What is your availability for Cardiac Ultrasounds?
Dr. Paul Kaplan and Dr. Josh Gidlewski are available Tuesdays through Fridays. It is important to call and make arrangements at least 24 hours in advance, to ensure availability.

When my patients are treated at VESCONE, when can I expect an update?
When a patient is discharged, we write a letter containing a brief summary of your patient’s time at VESCONE and any recommendations for follow up care with you. We also include the presenting SOAP and all blood work, imaging and procedures.


Sometimes I don’t receive a letter?
The most common reason you might not have received a letter is that when the pet arrived, the person who brought him or her in, did not know the name or their referring veterinarian or hospital. This usually occurs if one family member normally handles routine care but a different member of the family brought the pet in on Emergency. We frequently work with pet sitters and boarding kennels that may not know your information. Also, some clients may have changed their referring veterinarian since their previous visit and did not inform us of the change. We do try to get referring information when your client presents and we ask them to update their information on subsequent visits. Please let us know right away if you did not receive a letter from us. We apologize when this happens. Our goal is to notify you promptly and always keep you informed.

One of my patients was hospitalized for several days. How can I get updates prior to discharge?
You are always welcome to call and talk with the Emergency doctor on duty or contact any of us via voice mail and e-mail. We are very happy to talk to you at any time, even in the middle of the night! We call and give daily updates to your clients directly and we are more than happy to do the same for you.

Do I need to call before referring a pet over to VESCONE?
It is helpful, but not required, that you call before referring a case. It helps us to know which patients are coming in. Your clients feel comfortable and cared for when we already know about their pet’s problem. It is important that you call if you want your patient to have any kind of specialist care: i.e. an internal medicine consult or an ultrasound. We try our absolute best to accommodate the needs of your patients by scheduling any needed specialist consults, or procedures. The sooner we know of its impending arrival, the better we can plan any additional care you may request.

What types of Emergency and Critical Care services does your department offer?
We offer a service with 24/7 doctor and nurse coverage. Our facility includes a canine and feline blood bank, full in-house lab capable of doing blood typing, coagulation profiling, chem. and CBC panels, blood gas analysis, blood ammonia levels, ethylene glycol testing among other tasks, new computerized 4-way telemetry EKG, defibrillation, blood pressure (direct and indirect), capnography, pulse oximetry, , state of the art iso, halo, sevoflurane anesthesia machines, a host of different types of fluids, including Hetastarch and Oxyglobin, Partial Parenteral Nutrition, 2 radiology suites, mammography film for exotics, and isolation suite, cage side central oxygen, suction and our staff are capable of many emergency procedures such as placing chest tubes, minor invasive procedure such as feeding tubes, nasal oxygen, tonometry, nebulization, single and double lumen central line placement, urinary caths of all types, etc.

Do you see all exotic species on an emergency basis?
We see all exotic emergencies as referred by several exotic and avian practices in the area. While we are outfitted for most basic emergencies, and are confident in seeing most patients referred, we do tell clients that we are not exotic specialists. Our aim is to diagnose and stabilize your patients until they can see an exotic specialist the next day. Most patients are fine to go home the next day. We stay in close contact with our exotic referring veterinarians and hospitals to make sure their patients are taken care of properly.

Do you do any outpatient services for your referring veterinarians?
Yes, we do. We offer to run blood tests of all types for our referring hospitals, all that is needed is a tube of blood and the patient’s information. We also do outpatient blood pressure, blood typing, coagulation profiling, pulse oximetry, tonometry, other lab testing such as FELV/FIV, ethylene glycol, and Parvo testing, etc.

Do you offer overnight or weekend nursing care for my post surgical or really ill patients?
We offer to hospitalize and monitor your post surgical or patients needing IV fluids or additional monitoring for a reasonable cost. We reduce our exam fees and will work with the fluids and IV lines you send with your patient. We want to be an extension of your practice and your eyes and ears at night or on a weekend. Our aim is to be as flexible as possible. The only time we will replace a catheter or repeat a test, is when the catheter comes out or your patient’s status changes.

Do you sell your blood products to your referring veterinarians?
Yes, we do. We sell packed red cells, plasma for cats and dogs. We also sell Oxyglobin, PPN fluids and Hetastarch if your patients need this in a hurry. Just call us to let us know your needs and to check availability.

Do you offer continuing education? Is this for credit?
We are currently offering seminars for CE credit every quarter. All of our seminars are approved for CE credit or are pending approval. Please check out our CE section on our website for further information.

How many doctors and nurses are on a shift?
We usually have 1-2 doctors on per shift on weekends and 2-4 nurses per doctor. All of our doctors are trained in emergency and critical care as well as our nurses. All are CVTs and several are training for their certification for Emergency and Critical Care Nursing. See our Nurses Notes section to learn more about this specialty and the AVECCT exam.

Can I get a tour of your hospital?
Our referring are welcome at anytime, just call us or drop in. We want you to know where you send your patients and feel comfortable with our hospital and staff.

What if my clients cannot afford your care?
We offer a program called Care Credit which has helped many clients afford to treat their pets. Emergency and Critical Care can be an expense not expected and we want to work with your clients to do the best we can to provide the best care. We also promote pet insurance to help new pet owners to afford care in the event of an emergency.

What if my clients wants to contact me while at VESCONE, will you call me?
At your request, we can list your home contact numbers for emergency contact at home. We often do not contact you unless you or your client has requested this ahead of time.

What if I want my patient back the morning or weekend after being at VESCONE?
Some of our referring veterinarians prefer for us to keep their patients until their medical condition is completely resolved. Some prefer to manage their own patients medical problems when open. When you refer one of your patients to us, please indicate on our referral forms your wishes. We will then send your patient back to you, with all the lab work, copy of the records and radiographs, as well as any catheters or indwelling lines, fluids, etc.