Veterinary Emergency Service & Veterinary Specialty Center

08/28/2024

Unexpected things can happen at any time. Having pet health insurance in place can help with those times of illness or injury with your pet! Our hospitals use Trupanion's Direct Pay, meaning you no longer have to wait for reimbursement!

VCA and Trupanion, teaming up to get you through the unexpected with your pet. 💞For more information or to get a quote, please visit: https://www.trupanion.com

08/27/2024

Today brings another EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING 🥵 for our area and we want to remind you that the hot, muggy weather doesn't just affect us, but also our pets. Check out these tips to help your pet beat the heat and stay safe on even the hottest of days.

🐾NEVER leave your pet in a car since the interior temperatures rise very quickly

🐾Exercise or play in the cool of the morning or at dusk, not during the day

🐾Avoid hot asphalt, sand, and concrete surfaces - if it's too hot for bare feet, it's too hot for bare paws

🐾Provide plenty of fresh, clean water at all times

🐾Brachycephalic breeds, obese pets, elderly pets, and pets with underlying medical conditions, like heart or lung disease are at a higher risk for heatstroke

How are you and your pets beating the heat today? Post a pic 📸 below and show us how you're staying cool!

08/26/2024

Here's to wet noses, tail wags, and LOTS of belly rubs! It's National Dog Day! 🐾🎉

Post a pic below and show us the pups you're celebrating today! 💕

08/24/2024

We’re at Raw Rations Pet Food and Wellness in Sauk City today for their Customer Appreciation event! Stop by to check out pets in need of homes, get some yummy food and deals, and say hello to us and grab some goodies for you and your pets! We’re here from 10am-4pm!

08/23/2024

BOOP! 🐾💕 Happy Friday! Let's start this weekend off right with some adorable boop pics! Post your favorite nose to boop below! 🐾📸

08/20/2024

Thank you to our good friends at Fitchburg Veterinary Hospital for inviting us to have all the fun at their Dog Wash + Cat Carrier Clean Up fundraiser to benefit Madison Cat Project and OccuPaws Guide Dog Association! We had such a wonderful time meeting giving out lots of belly rubs, meeting and playing with a pair of adorable foster kittens available for adoption💕 (hint hint), watching all the staff take a turn in the dunk tank, watching all the dogs' reactions to the "moving rock" (shhhh...it was a tortoise 😝), and seeing everyone come together to benefit two very special organizations! Thank you for a spectacular and fun day! 🎉

08/19/2024

We had an excellent time on Saturday supporting local dog parks at the Dane County Parks Barks for Parks event! We had so much fun meeting so many new friends and seeing familiar faces! And the best news...all the pups stayed safe and healthy and didn't need our pet first aid services! Thank you to everyone that stopped by to say hello and let us give lots of snuggles! 💕🐾

08/18/2024

We’re proud to be a Gold Sponsor of and joining our friends TODAY at the OutReach LGBTQ Community Center’s Magic Pride Festival from 1-6pm at Warner Park! Stop by our table and say hello to Stacey and don’t forget to grab lots of goodies for your pet too! We can’t wait to see you! 🌈

08/18/2024

We’re joining our friends at Fitchburg Veterinary Hospital today for their Dog Wash + Cat Carrier Clean Up fundraiser benefiting Occupaws and Madison Cat Project! 🐈 🐕

We’ll be at Fitchburg Veterinary Hospital from 10am-4pm! Stop by and say hello to Matilda the tortoise, grab some goodies for your pet, get your pup or cat carrier cleaned up, and join in all the fun of the day!

08/17/2024

Miss Ellie joined us for Barks for Parks last year (first picture) and is ready for Barks for Parks this year (second picture).

Join us at Prairie Moraine Dog Park TODAY from 1-4pm for all the FUN!!! We’ll be handing out lots of fun goodies and providing pet first to make sure everyone stays safe for today’s event!

08/14/2024

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Katharine Kierski to our surgery team at Middleton hospital. Dr. Kierski will be bringing our specialty surgery department back to our Middleton hospital beginning Tuesday, September 3rd and will be seeing patients Tuesdays-Fridays. We are excited to be offering specialty surgery services at BOTH of our East Madison and Middleton locations. Dr. Dana King will continue to see patients at our East Madison hospital Mondays-Wednesdays.

Dr. Kierski was born and raised in Sauk Prairie, Wisconsin. She completed her undergraduate and veterinary school education at University of Wisconsin - Madison. Following a rotating internship in Milwaukee, she pursued additional surgical internship training in Austin, Texas and Roanoke, Virginia - ultimately finishing with a residency in Small Animal Surgery at Cornell University. She is so excited to be back in her home state of Wisconsin and can't wait to share her passion for surgery with the community! In her free time, Dr. Kierski enjoys hiking, cooking, and spending time with her husband and pets.

