Hillside Animal Hospital
Emergency Pet Care at Hillside Animal Hospital in La Crosse, WI
When choosing Hillside Animal Hospital for routine care, you also receive the assurance of local emergency services in the event your cat or dog experiences a medical emergency during hospital and non-hospital hours.
If your pets do not receive routine care at Hillside Animal Hospital, we recommend contacting your primary veterinarian for guidance in the event of an emergency. If they are not open, emergency service information likely can be found on their website.
During hospital hours please call us at (608)788-3425 so we can prepare for your arrival. During this phone call we’ll ask questions to better understand the emergency and provide instructions on arrival at the hospital. Please note while we will try our best, we are not always able to work urgent but not life threatening appointments into our already full schedule. In these instances; we may offer an afterhours emergency appointment, or a “drop off” appointment where you’ll bring your pet in and one of our veterinarians will provide an exam and care between scheduled appointments.
When your pet experiences a medical emergency outside of normal hospital hours, we provide a shared after-hours emergency service with Central Animal Hospital and Thompson Animal Medical Center. Hillside Animal Hospital, Central Animal Hospital and Thompson Medical Center are AAHA accredited veterinary practices. You can expect the same high standards of patient care at all three participating hospitals.
Who should you call in the event of a life-threatening emergency such as rat bait poisoning, obstructed airway, hit by car, unresponsiveness, and many other possibilities?
You will call Hillside Animal Hospital at (608)788-3425, no matter the time of day. After hours, you will hear a message that will direct you to the hospital on call and the option to be connected with that hospital.
If your pet’s after-hours emergency falls during a Hillside Animal Hospital rotation, one of the Hillside Animal Hospital doctors will arrange a visit at our hospital.
If your pet’s after-hours emergency falls when one of the other cooperating practices is on call, that doctor will arrange to meet at the hospital they work from. Central Animal Hospital is located at 840 2nd Avenue South, Onalaska. Thompson Animal Medical Center is located at 4540 Mormon Coulee Road, La Crosse.
Please note; there is NOT a doctor in the hospital during non-hospital hours. We kindly ask that when you use our emergency services during non-hospital hours, you do so with the intent of bringing your pet in for after-hour emergency care should that be deemed necessary. For concerns not needing to be seen on an emergency basis we ask that you contact us during normal hospital hours for guidance.
How do you pay?
The cost of after-hours emergency care will be similar between the three participating hospitals. Payment will be due at the time of service and payable to the hospital that sees your pet. All three hospitals accept cash, check, credit or debit cards, and Care Credit for payments.
What happens after your pet is seen at one of the other participating hospitals?
As a cooperative agreement between the participating hospitals, follow up care and records of their emergency visit will be transferred to Hillside Animal Hospital. These records will become part of your pet’s medical records. If rechecks or additional visits are needed they will be scheduled with your regular established veterinarian at Hillside Animal Hospital.
If your pet needs to be hospitalized during your emergency visit at Central Animal Hospital or Thompson Animal Medical Center, you will be given a choice of staying at that hospital or returning to Hillside Animal Hospital at the beginning of the next business day. If your pet’s condition needs 24 hour critical-care, a specialized surgery, or blood products, once your pet has been stabilized for travel, a referral to another facility out of the area may be necessary.
It is important to us that your pets continue to have access to emergency care; even after normal hospital hours. Together, we are committed to ensuring that we continue to provide the best care possible when your pet needs it.