VCA Midwest Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center

09/04/2025

Does your dog bark non-stop? It's time for an attitude check! We're sharing some must-knows to see if your dog is experiencing medical or behavioral issues.

07/04/2025

Medical emergencies can occur suddenly and without warning, so it's best to be prepared. A Pet First Aid Kit allows you to have important items available to care for your pet in one area. No one can be prepared for all emergencies, but it's still important to have the basics.

If the emergency is severe, get your pet to your local hospital as soon as possible.

04/04/2025

Meowzart...Bark Twain...Mary Puppins? We love meeting pets with names just as special as they are.

Is your pet's name unique? Let us know in the comments!

03/04/2025

This Heartworm Awareness Month, make sure that your pet has the proper protection against heartworms. Year-round parasite prevention is always the best form of protection.

01/04/2025

It's not every day that you hear the wildest pet stories, but at VCA, it's a daily occurrence!

31/03/2025

What is anesthesia, and why is it so important?

Anesthesia can seem intimidating, but it can help your pet be treated without pain, stress, or discomfort. We're sharing the importance of anesthesia and how it may be necessary to make sure your pet is cared for.

28/03/2025

Pup quiz time! How did you score? Comment below and tell us how many you got right!

26/03/2025

Blood work is an important step in helping your pet get better. It can help diagnose hidden ailments, expose parasites, or uncover what's affecting your pet.

We're sharing a few reasons on how a little bit of blood can make a difference in their care plan.

25/03/2025

While it can cause severe illness in pets, leptospirosis is preventable through routine vaccination for all dogs.

Contact your local VCA to schedule your vaccine now.

24/03/2025

Watch out for this hidden outdoor danger! 🌾🐾 Foxtails may look harmless, but these pesky grass seeds can cause serious harm to your pet on your next hike. Learn more about the risks and how to avoid them!

23/03/2025

There's no greater love than puppy love! Celebrate National Puppy Day with the best gift for your new furry friend—a FREE first exam at participating VCA Animal Hospitals!

📍 Find a hospital & book today. New clients only. Terms and conditions apply.

Visit Now: vca.mobi/NationalPuppyDay

21/03/2025

Safety first! Whether you're out for a walk or relaxing at home, the right pet safety gear is a must. We've rounded up our top picks to keep our pets protected. Watch to see our favorites!

20/03/2025

Spring is in the air 🌼 Next time you stop and smell the flowers, make sure they're safe for your pet to sniff too!

What's your favorite Spring activity with your pet? Let us know in the comments.

19/03/2025

Pet parents, with many of the primary care hospitals closing early, we want to let you know that our medical team is hear for any pet emergency you might have. We will stay staffed through the weather, please call should you have a pet emergency, 402.614.9000.

19/03/2025

Everybody give it up for Scooter! He is an adorable senior boy who was recently hospitalized in our Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for acute pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) and an infectious disease called leptospirosis (a bacterial infection commonly encountered in this part of the country). Given his age, Scooter had multiple concurrent health conditions, including chronic kidney disease, osteoarthritis, hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease), chronic bronchitis, and even suspected cranial nervous system disease. These all made fighting (and beating) his pancreatitis and leptospirosis challenging. Scooter is a trooper with a very supportive family! With initial stabilization by Dr. Jones (Emergency Veterinarian) and our stellar emergency department staff followed by around-the-clock care with our diligent ICU team under the direction of Dr. Byers (board certified emergency/critical care and small animal internal medicine specialist), Scooter was successfully discharged from our hospital. Yay Scooter!

18/03/2025

Meeting your pet is one of the easiest hellos, but it's also one of the hardest goodbyes.

Jennifer Scanlon, VCA South Shore (Weymouth) Animal Hospital, spoke with Newsweek about pet grief and how important it is to help pet owners navigate these difficult times.

Read More:

An X-ray revealed my 12-year-old dog had hemangiosarcoma, a type of cancer known as the "silent killer."

17/03/2025

We're feline lucky cause it's St. Cat-ricks Day 🍀!

14/03/2025

When it comes to pet health, make sure you're in the know. We're debunking a few common myths that can put your pet's health at risk.

13/03/2025

March 13th is

Today is dedicated to the incredible canines out there whose service and sacrifice help to keep us safe.

12/03/2025

Raise your hand if your timeline is just photos of the cutest pets! 😹🤚

27/02/2025

*Talented Team Alert*
Our overnight team has dedicated licensed veterinary technicians, like the two pictured here (Jarrod and Lydia). They are always doing their best to provide excellent patient care and facilitate good outcomes. Lydia spent some of her free time learning from the surgery team on how to place an epidural. She was then able to utilize this technique on a patient who needed emergency surgery for "bloat" (aka gastric dilatation and volvulus).

