Emergency and Critical Care Service - Veterinary Medicine at Illinois

Small Animal:

Dogs, cats, zoo med species

Call 217-333-5300

1008 W. Hazelwood Dr., Urbana

Large Animal:

Horses and farm animals:

Call 217-333-2000

1102 W. Hazelwood Dr., Urbana

Emergency and critical care services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

All animal patients are evaluated to assess the urgency of their condition. Patients with the most critical condition are seen first. Patients with minor complaints will likely have a substantial wait time or may be advised to see their primary care veterinarian the following day.

Please note: Due to current staffing and demand, ER services are operating at Triage Tier Level 2. That means:

Patients suffering from a chronic illness will ONLY be seen if they are experiencing an acute phase.
Patients that need specialty care will be sent home to await an appointment with the specialty service if they are in a stable condition rather than transferred directly to that service.

Please help our team by being kind and as patient as possible. We know you are concerned for your animal, and we want to provide the best outcomes for you and your pet.

Looking for more information on Equine
and Farm Animal care?

Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Service

Staff in our small animal emergency service have training and expertise in responding to health emergencies for dogs, cats, and companion animal zoo species. We offer state-of-the-art diagnostics and therapeutic options.

What is an emergency?

If you think your animal is experiencing an emergency but aren’t sure, call us. We’re happy to help you assess whether your animal needs to be seen.

If you have a concern that is not life-threatening, but you want your dog or cat to be seen same-day and your primary veterinarian is not available, you can call the Urgent and Convenient Care service at 217-244-2555. Visit our Urgent and Convenient Care page for more details.

Common emergencies include:

Allergic reactions/hives
Difficulty breathing
Difficulty urinating/not producing urine
Difficulty walking or prolonged lameness
Collapse, seizures, not conscious
Ingestion of toxins or foreign objects
Persistent vomiting, diarrhea and/or decreased appetite
Punctures or bite wounds
Severe bleeding
Traumas, such as being hit by a car or falling
Unusual behavior/lethargy

Services and Capabilities

Highly trained team consisting of diplomates in emergency and critical care and specialty trained technicians
Continuous blood pressure monitoring, telemetry, and ECG
Continuous drug infusions, particularly for pain management
Defibrillators
Direct and indirect arterial blood pressure monitoring
Enteral and parenteral nutrition
On-site blood banking
Oxygen cages that are temperature and humidity controlled
Rapid response on-site laboratory services for blood gas analysis, electrolytes, lactate, glucose, ionized calcium and magnesium, and BUN and creatinine
State-of-the-art ventilation
We participate in clinical trials, collaborate with human and veterinary medical professionals, and remain active in professional organizations in order to offer cutting- edge treatment options to our patients

Small Animal Emergency/Critical Care Faculty

Natalie Arruda Bergamaschi, DVM
Meghan Fick, DVM, MS, DACVECC
Jenica Haraschak, MS, DVM, DACVECC
Erin Long, DVM

Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Residents

Yanshan Er, BVSc
Danielle Martindale, DVM
Melanie Tarosky, DVM
Mara Vernier, DVM

Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Specialty Intern

Joseph Frame, DVM

Small Animal Emergency Rotating Interns

Tim Brunner, DVM
Kay Chen, DVM
Amanda Day, DVM
Alyssa Ettinger, DVM
Jerome Joseph, DVM
Tori Matta, DVM
Claire Takeshita, DVM
Jessica Tallaksen, DVM
Sammie von Rueden, DVM

Small Animal Emergency, ICU and IMC Veterinary Technicians

Jessica Garrett, ER Tech Supervisor
Angela Hintz, ICU/IMC Tech Supervisor

Laura Benoit, IMC
Francisco Cruz, IMC
Leeza Edersheim, IMC
Lena Fatheree, IMC
Nikki Fitzpatrick, ICU
Miriah Haltiwanger, ICU
Rachel Hawker, ER
Joy Hinrichsen, ICU
Allie Hogan, ICU
Alex Lore, ICU
Shelby McClure, IMC
Alysha McDaniel, ER
Bryce McDuffie, ER
Lisa Miller, ICU
Margaret Mineo, IMC
Cameron Otis, ER
Megan Rader, ICU
Jill Sackville, ICU
Abby Schraeder, ER
Lydia Smith, ER
Morgan Sunderland, ER
Mel Thornton, ER
Addy Totka, IMC
Jorie Traylor, ER
Kayla VanWassenhove, IMC
Danielle Wright, ER
Brooke Zimmerman, IMC