Vet ER and Critical Care
Upon arrival at LeadER Vet ER and Critical Care, the emergency and critical care team will triage your loved one. We will determine patient status and provide immediate attention if it is required, such as treating a bleeding wound or providing oxygen for loved ones having trouble breathing.
Unfortunately, we do not treat birds or other exotic loved ones; however, we will direct you to an animal hospital in the Fort Lauderdale area that does provide such care.
Once the veterinarian has evaluated your loved one by performing a physical exam, we will present you with a diagnostic and treatment plan. Options for tests such as x-rays and blood work, hospitalization, and treatments will be discussed.
LeadER’s emergency and critical care service is unique: We make it convenient for your primary veterinarian to transfer your loved one to one of our specialists for advanced diagnostics and care. Sometimes the diagnosis is available and your loved one will be transferred to one of our specialists for advanced care. However, sometimes your primary veterinarian cannot find a diagnosis and will refer you to a specialist to determine the problem. The emergency and critical care team will evaluate, admit, and transfer the patient to a specialist the next business day. Once transferred, the specialist and his/her team will contact you regarding your beloved loved one.
Regardless if your loved one has to stay in the animal hospital or is treated on an outpatient basis, we keep your primary veterinarian up-to-date on your loved one’s progress. We provide you with copies of records, test results, and a jump drive with x-rays. We also email copies of the visit, recorded observations, and tests results to your veterinarian.
ER Services
LeadER’s emergency and critical care service offers the finest veterinary services for dogs and cats that are injured or ill. There are veterinarians on premises at all times.
The hospital is fully equipped with an ICU, surgical suites, triage area, laboratory, and radiology suites (2). In addition to routine blood testing, our critical care team also performs blood gas analysis, acid-base analysis, coagulation (blood clotting) testing, and cardiovascular monitoring (EKG, blood pressure, central venous pressure).
Our emergency and critical care service is supported by our critical care team, which includes a board-certified critical care specialist.
Specialized services offered by our critical care team include: Post-operative care and monitoring and short/long term mechanical ventilation.
What to Expect During Your Emergency Visit
1. Immediate Triage
Our emergency team quickly assesses your pet upon arrival and provides immediate stabilization if needed.
2. Doctor Evaluation
A veterinarian performs a full examination and discusses your pet’s condition.
3. Diagnostics & Treatment Plan
We review recommended diagnostics, treatment options, and estimated costs with you.
4. Hospitalization or Transfer
If advanced care is needed, your pet may be hospitalized or transferred directly to one of our specialists.
5. Ongoing Communication
We keep both you and your primary veterinarian updated throughout your pet’s treatment.
6. Discharge & Follow-Up
You’ll receive detailed discharge instructions, medical records, and follow-up recommendations.
Intensive Care Unit
LeadER Animal Specialty Hospital’s ICU team in South Florida is the heart of our animal hospital and ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any emergency. Our team triages all patients that are emergencies, recovers surgical patients, performs treatments on all hospitalized patients, and takes care of all critically ill patients. The ICU is set up so we have a full view of all the patients around-the-clock. At any time, our referring veterinary hospitals may transfer loved ones to our ICU for continuous care.
Here are some of the features:
- Equipped with syringe pumps, pulse oximetry, and capnography
- Fully stocked with blood, plasma, and platelets
- Access to telemetry, ultrasound, and oxygen cages
Other ICU features include:
Ventilation
Mechanical ventilation is for patients that are having difficulty breathing and maintaining a proper oxygen level in their blood. Our critical care team make sure all patients on the ventilator are closely monitored. We have three ventilators available (two that mix room air with oxygen and one that delivers oxygen only). Our animal hospital is equipped for long-term ventilation for patients with respiratory issues like pneumonia, lung disease, neck injuries, and any patient that cannot maintain a proper oxygen level.
Isolation
The isolation room at our animal hospital in South Florida is for any patient that has an infectious disease, which is contagious to other patients. Our emergency vet doctors and nurses wear protective gowns, gloves, and masks so as not to pass any disease to another patient. This room is located away from contact with other patients and is monitored very closely because these patients require a lot of attention. We also have a monitoring screen in the ICU that allows us to keep a close eye on them at all times.
Diagnostics Laboratory
LeadER Animal Specialty Hospital in South Florida is fully stocked with two chemistry machines, CBC machine, coagulation machine, and the ability to transfer all lab work into the computer. Our animal hospital has a dedicated nurse in or lab every day, Monday to Friday until 5pm, and then our emergency team runs all the blood work from that point. We do send some blood work out to local labs for testing; but everything that can be run in our lab we do, for quicker results.
Our in-house capabilities, such as CBC (complete blood count), biochemical evaluation, urinalysis, various fecal evaluations, and a variety of toxic screens, allow for thorough initial loved one evaluation. In addition, as these diagnostics are performed in our animal hospital, the results are available that same day allowing for rapid determination of the next step for your loved one. These tests are available 24 hours per day/7 days per week.