Did you know that animals can get epidurals too?
Epidurals provide pain relief and support to help with anesthesia for these involved abdominal procedures. They are utilized for many purposes including c-sections, GDVs, foreign body retrievals, among others.

We are so lucky to have a team dedicated to providing the highest quality medicine possible.

14/02/2025

❤️ 🐾 Happy Valentine's Day from VCA Midwest Referral & Emergency Center! 🐾 ❤️

Today, we celebrate all the love that our furry friends bring into our lives! Whether they're cuddling with you on the couch or wagging their tails at the door, pets have a special way of making our hearts full.

This Valentine's Day, let's spread the love! Share a photo of your beloved pet with us, and tell us what makes them your Valentine!

And remember, a healthy pet is a happy pet! If you have any questions about your pet's health, we're here for you.

Wishing you and your furry companions a day filled with love and joy! 💖 🐶 🐱

14/02/2025

Everybody meet Spudz! He's an adorable 7-month-old adolescent that was recently presented to our Emergency Department with cluster seizures (2 or more seizures in

30/01/2025

Introducing Ellie! Ellie was seen at our hospital for work up of her primary hyperparathyroidism where her body absorbs too much calcium under the misdirection of a diseased parathyroid gland. Through the collaborative efforts of our Internal Medicine and Surgical Departments with Dr. Crystal Cooley and Dr. Michelle Meyer, Ellie has been cured! She started off as a nervous girl in the hospital, but after multiple visits following surgery for calcium rechecks and medication adjustments with her favorite surgical technician Sarah; she no longer requires any further medications to maintain a normal calcium! We miss seeing her, but we are so excited she can get back to her normal life. Congratulations sweet girl! 😄 🐶 🐾 💙

25/01/2025

While the seasons continue to change, it's always important to keep your pet safe from the elements. Our winter safety tips will help your pets stay safe and warm, regardless of the weather!

24/01/2025

What a strong & resilient momma dog! This is Opie, peacefully sleeping at home with her four newborn puppies. Opie was presented to our Emergency Department experiencing dystocia (difficult labor). She had successfully whelped (given birth to) one female puppy. However, she was now having life-threatening difficulties with one distressed puppy stuck in her birth canal and two more fading quickly in her uterus. Our emergency and surgery teams immediately sprang into action, and Opie had an emergency cesarean section (C-section).

The three puppies were all delivered successfully, but the female puppy that was stuck in Opie's birth canal was in critical condition. Dr. Byers (board certified Emergency/Critical Care and Internal Medicine Specialist), Sara (Surgery LVT), Morgan (Surgery LVT), Nikki (Surgery LVT), and Heather (ICU LVT) worked diligently to resuscitate the delicate newborn, following updated newborn resuscitation guidelines that will be published later this year.

Dr. Byers is the Co-Chair for the Newborn Resuscitation Domain of the RECOVER Initiative, a collaborative project supported by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS) and the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC) that develops evidence-based consensus guidelines on CPR in dogs and cats.

23/01/2025

Let's celebrate Bees! Yesterday, she was discharged from the Intensive Care Unit after fighting acute pancreatitis. Our emergency and ICU teams, including Dr. Haller (Emergency DVM), Austin (LVT), Kaitlin (LVT), Ashley (LVT), Sam (Veterinary Assistant), Dr. Byers (board-certified emergency/critical care and internal medicine specialist), Molly (Veterinary Assistant), Heather (LVT), and Kelsey (LVT), worked around the clock to get Bees back to her family. As part of her treatment, Bees received a new medication called PANOQUELL-CA1, the first FDA conditionally approved medication for acute pancreatitis in dogs. Our hospital is proud to make available to our patients the latest medical therapies for our patients! Yay Bees!

Pictured: Bees and her mom, Dr. Byers, & Molly.

22/01/2025

These are pictures from a very sweet cat who had surgery at her primary veterinarian to remove a mass about 4 days ago. At some point during the day, the incision opened some at the top (dehisced) possibly from her scratching at the area with her back feet. Because she had a heart murmur and was a very well-behaved girl, we did not want to risk sedation to debride and repair the wound. We were able to locally numb the incision, clean the open area and treat with Phovia light therapy, which helps to kill any bacteria that may be in the incision and stimulates healing cells to come to the area so the incision can heal. Afterward, we were able to place a few staples to help hold the incision closed and wrap her neck in a light bandage to prevent further scratching since a normal elizabethan collar would irritate the area by sitting right on the incision. Normally, we would have to debride this wound under sedation or anesthesia to remove dead tissue and stimulate the healing, which carries more risk and can cause more pain. One Phovia treatment per week until a wound is healed can help prevent infection, stimulate faster healing and sometimes avoid sedation and more pain caused to our patients. We love it for all kinds of wound care! 🙂🐱🐾

08/01/2025

It's time to celebrate Drogo, who was successfully discharged from our hospital. He was a uniquely challenging patient! He developed a hemoabdomen (free blood in his abdominal cavity) and a massive blood clot in his pelvic canal secondary to suspected von Willebrand's disease. Confirmatory testing is pending. The clot was so large that it occluded his colon and urinary bladder, necessitating emergency surgery.

