
Because mobility changes can also be caused by orthopedic, neurologic, or other medical conditions, your pet should be evaluated so an appropriate treatment and rehabilitation plan can be developed.
LAASER – Los Angeles Animal Specialty, Emergency & Rehabilitation provides emergency and specialty veterinary care for pets throughout Los Angeles and surrounding communities.
We commonly serve pet owners from Northeast Los Angeles and nearby areas, including Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Mount Washington, Atwater Village, Glendale, Pasadena, South Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, and surrounding Los Angeles communities.
Pet owners may travel to LAASER from throughout the greater Los Angeles area or even further for emergency and specialty veterinary care.
Yes. Primary care veterinarians can refer patients to LAASER for specialty evaluation, advanced diagnostics, procedures, hospitalization, or collaborative care.
Your veterinarian can provide LAASER with your pet’s medical history, laboratory results, diagnostic images, and other relevant records so our team has important information about your pet’s condition.
A referral is not required for emergency care. If your pet is experiencing an emergency, you may bring them directly to LAASER.
If you believe your dog has eaten a potentially toxic substance, contact a veterinarian or veterinary poison-control service immediately.
If possible, identify:
Bring the product container, medication bottle, ingredient list, or a photo of the substance with you to the emergency hospital when possible.
Do not induce vomiting or give home remedies at home. Some substances can cause additional injury when vomiting is induced.
Potential toxins include chocolate, xylitol, grapes and raisins, certain human medications, rodenticides, some plants, household chemicals, and other substances.
If your dog is showing serious symptoms such as difficulty breathing, collapse, seizures, severe weakness, or loss of consciousness, seek emergency veterinary care immediately.
LAASER provides 24/7 emergency veterinary care in Los Angeles for dogs and cats experiencing suspected poisoning and other medical emergencies.