Critical and emergency cases often present to the primary veterinarian, where the pet may be stabilized and kept for overnight care or transferred to a local emergency facility. Many veterinarians enjoy the chaos and urgency surrounding these cases, while others must leave their comfort zone to effectively care for them.

For those who do not feel confident about their emergency skills, a consultation with our VESPECON emergency and critical care specialists can help. Our board-certified criticalists thrive in emergencies and life-saving situations. An ECC consult can improve patient care in your primary care clinic or provide backup support to practicing emergency veterinarians in the following ways.

#1: Save time in critical situations

Minutes matter during a critical emergency, and you may not always have colleagues or a large team at your disposal, but a criticalist can provide the expert guidance you need when you’re alone on the evening shift, or overwhelmed by a case and need help. Collaboration and a team approach often provide the best outcomes for patients across all disciplines, including emergency and critical care. A virtual consultation offers easy access to assistance when you do not have others to call.

#2: Provide life-saving patient stabilization

Criticalists have the unique skill and ability to remain calm in a crisis. Which fluids should you choose for a salt toxicity patient? How quickly can you administer IV calcium for a post-op parathyroidectomy? A consultation with a cool, calm, and collected specialist who has all the answers is a godsend for primary veterinarians who are faced with an unfamiliar emergency or unsure how to proceed with a particular case. Stabilizing patients is especially crucial for veterinarians in rural practices or practices far from the nearest emergency facility. An ECC consult can also guide you on when and where to transfer patients, if necessary.

#3: Perform procedures with expert guidance

VESPECON’s unique video chat platform allows our consulting specialists to see what you see in real-time and offer extra help. With this visual connection, our criticalists can walk you through complex or life-saving procedures, such as a blood match, transfusion, chest tap, or surgery. If you don’t perform certain procedures often or would feel more confident with an expert by your side, our consulting services can help.

#4: Increase patient survival

Patient survival during emergencies may be less than ideal if you live and work in an area underserved by emergency or specialty facilities. In a true emergency, driving for an hour or more can significantly decrease the chances of a good case outcome. When you can elevate the care level you can provide in your clinic by consulting with an emergency and critical care specialist, your patients and clients will enjoy higher survival rates and fewer tragic deaths. Rural veterinarians are often expected to have all the answers—and now you can channel the experts to provide those answers.

#5: Shore up your critical care skills and knowledge

The best way to improve your emergency and critical care skills and knowledge is to learn from the experts, which VESPECON can provide. Each time you consult with our specialists, you’ll better understand specific case management and be more confident in your decision-making. You will learn to order the right diagnostics, interpret those diagnostics, and implement a treatment strategy, all the while considering your client’s goals and budget. Emergency medicine is not every veterinarian’s cup of tea, but you can find your groove and gain confidence through frequent consultations.

How VESPECON works

Our consulting team comprises multiple specialists in different departments, which means we can easily provide multi-disciplinary consultations in critical and emergency situations. We use a virtual video chat platform that allows face-to-face connection and lets our veterinarians see what you see in real-time, which offers many advantages over traditional phone consultations and allows our team to better guide you through diagnostics, procedures, and treatments. 

We can also help you transfer your case to a local emergency or specialty facility should that be necessary. Our concierge team takes care of the scheduling and communication and makes a stressful situation easier and smoother for you and your client. 

Call us or visit our website to learn how our VESPECON consultation and specialty services can elevate patient care in your practice and help you grow your specialty veterinary skills. Our ECC and multidisciplinary team is always here when you need us.