Accident and Emergency

IMPORTANT: Emergency hospital services are provided from our North Melbourne facility, NOT our Campbellfield Centre.

Triage

Our emergency veterinary team will perform a triage upon your arrival. This is an initial assessment performed by a veterinary nurse to determine the level of urgency of your pet’s condition. They will ask you some questions about your pet’s symptoms and perform vital checks such as gum colour, respiratory rates, body temperature and level of alertness.

Prioritising cases

As with any emergency department, once a triage is completed, your pet will be placed on a waiting list determined by priority and urgency. Please be aware that there may be pets arriving after you that will be considered more urgent and therefore will be seen ahead of your pet.

Over busy periods when many other veterinary clinics are closed, such as weekends or on public holidays, the waiting time can be as long as 1–2 hours, sometimes even longer.

In some cases the emergency team may advise that it is a false alarm and all that is needed is a general consultation, which can be booked on the same day if available, or an alternate date.

Fees and Payments

Lort Smith provides high-quality affordable animal health care to the whole community. By choosing Lort Smith Animal Hospital you are: providing your pet with expert care; offsetting the cost of vet care to people experiencing hardship; and contributing to the rehabilitation of vulnerable animals.

Please arrive 15 minutes early to allow for parking and checking-in at reception.

For more information – View our fees and payment options

Please understand that the emergency team is not able to treat general, non-urgent consultations as they must prioritise their time to treat emergency cases.