Open 24/7 every day
including public holidays
- Integrated 24/7, 365 emergency & specialist care: Seamless access to the most appropriate care for every case.
- Australia’s largest specialist Emergency & Critical Care team: Outstanding standard of emergency care for your pets.
- Best resourced teams & facilities: Broadest range of options for all emergencies, supported by top veterinary specialists.
- Vet-led, owned, & operated: Unbiased non-commission-based advice that prioritises you and your pet’s best interests while partnering with your local vets.
Call for Emergency Assistance
Call us 24/7 if you are concerned about your pet. Walk-ins welcome.
Find your closest SASH Location
Our emergency team is ready at any hour, every day.
Stray Animals & Native Wildlife
What to do if I find a stray animal or native wildlife?
Should I Bring My Pet To Emergency?
Call us if you are unsure, but some of the reasons you might bring your pet to our 24/7 vet emergency department include:
- Changes to breathing (faster breathing, breathing harder, panting excessively)
- Snake bites
- Paralysis ticks
- Overheating
- Excessive coughing
- Vomiting or diarrhoea
- Vomiting blood
- Straining to urinate or defecate
- Trauma such as being hit by a car, falling off a balcony or dog or cat fights
- Collapsing or severe weakness/fatigue
- Paralysis or inability to move normally
- Ingesting poisons such as: rat bait, snail or slug bait, antifreeze, human or pet prescription medication, chocolate, macadamia nuts, grapes, raisins or sultanas
- Abdominal bloating
- Distress or drooling after eating a bone or other object
- Eating a fishhook or anything not meant to be ingested
- Any condition causing excessive pain
What to expect at SASH Emergency Vets
We know emergencies can be stressful—our goal is to provide not only top-tier medical attention for your pet but also peace of mind for you.
Check-in
Upon arrival, check in with our team. A triage nurse will assess your pet’s condition and assign priority.
Triage
Pets are seen based on urgency, not arrival order. Critical cases are treated first, and wait times may vary.
Treatment & Next Steps
Your pet may be discharged, admitted for further care, or referred to a specialist. We provide clear discharge instructions and coordinate with your regular vet.
The SASH Emergency difference
SASH Emergency is open 24/7, 365 days a year. Our Emergency departments are among the largest and most resourced in the areas in which they operate. This generally means shorter wait times and a faster response to urgent cases.
When you bring your pet to SASH Emergency, you can have peace of mind that they will receive the best possible care. Our Emergency Veterinarians and Nurses are highly experienced in providing urgent care, utilising facilities comparable to human hospitals.
In life-threatening situations, veterinarians that have specialised in critical care can make a difference. SASH is fortunate to have Australia’s largest team of Specialists in Critical Care that oversee each hospital’s bespoke and state-of-the-art ICU (intensive care unit), each built to support the Emergency department. Once your Emergency Veterinarian has determined that additional expertise or hospitalisation is required, your pet will have access to a higher level of care through a Specialist in Critical Care.
SASH Emergency Vets never work alone. Through SASH’s unique multidisciplinary ethos, SASH Emergency Veterinarians will collaborate or internally refer complex or highly specialised cases to the appropriate specialist department, many of which cannot be found in other Australian veterinary hospitals.
Examples include:
- Neurology & Neurosurgery for the brain or spine
- Ophthalmology for emergencies related to eyes
- Oncology for cancer cases
- Surgery for emergency surgical procedures
- Internal Medicine for management of complex cases
- Diagnostic Imaging for advanced scans such as MRI or CT
- Avian & Exotics for a birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, reptiles, ferrets, etc.
Please note that not every service is available at every SASH hospital. For more information, please give us a call.
SASH Emergency FAQs
Is an appointment needed?
No. Pets can be brought to the Emergency department at any time, without having to make an appointment.
We encourage anyone who is concerned about a pet to contact us, or bring the pet to us, so we can diagnose and treat them immediately.
How long is the wait time?
Just like human hospitals, the wait time at SASH Emergency is highly dependent on the case load at any given time, but priority will always be given to those requiring the most serious and urgent care.
Patients will always be seen and triaged soon after arrival by our experienced nurses.
SASH hospitals are among the biggest vet hospitals in their region of operation. This means that generally, wait times are shorter than other hospitals.
What happens when a pet comes to the Emergency department?
Pets brought to the Emergency department are promptly assessed by an experienced triage nurse. An Emergency Veterinarian will then consult with the owner and formulate a preliminary diagnosis and provide supportive treatment.
If a patient requires ongoing care, we will admit the pet and collaborate with our colleagues in other departments at SASH, such as Surgery , Internal Medicine, and Critical Care , to ensure that we best meet the patient’s needs.
Emergency care is the first crucial part of the patient’s journey to recovery. The collaborative approach at SASH ensures that every patient has the benefit of many different teams working closely together to restore their quality of life.
Do your Emergency vets see avian and exotic species?
Although Emergency Vets are trained to deal with all sorts of emergencies across many species, they are not avian or exotic specialists.
SASH has an Avian & Exotics department only at its North Ryde hospital.