VCA River Road Animal Clinic

11/12/2024

Choose your perfect fall adventure! Comment below and let us know how you and your pets will be celebrating. We'll be watching the stars with our cat! 😸 ✨

11/11/2024

A pet diabetes diagnosis can be stressful! But when it is detected early, and consistently monitored and treated, pets can live long, comfortable lives.

With your loving care and our commitment to your pet’s health, we can manage diabetes together.

11/08/2024

Did you know VCA accepts the CareCredit credit card for all types of veterinary expenses, including your pet’s mobility and joint care?

Learn more about CareCredit and see if you prequalify at https://www.carecredit.com/apply/?sitecode=1gfasemla78

11/07/2024

It’s National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week and we want to showcase over 150+ amazing shelter partners across the country that help countless pets find a good home!

11/05/2024

While a litter of kittens can have multiple "fathers," which can result in a diversity of coloring among the kittens, this patient either had some unique genetic distribution of the pigmentation cells during embryonic development, OR like many kids we've known, simply pays no attention to whether or not matching socks are put on for the day 😊. Just another example of the wonders of veterinary medicine that bring us interesting cases every day! At VCA River Road Animal Clinic, we see exclusively urgent care cases, but we always remember that "urgent" is defined by the pet owner/family. We are happy to see almost anything if you can't get a timely appointment with your regular veterinarian, or if you don't have a regular veterinarian. We're here for our patients, and for you!

11/01/2024

At VCA, we are proud to recognize Dia de los Mu***os and all that it means to so many of our team members. Taking the time to remember and celebrate the lives of those we’ve lost is not limited to our human family or friends. In the veterinary field, we deal with loss regularly as those pets we’ve known since they were puppies or kittens eventually reach a time when we have to close one chapter and help them move onto the next. While we grieve, mourn, and miss them forever, we have a lifetime of memories to reflect upon and this occasion, which is today (November 1), and tomorrow, is a great time to do so. Share a photo and your pet’s story with us here – those memories help us remember the reasons to love the other pets in our lives and the pets of our future even though we know that the journey will one day repeat this process for us.

10/30/2024

Have a happy & safe HOWL-oween!🎃

Everyone's entitled to one good scare for Halloween, but not when it comes to your pet's health! 👻

10/29/2024

Hair loss with dogs and cats can occur for a variety of reasons, some very simply and some more complicated, but for the pet, dealing with whatever is causing it is no fun at all. This young kitten visited us almost two months ago and though we weren't able to pursue the diagnostics that may have identified the exact cause in this case, there are some statistical probabilities at times that can point to treatments that are safe and beneficial regardless. In this case, that treatment was the answer and our little friend is back wearing a full fur coat just in time for cooler weather. Our Urgent Care team is here six days and urgent comes in many shapes and sizes - there's nothing like a happy, cuddly kitten! Happy National Cat Day!

10/28/2024

Be careful this Halloween before your pet starts goblin treats they shouldn't. 🙀 Eat, drink, and be scary!

Make sure to look out for any treats that can be hazardous to your pet.🍬

🎥: VCA South Shore (Weymouth) Animal Hospital

10/25/2024

One of the greatest aspects of Urgent Care work is the diversity of cases that we end up seeing - our team never knows what a day will bring. This particular case underscores the fact that we do have ticks in our area and the benefit of keeping your pet on a topical or oral parasiticide product that includes a label for protection against tick-borne diseases. The family of this guy believed that this was a growth of some type, when in fact it was the pesky little thing we placed in the specimen tube once removed.

Remember to check your dogs and cats over carefully - they aren't able to tell you when something is wrong, and they are usually very stoic, which makes it doubly hard to notice something wrong. We're here M-Sat 8a-6p for your Urgent Care needs, when your regular veterinarian can't get you in right away, or if you don't have a regular veterinarian!

10/25/2024

Weight management is an important part of pet care and helps them to live long and healthy lives.

10/24/2024

You better be-leave you need to keep an eye out for fall dangers! We're sharing some items to watch out for next time you take your pet outside to watch the leaves. 🍂

10/22/2024

It's crucial to make sure that your pet's medication is not expired. Drugs may not be safe or effective beyond the specified expiration date.

10/21/2024

Is it true that dogs can only see in black and white?

Watch and find out if there’s more than meets the eye.

10/17/2024

Shockingly, pets CAN be picky eaters! 😹

We've got some hacks to make healthy snacking a routine part of your pet's diet.

