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Emergency & Urgent Care Services

Emergency & Urgent Care Services

Bear Creek Animal Clinic has expanded our availability to better serve pets who need urgent or emergency care. While we are not a 24-hour hospital, our regular hours often allow us to provide timely care for urgent conditions without requiring travel out of the Rogue Valley.

Calling Ahead Is Strongly Recommended

We ask that clients call us before arriving whenever possible. This allows our team to assess schedule availability and ensure we can safely accommodate your pet. At times, we may already be managing critical cases in-house or have a full schedule. While we make every reasonable effort to see urgent patients, there may be situations where a doctor determines your pet would be better served at a dedicated emergency facility. If that is the case, we will guide you accordingly. For specific emergencies we may guide you to a referral center that has advanced care options, which would better suit your pets needs. We understand these are very stressful moments for you and your loved ones; know that we are recommending what is best for your pets at all times.

Urgent Care Exams

Urgent care appointments are reserved for same-day concerns, including sick pets, sudden but non-life-threatening symptoms, Last-minute vaccination needs when medically appropriate, case requiring immediate attention. These appointments are designed to address problems that cannot wait for a routine visit but do not require immediate emergency stabilization.

Emergency Exams

Emergency exams are reserved for true emergency situations when a life-threatening situation is occurring and a patient cannot wait to be seen. Oregon veterinary law requires a veterinary practice to triage a patient when needed and not turn a pet away. We will always do our best to help pets in need and will triage as best we can prior to transferring to a specialty center for continued care. We may triage over the phone or recommend going straight to a specialty of emergency practice to aide in faster care for your pet pending what we assess. These are often case dependent and require care and skill for triaging in the moment and understand you cannot plan for these.

Emergency Walk-In Exams

Walk-in emergency exams will incur an additional fee if:

  • The owner did not call ahead to schedule as urgent care
  • The schedule is fully booked and we are still able (and medically appropriate) to work the pet in
  • The pet is experiencing a life-threatening emergency requiring staff to stop care of other stable pets and triage your pet

Calling ahead helps us prepare and improves outcomes whenever possible.

Conditions Considered Emergencies

If your pet is experiencing any of the following, please contact us immediately:

  • Difficulty breathing or excessive coughing
  • Trouble urinating or inability to urinate
  • Suspected toxin ingestion
  • Broken bones or severe trauma
  • Hit by a vehicle
  • Collapse or sudden weakness
  • Repeated vomiting
  • Blood in vomit, urine, or stool
  • Eye injuries
  • Difficulty walking or sudden lameness
  • Deep cuts, bite wounds, or open wounds
  • Extreme lethargy or unusual fatigue
  • Crying out in pain
  • Difficulty giving birth
  • Sudden vision problems or bumping into objects
  • Snake bites
  • Seizures

If you are ever unsure whether your pet’s condition is urgent, it is always appropriate to call.

After-Hours Emergency Care

If your pet needs emergency care outside of our business hours, please contact one of the following 24-hour emergency hospitals:

Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty & Emergency
Central Point, OR
541-282-7711

Rogue Valley Veterinary Emergency
Medford, OR
541-393-9960

These facilities are equipped to provide overnight monitoring, advanced diagnostics, and emergency surgical care.