Veterinary Criticalists are veterinarians specializing in the emergency and critical care of pets. After veterinary school, criticalists complete three or more years of intensive training in emergency and critical care medicine and pass a board examination administered by the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC).
Veterinary Criticalists are experts in managing seriously ill pets and life-threatening emergencies. Typical cases they handle involve pets who need frequent monitoring of blood pressure, organ function, or electrolytes. They also attend to pets who:
- Undergo traumas, such as being hit by a car, attacked by other animals, stabbed with a sharp object or burned
- Have difficulty breathing
- Require transfusions
- Experience life-threatening poisoning
- Shows signs of shock, seizures, or neurologic abnormalities
- Have severe urinary issues
- Suffer from complications like pneumonia, organ failure, or blood pressure irregularities
- Require extracorporeal therapies (outside the body), such as dialysis, mechanical ventilation or therapeutic plasma exchange
Criticalists at CVSG collaborate with our board-certified specialists in all areas of the hospital to support patients in our care. Our team of dedicated emergency doctors work hand-in-hand with the criticalists. This allows CVSG to offer the most advanced medical treatment and provide the highest-quality, innovative veterinary care to our patients.