Your pet needs prompt medical attention but your regular Champaign-Urbana vet is all booked up for the day — what do you do?
Just during the past month, two members of the Chambanamoms.com team needed to get same-day veterinary care for our pets — in one house, a lethargic dog who could neither eat nor manage stairs; in the other house, a bird who seemingly passed out in its cage. In both cases, our regular vets had no same-day appointments available.
Fortunately, there’s a relatively new service at the University of Illinois’ College of Veterinary Medicine: the Urgent and Convenient Care service now located at the South Clinic. The South Clinic building was completed in 2020 and is located at Hazelwood and Goodwin — just down Hazelwood Drive from the Small Animal Clinic where emergencies are seen.
In Champaign County we are lucky to have the state’s most comprehensive veterinary facility: the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. (Its website tagline? “Outstanding patient care, from alpacas to zebra finches.”) Its Emergency/Critical Care services are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, but it may not be clear to a pet owner when that Cadillac level of care is necessary.
The Urgent and Convenient Care service is for those occasions when you want your dog or cat to be seen that same day (on most weekdays, during business hours) for a concern that is not life-threatening, and your primary vet is not available. Any follow-up care needs are handled by your primary vet. In more serious cases, your pet may be referred to a specialty service at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
As nervous pet parents, we appreciated that the super helpful folks who man the phones at Urgent and Convenient Care can discuss with you whether a visit to the South Clinic or going straight to Emergency/Critical Care makes the most sense for your pet’s situation and your family’s budget.
Keep in mind that at both the South Clinic and the Veterinary Teaching Hospital itself, you are at a vet school. Advanced vet school students are part of the care team that works with you and your pet. Having multiple levels of care providers can sometimes feel redundant or time-consuming, but we have learned to appreciate just how much everyone involved deeply cares about getting your pet’s treatment right.
This teaching umbrella is most likely what makes this newer Urgent Care program financially feasible. SportsVet, which used to offer emergency vet services at its location in Savoy, discontinued its program in June 2023 citing the ongoing national shortage of vets and vet techs. A previous incarnation of SportsVet called Animal Emergency Clinic of Champaign County (also discontinued) used to offer emergency after-hours vet care on South State Street in Champaign. Currently there are no after-hours vets in C-U.
The Urgent and Convenient Care service at the South Clinic is nearing its first anniversary of operation. While we hope to not see them again soon, we’re certainly glad they’re there. Siri the dog and Mango the bird are grateful as well.
(Editor’s note: Mango the bird was actually seen at Zoo Medicine, not at Urgent/Convenient Care, which is currently available only for dogs and cats.)
Here are the guidelines provided on the VetMed website to help pet owners choose between Emergency/Critical Care and Urgent/Convenient Care. (Remember that “Urgent and Convenient Care” is one service, not two.)
Your pet may need Emergency/Critical Care Services for
- 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
Your dog or cat may instead go to Urgent/Convenient Care Services for
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Trouble walking or lameness
- Wounds, cuts, and lacerations
- Skin and ear problems, such as itchiness or sores
- Seizures, if the pet is able to walk and is not currently having a seizure
- Urinary problems, including cats who are unable to urinate
- Coughing/sneezing
- Suspected allergic reactions
- Eye conditions
- Minor bleeding from nose or mouth
Reference
Emergency/Critical Care services at VetMed Illinois, Small Animal Clinic
(217) 333-5300
1008 W. Hazelwood Dr., Urbana
24 hours/365 days
Urgent/Convenient Care services at VetMed Illinois, South Clinic
(217) 244-2555
2100 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana
Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.