Doberman pinschers are over-represented for developing von Willebrand's disease, which is a blood clotting disorder. Normally, this breed is screened for this disease prior to neutering, but Drogo has not been castrated, nor has he ever had surgery. We suspect his bleeding event was caused by playing with another dog in his home.

Drogo received life-saving care from members of our emergency, surgery, and ICU teams, including Dr. Vogel (ER veterinarian, not pictured), Kelsey (ICU LVT), Morgan (Surgery LVT), Dr. Meyer (board certified surgeon), and Dr. Byers (board certified emergency/critical care & small animal internal medicine specialist). Drogo was a truly critical patient, and our talented overnight ICU teams Dr. Haller(ER Veterinarian) Ashley (ICU LVT), Sam (ICU VA), Alyson (ICU VA), and Abby (ICU VA and Vet Student) (All are not pictured as they were getting much deserved sleep when Drogo went home) were able to ensure he received the necessary around-the-clock intensive care.

Let's all celebrate Drogo and his family for his successful discharge from the hospital. Yay Drogo!

31/12/2024

Everybody please give it up for Kona! He is a handsome feline friend that was presented to our Emergency Department in severe respiratory distress. He was diagnosed with pleural effusion (fluid accumulation between his lungs and his body wall), congestive heart failure, and hyperthyroidism (excess thyroid hormone in the body). His family allowed our emergency and critical care team, including Dr. Byers (our boarded certified emergency and critical care specialist), Kelsey (one of our ICU Licensed Veterinary Technicians), and Abby (one of our Veterinary Assistants and current professional veterinary student at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln), to provide him around-the-clock intensive care. Happily, Kona responded wonderfully to his therapies, and he was able to be discharged on New Year's Eve, just in time to celebrate the arrival of 2025 with his family at home! Yay Kona!

24/12/2024

Happy Holidays from VCA Midwest! While many clinics are closing today at noon, our Emergency Department will be open through the holiday 24hours until 6am Friday morning. Should you have a pet emergency we will be here with our highly trained staff ready to help you and your pet. Give us a call at 402.614.9000.

27/11/2024

We are wishing everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving. We are thankful for an amazing team that will be available for your pet emergency needs 24 hours on Thanksgiving. We will be open all of Thanksgiving day and closing at 6am on Friday morning. Please call should you have a pet emergency 402-614-9000.

25/11/2024

Here's Nova with her family and some of our medical staff, including Dr. Byers (our board-certified emergency/critical care specialist), Heather (ICU Licensed Veterinary Technician), and Allyson (ICU Veterinary Assistant). Nova was admitted to our hospital in septic shock, which is a life-threatening condition that occurs when an infection leads to dangerously low blood pressure and organ failure. It is latest stage of sepsis and for Nova was caused by a small intestinal obstruction. Our skilled surgical team led by Dr. Meyer (our board-certified surgeon) and our vigilant ICU team worked around the clock to maximize the likelihood Nova would be successfully reunited with her family. Their efforts paid off, and Nova was successfully discharged from our hospital. Yay Nova!

15/11/2024

Here's a spotlight on one of our emergency department patients from last week! Meet Zazu, our real life Lisa Frank furry friend. We couldn't not share her with you all. 💛💚💙💜

11/11/2024

Check out mister Bugs! Bugs was presented to our Emergency Department in critical condition due to sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme response to infection. For Bugs, his infection occurred due to a condition called acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome (AHDS) when bacteria from his intestinal tract leak into his blood stream. Mortality rates for sepsis in dogs are variable and may be as high as 70%. When Bugs was presented, he was unconscious, had an unreadably low blood pressure, and severely low blood sugar. With the extensive efforts of Dr. Jones, Dr. Byers, and the medical staff in the Emergency Department and the Intensive Care Unit, Bugs was discharged from the hospital after five days! He continues to do well at home today! Everybody show Bugs and his family some love for his fantastic recovery!

31/10/2024

A little Halloween spirit! This is Sonny, he comes in to visit Dr. Cooley's team, his mom found the best costume! Isn't he handsome!