Triage: Why Your Pet May Not Be Seen Right Away
November 19, 2019
When you arrive with your pet as an emergency or urgent care case, you may find yourself waiting a while before your pet is seen. As you’re waiting, you may even notice patients being seen before your pet even if they arrived later, which can be frustrating.
What is Triage?
“Triage” is a medical term that dictates how patients are prioritized in an emergency room setting. Patients with more life-threatening conditions will be treated first, followed by more stable patients. All emergency hospitals, both human and veterinary, follow this same approach to patient care.
For example, if you arrive with your dog at an emergency veterinary hospital for a case of mild vomiting and diarrhea on a Saturday, you may have to wait a while before your pet is seen by an ER doctor. This is due to the patients already being treated with more life-threatening symptoms (who you may not see but are in the treatment areas “out back”) as well as incoming pets with more life-threatening symptoms. At any given time there can be several inpatients being treated by our team. You can check out our blog Pet Emergencies: What Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow or Monday for a better idea of pet emergency severity.
How are Pets Triaged?
Upon arrival, a veterinary technician will assess your pet. The technician will not diagnose or treat your pet. They will look for things such as respiratory distress, alertness, and ask you what your pet is presenting for and a brief history. They record vitals in your pet’s record and always round an ER doctor on your arrival. Based on this information, the technician will determine how urgent your pet’s case is, what needs to be done, and prioritize your pet in relation to other patients.
Each hospital follows a protocol for checking on your pet at certain time intervals (i.e. every 30 minutes) to ensure nothing has changed.
Once all patients with more urgent cases are stable and an emergency veterinarian is available, your pet will be seen.
What Can You Do as a Pet Owner?
There are a few things you can do as a pet owner to help with the triage process:
- Call ahead: if possible, calling ahead will allow our team to know you’re coming and prepare as best we can. If your pet was in a serious accident or ingested a particular substance, we can have technicians prepare a treatment table with the required equipment and medications as well as have a staff member wait for you in the lobby.
- Gather all your pet’s information: be ready to explain what’s going on with your pet. If you have a copy of their medical records available to bring with you, this will help too.
- Be your pet’s advocate: if you notice your pet worsen while you’re waiting, tell the client care staff immediately.
- Be patient with us: we know how frustrating it can be to spend a few hours in the waiting room on a Sunday afternoon. We always strive to see all patients in a timely manner, and we promise to see your pet as soon as we can. Check out our Waiting Room Tips here.
- Realize our team is here for you: even though you may not work with your pet’s emergency veterinarian through the entire visit, all of our technicians, assistants, and support staff are highly trained, educated, and working together (though you may not see it firsthand) to provide excellent care for your pet.
We truly do appreciate your patience and understanding while you’re with us.
Please try to remember: if you’ve been waiting a while in the front lobby, you’re probably having a much better day than the person next to you. We’re here for you, and all the pets in our communities.