In addition, we also have an in-house, certified veterinary technician to perform more advanced blood smear evaluations the same day. Working with our staff doctors, our veterinary technician is able to gather more information that is not always reported by in-house machines—allowing for more complete evaluation of your loved one’s condition.
The veterinary technician at our animal hospital in South Florida offer an extensive array of same-day diagnostics, and offer the same services during evening and weekend hours.
LeadER offers in-house diagnostic capabilities performed on a same-day basis including:
- Automated CBC
- Comprehensive chemistry profile and partial profiles
- Spun PCV with total protein
- Coagulation profile: APTT and PT
- Complete peripheral blood smear evaluation
- Manual platelet count
- Manual reticulocyte count
- Buffy coat evaluation
- Slide agglutination test
- Intestinal ova and parasite test; fecal centrifugal flotation and direct smear
- Fecal occult blood test
- Complete urinalysis
- Ear cytology, fecal cytology, skin tape preparation cytology
- Heartworm antigen snap test/Ehrlichia
- Microfilaria check (via buffy coat, blood slide)
- Ketone levels (blood and urine)
- Lactate levels
- FeLV/FIV snap test
- Ethylene glycol test
- Blood typing
- Blood major crossmatch
- Dermatophyte cultures
- Parvovirus snap test
- Canine PLI test (snap test) Feline FPL
In addition, our animal hospital in South Florida has developed close working relationships with diagnostic laboratories (both commercial and universities) across the country for a variety of additional advanced diagnostic testing options.
What to do in case of an emergency
What is an emergency? We feel that anything which causes a loved one owner to be alarmed enough to contact us is important. It’s always better to be cautious when it comes to your loved one’s health.
- If you are concerned about your loved one, please contact us at 954-437-9630.
- Remain calm. Alert a family member, friend, or neighbor about the situation. You may need help from that person to transport the loved one to our animal hospital in South Florida.
- Inform our staff about your loved one’s condition over the telephone before you arrive.
Some common emergency tips
Bufo Toad Poisoning
These toads cause heart and nervous system problems. Symptoms include: drunken behavior (staggering, falling over), excessive drooling/foaming from mouth, and seizures.
- If your loved one is not seizing and is conscious, rinse the mouth with running water by placing a sink sprayer or garden hose in the corner of the mouth.
- Do not try to make your loved one drink or force water down your loved one’s throat.
- Do not give your loved one any other liquid or food, only water.
- If your loved one is seizing, unconscious, falling over, or becomes very stiff, come to our animal hospital in South Florida as soon as possible.
Pets exposed to poison or medication
- Call our hospital, you may be directed to contact Animal Poison Control (1-888-426-4435, fee charged) or you may be directed to give something to induce vomiting.
- Be prepared to bring your loved one to the animal hospital in South Florida. Â Certain toxins and drugs have antidotes, which our emergency vet team can administer.
- Always bring the packaging or vial that the suspected substance was kept in. The label will provide information such as the main ingredient and its concentration.
- If your loved one’s skin was exposed to a chemical or insecticide, bathe your loved one using dish soap and water.
Pets that are vomiting or having diarrhea
- Call the hospital, you may be directed to remove your loved ones’ food/water.
- Excessive vomiting and diarrhea can cause dehydration, which requires medical attention. Be prepared to bring your loved one to LeadER.
- Do not give your loved one any over-the-counter medication such as Imodium unless directed to do so by a veterinarian.
Pets that sustained trauma
- Approach injured loved ones with caution; they may bite anyone when in pain (including their owner).
- If your loved one cannot walk, use plywood, blankets, or an ironing board as a stretcher to move your loved one.
- Place clean towels over any open wounds and apply direct pressure to any bleeding wounds.
- Never place a tourniquet unless directed to do so by a veterinarian.
Dogs
- No grapes or raisins – It can cause kidney failure.
- No onions or Kale – It can cause anemia.
- No chocolate or caffeine – It can cause tremors and seizures.
- No sugarless gum or sweeteners – These products contain Xylitol, which causes severe hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
- Human painkillers – Dogs metabolize these drugs differently than people. Only give medication prescribed or directed by a veterinarian.
- Sago palm – Any part of this decorative landscaping, especially the seeds, are deadly.
Cats
- Lilies – All parts of the flower are poisonous and lead to kidney failure.
- Degreasers/Antifreeze – It can cause kidney failure/death in both cats and dogs.
- Tylenol – One regular strength tablet will kill a cat; it causes their blood to loose its ability to carry oxygen.
- Spot-on/topical flea killers – Some of these products are mistakenly placed on cats when they are labeled for dogs only. Overdose causes tremors and seizures.