08/08/2024

Happy International Cat Day! 🐈 With their inquisitive and playful nature, love of snuggling, and overall personalities...is it any wonder why we love our feline friends so much? Today is their day to shine so grab the treats and toys, get those cozy snuggles ready, and post a pic below to show off who you are celebrating today!

08/05/2024

We love being there for pets during their time of need and it warms our hearts receiving feedback from a pet's family regarding their time with us.

Thank you, Ann for taking the time to share such kind words and entrusting us with Zip's care. 💕

08/03/2024

Happy National Watermelon Day! 🍉 Lots of summer cookouts end with cool, refreshing watermelon. In moderation, watermelon is a fun and healthy snack for your pets. However, make sure to remove the rind and seeds to avoid intestinal blockages and an upset stomach so your pet can safely enjoy this classic summer treat.

08/02/2024

When you gobble up several of your human's melatonin tablets that contain xylitol, you're guaranteed to spend some time at the hospital. George's craving for melatonin wasn't the main concern of our medical team, it was the xylitol used to sweeten those tablets.

Although it's used as a sugar substitute for humans, xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs and can be life threatening, even in small doses. Thankfully, George's family was able to get him to our emergency service right away and after a couple days of treatment, he was feeling great and able to get back home them! 🎉

08/01/2024

What's better than coming to your oncology appointment in an adorable chick hat? 🐥

Coming to your oncology appointment and it being your LAST DAY OF CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT for lymphoma! 🎉

Please help us in sending a great big CONGRATULATIONS to Toki and his family...and feel free to let him know how much you love his hat too! 💕

07/30/2024

You may remember Chloe who was hospitalized with us a couple months ago and was diagnosed with acquired myasthenia gravis. Chloe was very sick, but thankfully made a full recovery and is now doing great. 🎉

We were thrilled to receive this beautiful picture of her, along with some words from her family about when Chloe became sick, her care at our hospital, and how very much she means to them. 💕 Thank you for entrusting us with your special girl's care! We are beyond thrilled that she is doing so well and living life to the fullest!

"Chloe’s story began with something simple that has never been alarming to us before. Sometimes when company is over she will get excited and vomit so we thought nothing of it. As the days went on, what seemed to be a normal event turned into what we thought was a sickness. She didn't seem to be herself so we watched her a little closer than usual. After a couple days of no improvement we knew something was seriously wrong when she was unable to use her back legs and lost control of her functions.

Right away she went to the local vet where they discovered fluid in her lungs and aspiration pneumonia. They said she needed to get to the hospital IMMEDIATELY. We drove her to VCA Veterinary Emergency Service & Veterinary Specialty Center where they met us at the door. I laid the best dog I ever had down on the table and they rushed her straight back. Still in shock, we stood there not knowing if we would see her again. She was our first kid, there for everything. And now, we didn't know if she would survive.

The VCA staff was amazing. Attentive, caring, and genuinely concerned. When we described Chloe’s symptoms, the doctor knew she had a rare autoimmune condition called myasthenia gravis.

Chloe had some real battles in there. She was very close to not making it. The lengths the staff and internal medicine team went to to save our pup’s life absolutely cannot be overstated.

We all get one good one in our lifetime., the one that sets the bar for the rest. For us, that is Chloe. We couldn't be more thankful for VCA Veterinary Emergency Service & Veterinary Specialty Center for saving our girl. Thank you all so, so much ❤️"

07/26/2024

Eva wanted all the snuggles during her appointment today, and Veterinary Assistant, Jade was more than happy to oblige! 💕

This 14-year-old beauty is being treated for diabetes mellitus with our internal medicine team. Eva was initially seen in our emergency department a few weeks ago where she was stabilized. After consulting with our internal medicine department, she was transferred to their care to manage her diabetes. She is now feeling much better and doing incredibly well! 🎉

07/23/2024

We are sending a GINORMOUS CONGRATULATIONS to Shamara for passing her Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE)!!! 🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉 The VTNE is the national exam for veterinary technicians to earn their credentials after completing specialized schooling.

After over 5 years with us as an amazing veterinary assistant, we are proud to have Shamara working on our emergency medical team as a credentialed veterinary technician. CONGRATULATIONS, SHAMARA!!! We are so incredibly proud of you!!! 🥳

07/19/2024

In addition to providing emergency services to pets, our hospitals also provide specialty care when needed. This allows our emergency team to work hand-in-hand with board-certified specialists when a pet may need their care. And that is exactly what happened when Blu's family brought him to our emergency room when he became lethargic, began vomiting, and had a fever.

