Veterinary Critical Care
Many patients needing intensive care are suffering from a sudden illness, serious medical condition or trauma, but some require it following a major surgery or when they are too unstable for care at other facilities.
Veterinary intensive care is the constant and ongoing care provided to animals when their condition is serious, isn't stable and may require quick medical intervention.
Our intensive care unit offers the most advanced critical care treatment by highly trained staff focused on pets experiencing emergencies and serious medical conditions. We provide:
- Ongoing observation outfitted with constant care
- Constant monitoring of blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate and oxygen levels
- Comfortable, sterile ICU where your pet can rest
The Animal Intensive Care Unit at Marcello Veterinary Hospital
Our veterinarians in Houma and Raceland maintain an intensive (critical) care unit for pets that require critical treatments, therapies and monitoring until their condition stabilizes.
At Marcello Veterinary Hospital, we are aware that this can be a stressful time for you and your pet, so we want you to rest assured knowing that your loved one is in good hands. Your pet's well-being is our primary focus until your pet's condition is stabilized. Therefore, we ensure that patients in our intensive care unit have clean and comfortable kennels, as much privacy as possible and all of the medical and friendly attention they deserve.
Critical Care Cases in Houma & Raceland
An animal requires veterinary critical care services when they are experiencing a health issue that demands consistent monitoring, treatment and therapies over an extended period of time - whether that be hours, days or even weeks.
Any health condition that demands extended and complex treatments, drug therapies or 24/7 monitoring will likely fall under the purview of critical care. The following are some examples of health issues that may require care in our ICU:
- Respiratory failure
- Sepsis (extreme immune response to infection)
- Multi-trauma patients (severe physical injuries)
- Recovery from a major veterinary surgery
- Venomous snakebite
- Congestive heart disease
Veterinary Critical Care FAQs
The following are some of the most common questions our Louisiana veterinary team gets about the critical care services at our hospital.
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How do emergency and intensive care differ?
Veterinary intensive care and emergency services have some overlap, as both deal with seriously ill or injured animals. However, there are some important differences between these two services.
Veterinary emergency services treat pets that are suffering from serious and acute illness or injury that requires intensive and immediate care.
While veterinary intensive care services also deal with severe illness and jury, they do so in cases where animals need 24/7 monitoring, complex treatments and crate rest in a medical environment to aid their recovery.
So, while veterinary emergency services at our clinic may transfer our patients to critical care after initial triage and treatment, not all emergencies will require critical care.
Similarly, in situations in which a pet has undergone major planned surgery, they require critical care to stay stable and begin their recovery without ever having been treated as a veterinary emergency.
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Can I call the hospital to check up on my pet?
Yes, you can absolutely contact us to check in on your pet's health and status while they are in critical care at our facility.
That said, rest assured that if there is any problem or change in your pet's condition, we will contact you promptly for updates or information about your companion's health.
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When do your intensive care services operate?
Marcello Veterinary Hospital's intensive care services operate with onsite veterinary staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help provide treatment and attentive monitoring of your canine or feline friend's health.
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How long will my pet have to remain in intensive care?
The duration of time spent in intensive care depends on the condition of your pet as well as the nature of your pet’s illness. Usually a short stay is expected as animals have amazing healing capabilities.
Every patient is given constant loving attention by our compassionate, knowledgeable team to get your pet healthy and back to you as soon as possible.
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Will you keep in touch with our primary care veterinarian?
Yes, we will keep your primary care veterinarian updated on your pet's conditions while they are undergoing critical care.
We will provide your primary care vet with your pet's medical history and files to ensure your pet receives seamless, integrated care when they return home and are seen by your vet for routine care and checkups.