10/17/2024

At VCA, we all fam 💙

Party Animals 🥳:
🎂🦎 VCA South Dade Animal Hospital
🎉 🐶 VCA All Pets Animal Hospital Salinas
🎊 🐕 VCA Wellington Animal Hospital
🎈😸 VCA Contra Costa Animal Hospital

10/14/2024

Happy National Veterinary Technician Week! 🎉

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all veterinary technicians! We're excited to share some special moments of our team reading heartfelt thank-you notes to and from their DVMs across VCA.

Our hospitals simply could not operate without the dedication and expertise of our incredible veterinary technicians. Thank you for everything you do!

10/10/2024

It's hard to leave your pets at home when you have errands to run, but being separated could cause your pet to become overly anxious. It's important to be aware of separation anxiety to help your pet overcome it.

Make sure to schedule an appointment with your VCA veterinarian to discuss how to handle your pet's separation anxiety.

10/08/2024

We couldn't help FALL-ing in love at our photo booth! 🍁

🍁📸: East Islip Animal Hospital

10/04/2024

Happy 🌎💙🐹🐴🐱🐶🐰💙🌎

Our world revolves around pets, so we're sharing our world with you!

10/03/2024

You don't have to climb a mountain to go on an adventure with your favorite dog.

Celebrate with a simple walk that can help promote an active life for your pet.

10/01/2024

In celebration of National Fire Pup Day, we're spotlighting Dalmatians and their history at the firehouse alongside firefighters!

09/03/2024

Great day at the 2024 Oregon Humane Society WillaMutt Strut at Salem's Riverfront Park - thank you to the many attendees who took the time to stop at our booth to ask questions, pick up some VCA bling (OK, a LOT of VCA bling), and so dogs with parental permission could indulge in a "pup cup" (dairy-free whipped cream in a small cone)! It was a total joint effort with a veterinarian on duty for pet first aid from VCA Vitality Animal Hospital, an UC/ER Assistant from VCA Salem Animal Hospital, and a Hospital Administrator from VCA River Road Animal Clinic!

08/31/2024

Please note that VCA River Road Animal Clinic Urgent Care services will be returning to our normal operating schedule beginning this Sunday. We will be going back to offering open hours and service between 8am-6pm Monday through Saturday, and will be closed on Sundays.

This change corresponds with the shift back to their S. Salem home for the VCA Salem Animal Hospital Preventative Care department, which begins the following week. That said, the VCA Salem Urgent Care team will continue to operate at our facility as part of our urgent care team, while the VCA Salem surgery team will operate in our facility but as VCA Salem. Both of those departments are scheduled to return to the S. Salem facility near the end of this year. VCA Salem has been undergoing a substantial repair remodel process since water intrusion forced operations out at the end of January.

During most of that time, we adopted their previous operating hours at River Road, though always knew that would be temporary. For information about VCA Salem's Preventative Care hours in S. Salem, call (503) 581-1438.

Until VCA Salem is fully moved back at the end of the year, you may continue to call their number or the VCA River Road phone number, which is (503) 393-7462. Either number will result in you reaching a customer service team who can help your pet receive care through our River Road facility in Keizer.

We are grateful for your patience while we've been hosting most of the VCA Salem team, as I know they have appreciated the ability to continue seeing preventative care patients both here and at VCA Vitality Animal Hospital, who have also been exceptionally supportive to the VCA Salem team.

08/28/2024

August 22 is National Bring Your Cat To The Vet Day, and while we know the day isn't meant to be the cat equivalent of "bring your child to work day," we had a few of the VCA River Road and VCA Salem team members bring theirs in to help commemorate the day (well....one was also here for an annual visit).

What the day IS meant to recognize is how important it is for cats to have access to the same regular veterinary care that dogs have had forever, and by the "same" we mean in frequency, but not always the same content. One thing that our industry happily came to terms with well over a decade ago is that cats are certainly not just small dogs. Cats have many similar needs as their canine friends, but also have some very, very different concerns that our veterinary teams are always on top of.

From medications to vaccinations to diets and to dentistry, it's really hard to see dogs and cats in the same light and we're always interested in helping make that point as clear as possible. In fact, one of the most important and most specific difference is just HOW you bring them to the Vet. The average dog is thrilled to have a car ride, and completely content to worry about where the car is going later. Or even never. The average cat is wondering why you haven't paid them rent for their house you live in, gets just as thrilled when the dog leaves the house for that car ride, and can't be bothered to cut a nap short for anything, much less to get in a small box with no ability to see outside the car, and be forcibly drug into a building that smells to them like there had recently been a hundred other pets nearby. There probably had been.

