emergency & critical care
EMERGENCY & CRITICAL CARE SERVICES
In an emergency, you can count on VESH to be open and fully staffed in order to provide your pet with essential life-saving treatment, surgery, and hospitalization.
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week…open all holidays.
Call 413-665-4911 if your pet is having an emergency!
Our Emergency Service is available 24 hours a day to treat your dog or cat for a wide variety of medical emergencies that can arise. Like human emergency rooms, we see emergency patients on a first-come, first-serve basis, with critically ill or injured patients receiving priority (we do not accept emergency appointments). This may result in a wait during busy times, so we provide free wireless service, TV, and a snack and soda machine to help make your stay with us more comfortable.
Our fully staffed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is also open 24 hours a day and can provide your hospitalized pet with the maximum level of care that critically ill patients require including consistent medication treatment and pain control, IV fluids, advanced monitoring (including electrocardiogram, blood pressure, pulse oximetry, and central venous pressure), oxygen therapy, and most importantly, tender loving care, during their recovery.
Our advanced capabilities and specialized equipment includes:
- Blood pressure monitors
- Central venous pressure monitors
- Continuous ECG wireless telemetry
- CPR equipment including EKG’s and defibrillator
- Digital X-ray machine
- End tidal carbon dioxide monitor
- Fluid pumps
- Isolation ward
- Laboratory (coagulation, blood chemistry and blood gases, urinalysis, lactate, etc.)
- Multi-lumen central line placement
- Nebulizer (for pneumonia and asthma)
- Nutritional support (feeding tubes)
- Oxygen cage
- Pain management (constant rate infusions)
- PulseOx monitors
- Transfusion medicine
- Ultrasound
- Ventilators
SERVICE HOURS
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week…open all holidays.
Call 413-665-4911 if your pet is having an emergency!
SERVICES PROVIDED
Treatment of:
Addison’s crisis
Anemia
Bite wounds
Breathing issues
Constipation
Cushing’s crisis
Degloving
Diabetic crisis
Diarrhea
Eye trauma
Fever
Heat exhaustion
Heart disease
Hyperthermia
Hypothermia
Kidney failure
Labor crisis
Lacerations
Liver failure
Pneumonia
Quill removal
Respiratory crisis
Seizures
Toxicities
Trauma
Urinary blockage
Vomiting
Wounds
Emergency surgery:
Bloat
C-section
Cystotomy
Dystocia
GDV
Foreign bodies
Pyometra
Wound repair
Our ER DOCTORS
Our medical staff is specially trained to help pets in emergency and critical situations.
DR. ERIKA R. MUELLER, DACVECC
Chief of Medicine
Dr. Mueller is in charge of medicine at VESH. She also provides ultrasound to further evaluate abdominal soft tissue organs including the liver, spleen, urinary system, and intestines for masses and abnormalities. Ultrasound-guided aspirates for cytology and identification are also available. Dr. Mueller has a special interest in pain management and anesthesia.
DR. CHRISTINE MacMONEGIE EKNESS
ER Doctor
Ekness is a graduate of Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a one-year internship at Dove Lewis in Portland, OR, and had been practicing in the Portland area prior to moving to Western Mass.
DR. KRISTIN McLAUGHLIN
ER Doctor
Dr. McLaughlin joined us in 2012. She is a graduate of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and practiced in Pennsylvania for several years prior to joining us.
DR. KRISHNA PAULSON
ER Doctor
Dr. Paulson has been providing services for our emergency patients since 2012. She is a graduate of Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and completed a one-year small animal internship at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
DR. KIRA RANDALL
ER Doctor
Dr. Randall joined us in 2014. She received her DVM from Ontario Veterinary College followed by a one-year small animal internship, and has been a small animal clinician for 15 years.
DR. CAITLIN VAUGHN
ER Doctor
Dr. Vaughn joined us in 2015. She received her DVM from the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and completed a one-year small animal internship at Ocean State Veterinary Specialists in Rhode Island.
LEARN MORE
Did you know that emergency doctors require special training and experience? Visit the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care web site to learn more about this area of specialization and about the advanced education and training specialists like Dr. Mueller receive in order to become board certified emergency and critical care specialists.