Veterinary Hospitals

Veterinary Hospitals covers the large veterinary medical units, with hospitalisation and usually extended or round-the-clock hours, where an animal can be kept under continuous observation and treated for conditions that go beyond what a practice can handle. A veterinary hospital typically has an operating theatre, intensive care, imaging, radiography, ultrasound and often CT or endoscopy, an in-house laboratory with fast results, oxygen therapy, transfusions, and teams across several specialties working together on a case.

An owner reaches a veterinary hospital when the animal needs hospitalisation for several days, complex surgery, monitoring after a severe accident, treatment for a serious disease such as organ failure, or when the regular vet refers it for investigations that cannot be done at the practice. Many hospitals also take cases by referral from other clinics.

When you choose a veterinary hospital, check whether hospitalisation is genuinely supervised around the clock, with staff present at night rather than just rooms of unattended animals, what specialties are available and whether they work in teams, what diagnostic equipment is on site, how they communicate the animal's condition and cost estimates daily, and whether you can visit a hospitalised animal. Ask for a staged estimate for hospitalisation and treatment, because the course of events can change the plan.

Keep the address and phone number of the nearest veterinary hospital to hand before you need it, especially if you have a senior animal or one with chronic disease. On admission, bring the health record, the list of treatments and recent test results.

The cost of a hospital stay rises with the number of days, the monitoring, the medication and the investigations, so ask for an estimate updated daily and ask early what options exist if treatment is prolonged. A good hospital talks openly about both the prognosis and the costs, and helps you make informed decisions.

Use this directory to find veterinary hospitals in your area, compare equipment, specialties and reviews, and open each hospital's page for contact details, a map and hours before going in.