Our emergency team discovered Blu had a large abdominal mass and immediately began working with our oncology and surgery teams. Blu was quickly diagnosed with lymphoma, but before he could begin treatment, he needed to have the mass removed quickly. Within a short amount of time Blu was in surgery with our board-certified surgeon where his mass was successfully removed, and he was able to comfortably recover. He is now feeling much better and healing wonderfully!

Please help us in sending best wishes to this cutie as he begins his treatment with our oncology team!

07/18/2024

There's nothing sweeter than being able to help pets feel better so they can get back home to their loving families. But, surprise sweet treats definitely bring us very large smiles and very happy bellies. 🍨🍰❤️

To the very kind and generous, anonymous sender of the wonderful treats of ice cream and cheesecakes to our hospitals...we THANK YOU for your incredibly sweet and thoughtful gift. You have warmed our teams' hearts and made them VERY happy! THANK YOU!!!! ❤️❤️

07/12/2024

The day before the Fourth of July, Rocco, an adorable 10-week-old puppy, was doing what puppies do best...playing and having fun. But, the fun stopped when he fell off the couch and couldn't put any weight on his hind leg.

X-rays showed our emergency team a fracture of the growth plate of his right tibia. Thankfully, it was not displaced so he will likely not need surgery to repair it. But, he will need to adhere to strict rest and restrictions, along with a cast and regular bandage changes for the next several weeks to help it heal properly.

Our creative and talented medical team not only gave Rocco LOTS of snuggles, but also used their talents to surprise him and his family with a 4th of July themed bandage in hopes of bringing a smile to their faces and helping them celebrate the holiday! 🎉

Please help us send HAPPY HEALING wishes to sweet Rocco! 💕🐾

07/11/2024

It always warms our hearts to hear these kind words from pet parents.

Thank you, Julie for taking the time to share your experience with us and entrusting us with your cat's care. 💕

07/10/2024

Please join us in congratulating our very own Jessica, who has officially passed her AIMVT examination in Oncology. 🎉 Jessica now holds the title of Veterinary Technician Specialist in Oncology, in addition to her Certified Veterinary Technician title. This special achievement recognizes a CVT's advanced knowledge and skills within the oncology specialty.

Jessica is now 1 of only 47 Veterinary Technician Specialists in Oncology in the WORLD! It's an incredible achievement! And, she joins the VTS crew at VESVSC as our hospital is lucky enough to now have 2 of the 47 in the world! 🎉 We are so incredibly fortunate to have such talented, skilled, compassionate, and dedicated members on our medical team! 💕🐾

Congratulations, Jessica! We are so very proud of you!

07/09/2024

After almost 2 weeks of hospitalization, Nani is GOING HOME!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

We were ECSTATIC to see this little lady head home to her loving family after spending almost 2 weeks with us...and as you can imagine, it was pretty emotional for EVERYONE!

Nani was brought to our hospital from her boarding facility with shallow breathing, low heartrate, and lethargy. Nani was having an anaphylactic reaction and our emergency care team immediately started treatment to stabilize her. While consulting with our board-certified Internal Medicine Specialist, Dr. Fitzpatrick, our team discovered that Nani had high levels of bilirubin, low platelets, and was anemic. Nani's condition was incredibly serious.

After receiving treatment and oxygen therapy, Nani slowly began to improve and was ready to go home. Our medical team gave Nani and her family a very special surprise as they left the hospital! 🎉 Please help us in sending a GIGANTIC CONGRATULATIONS to Nani and her family! ❤

07/08/2024

We're excited to be joining our friends at Fitchburg Veterinary Hospital THIS SUNDAY - June 14th from 10am-4pm for their Dog Wash and Cat Carrier Clean Up (plus LOADS of fun) event! Stop by and get your pooch or cat carrier all cleaned up while enjoying some Summer fun...all benefitting OccuPaws Guide Dog Association and Madison Cat Project!

Don't forget to stop by our tent to say hello and grab some fun goodies! We'll see you there!

Send a message to learn more

07/04/2024

Wishing you and your pets a very SAFE and HAPPY 4th of JULY! 🎉

While we hope your pet won't need our services, both of our Madison and Middleton hospitals are available for 24-hour emergency care for your pets, and our Janesville hospital is available for emergency care from 5pm - 1am.

Have a SAFE, RELAXING, and WONDERFUL holiday!