Ask your VCA Hospital Team for the latest education on how you can make YOUR cat's visit to one of our hospitals a less stressful, lowkey experience - the many ways to make that day better for them are fascinating and very real! If you haven't helped your cat see their veterinarian in the past 6-12 months, it's time now and you don't have to wait until next August 22!

08/01/2024

VCA River Road Animal Clinic Urgent Care is proud to partner with VCA Salem Animal Hospital, VCA Keizer Veterinary Hospital, and VCA Vitality Animal Hospital to sponsor the interactive Veterinary exhibit at the A.C. Gilbert Children's Museum in Salem. The connection between children and their pets is a significant thing to celebrate!

07/20/2024

On behalf of the doctors, veterinary nurses, veterinary assistants, and CSRs working today at VCA River Road Animal Clinic, as well as those members of the VCA Salem Animal Hospital team working out of our building, we want to give our deep thanks to the many pet families who visited us today for care and showed patience while we worked without access to our records, schedules, and veterinary software.

Though they can't say so themselves, on behalf of those many pets seen for surgery and general practice appointments with the Salem team, and the many pets seen through the River Road Urgent Care, thank you to our team. Our staff is highly efficient, but not having access to our computer systems is asking a lot, and they came in to work and immediately started brainstorming the alternative recordkeeping systems we would put in place to make today happen. Well done, all!

07/03/2024

VCA River Road Animal Clinic Urgent Care will be closed on Thursday, July 4, so that our hardworking associates may spend the holiday at home with their families (and fur families who will be terrified of the fireworks). We will resume our normal hours of operation on Friday July 5 at 8am. If your pet requires emergent care, WilVet Salem at 503-741-8858, and Salem Veterinary Emergency Clinic at 503-588-8082 are both local resources.

We spend a lot of time considering what a visit to the veterinarian can look and feel like to a pet, and those same principles can be applied to how your pet reacts to fireworks. By all means, celebrate this day where the groundwork for our freedom was laid, but perhaps reconsider the loud noises, or at least take some steps to help your pet feel safe.

Medications (which must be prescribed by a veterinarian) can be helpful, quiet, darkened rooms as far from the noise as possible can be helpful, and if you're with them, they may seek your comfort when scared.

When you're about to light that fuse, take a moment and think about the Pets and Vets (as in Veterans, many of whom also struggle with PTSD during the discharge of fireworks)!

06/19/2024

The daily life of an Urgent Care team is never dull! Not sure we've seen one just like this before, but it goes to show you that there is no limit to the kind of trouble a pet can find out there.........

04/23/2024

National Veterinary CSR Week is April 21-27, and we've got some of the best here at VCA River Road Animal Clinic, as well as our visiting team from VCA Salem Animal Hospital! If you have a chance to this week (or any week), take the time to let them know how much you appreciate them - they are MUCH more than just the reception team in veterinary hospitals as they are versed in many areas of common pet concerns, manage extremely complicated schedules, and provide overall support to all areas of the hospital. We'd be nowhere without them! Thank you all!

01/17/2024

VCA River Road Animal Clinic IS open today, Wednesday January 17 until our regular closing time of 6pm. Many area hospitals are on late start or remaining closed, but we would welcome any pets in need today! We expect to be on regular hours from this point on - please drive safely if you are on the roads.

01/15/2024

We are very sorry to share that VCA River Road Animal Clinic will be forced to remain closed tomorrow (Monday) January 15 due to the continued sub-freezing temperatures and road conditions. There may be other Emergency options open tomorrow and the previous post on this page lists those resources to try calling. You may also download the MyVCA app from the appropriate app store for your device, and have access to the 24/7/365 "Live Chat" feature where our licensed veterinary professionals are available to answer your questions. Be safe!

01/13/2024

Out of concerns for our staff's safety, VCA River Road Animal Clinic will remain closed today, Saturday January 13. We intent to reopen on Monday at 8am, our regular time, pending continued weather concerns. At this time, our sister site for emergency and urgent care services, VCA Salem Animal Hospital, is open should your pet need something today. Please call them to verify as the day goes on today, at 503-581-1438.

Other options for weekend and after hours care are Wilvet Salem (503) 741-8858 and Salem Veterinary Emergency Clinic (503) 588-8082.

Stay safe if you must drive today, and please consider the needs of any pets that would otherwise live outside during the cold weather that is projected over the coming days.

01/11/2024

We don't know yet what this weekend will bring us in the weather department - be sure to check here as well as our website at vcahospitals.com/river-road for any updates to our service hours. Be safe and consider the needs of any outdoor pets during this time!

09/20/2021

12/19/2020

12/19/2020

12/19/2020