A full emergency and critical-care animal hospital, staffed and open every hour of every night. Trauma, poisoning, bloat, seizures, collapse — call now and an ER nurse will triage with you on the phone before you even arrive.
Answered live, 24/7, by our own emergency team — never a call center or a machine.
Find what you're seeing below. If it isn't listed and something feels wrong, call anyway — we triage every call, day or night, and tell you honestly whether it's an emergency.
Hit by a car, a bad fall, an animal fight, or any hard impact — even if they seem fine, internal injury is common.
Chocolate, xylitol, rat bait, antifreeze, grapes, human meds, a plant. The first hour matters most — call before you leave.
Labored or open-mouth breathing, blue or pale gums, choking, or a cough that won't stop. This is always an emergency.
A swollen, hard belly with unproductive retching — most common in deep-chested dogs. Bloat is life-threatening within hours.
Sudden collapse, can't stand, pale gums, or unresponsiveness can signal internal bleeding or shock.
Straining with nothing coming out — especially a male cat. A blocked bladder becomes fatal in hours.
A first-ever seizure, one lasting over two minutes, or several in a row (cluster) needs to be seen now.
A deep cut, a bite wound, or bleeding that won't stop with pressure. Cover it, apply pressure, and head in.
Not sure how serious it is? That's exactly what the phone line is for. Call — a two-minute conversation can save your pet's life.
Calm, specific steps for the most common emergencies. Do what you safely can, then let our team take it from there. Keep the carrier or a blanket close and drive carefully — we'll be ready.
This is general first-aid guidance, not a diagnosis. When in doubt, call — our triage team will tell you exactly what to do for your pet on the way in.
Call us first — do NOT make your pet vomit unless we tell you to; some toxins cause more harm coming back up. Bring the packaging, plant, or a photo of what they ate.
Press a clean cloth or towel firmly over the wound and keep steady pressure the whole drive. Don't remove it to peek. If a limb is bleeding, keep it raised.
Don't offer food or water and don't wait to 'see if it passes.' A swollen, drum-tight belly with dry heaving is a true emergency — call us and drive in immediately.
Clear the area so they can't hurt themselves, dim the lights, and time it. Don't put hands near the mouth. Once it stops, keep them warm and quiet and bring them in.
Keep them calm and cool — stress makes it worse. Don't restrain or crate tightly. Carry them gently, keep the car cool, and call so we can meet you at the door.
Move to shade or AC and wet the paws, belly, and ears with cool — not ice-cold — water. Offer small sips if alert. Then come straight in; damage continues after they cool.
Emergencies aren't seen in order of arrival — they're seen in order of severity. Here's what happens from the moment you call.
An ER nurse answers live, hears what's happening, and starts triaging immediately — telling you what to do on the way and alerting the team you're coming.
The moment you walk in, a triage nurse checks your pet's vitals — breathing, color, heart rate, pain — and life-threatening cases go straight to the treatment floor.
Oxygen, IV access, pain relief, bleeding control — whatever's needed to stabilize comes first, before any non-urgent diagnostics. We treat the threat to life immediately.
Once stable, the ER doctor runs focused diagnostics — bloodwork, imaging, ultrasound — and walks you through the findings, options, and a clear cost estimate before proceeding.
Everything to stabilize a critical patient is here and running through the night — no transfers, no waiting for daytime equipment to come online.
A staffed intensive-care unit with multi-parameter monitors, IV pumps, and a nurse watching critical patients minute to minute, all night.
Oxygen cages and respiratory support for pets in distress, plus airway management for the cases that can't breathe on their own.
In-house digital X-ray and point-of-care ultrasound to find internal bleeding, blockages, and bloat in minutes — not next morning.
A sterile surgical suite ready overnight for GDV correction, foreign-body removal, C-sections, and trauma repair when minutes count.
On-site blood products and fluid resuscitation to treat hemorrhage, shock, and severe anemia the moment a patient needs it.
Bloodwork, electrolytes, clotting, and blood-gas results in minutes from our own lab — the data the ER doctor needs to act fast.
Emergency and critical-care medicine is its own specialty. The team that meets you at the door does this every night — calm, fast, and trained for exactly this.
DVM, DACVECC
Lead emergency & critical-care specialist
Board-certified in emergency & critical care; leads the overnight floor and complex cases.
DVM
Emergency veterinarian
Trauma, toxicology, and emergency surgery; fourteen years on overnight ER shifts.
CVT, VTS (ECC)
Lead emergency nurse
Veterinary technician specialist in emergency & critical care; runs triage and the ICU.
DVM
Overnight emergency veterinarian
Internal-medicine emergencies and respiratory cases; the calm voice on your 2 a.m. call.
An ER-trained doctor and critical-care nursing team are physically on site every single hour we're open — including holidays.
Emergency care is never something you planned for, and surprise bills only add to a hard night. We're upfront: you'll know the cost of the exam before you arrive and get a written estimate for any treatment before we begin.
ER triage exam — your pet is assessed by an emergency doctor the moment they're stable.
Worried about cost in the moment? Tell us. We'll talk you through options and priorities — care decisions are made with you, never sprung on you.
We present a clear, written cost estimate and get your go-ahead before any treatment beyond stabilization.
Interest-free financing through CareCredit and Scratchpay, plus all major cards — decided calmly, not at the front desk in a panic.
We work with every major pet insurer and hand you itemized records so reimbursement is straightforward.
4.9
from 2,140+ verified reviews
“Our shepherd bloated at 1 a.m. The nurse on the phone told me to come straight in and had the surgical team ready when we pulled up. They operated within the hour. He's home and wagging because they didn't waste a second.”
“My cat ate a lily and I had no idea it was deadly. I called, they walked me through it before I even left, and started treatment the moment we arrived. They were honest about the cost and unbelievably kind at the worst hour.”
“Our old lab collapsed on a Sunday night. Internal bleeding. They stabilized him, gave us a transfusion option and a clear estimate, and never once made us feel rushed into a decision. We got two more good years with him.”
“First seizure I'd ever seen — I was terrified. The team was calm, fast, and explained everything. They didn't run a single test we didn't need and called the next day to check on her. This is what an ER should be.”
One call connects you to a live ER nurse who will triage with you and have the team standing by. No appointment, no machine, no waiting until morning.
Afterhours Animal ER2100 Bayfront ParkwayBrightwater, CA 94104
Off Highway 1 at the Bayfront exit — lit entrance and ER parking right at the door, 24/7.
Get directionsAnswered live, 24/7, by our own emergency team — never a call center or a machine.
No. We're a walk-in emergency hospital, open 24/7. Calling first is still best — an ER nurse will triage with you on the phone and the team will be ready the moment you arrive.
Yes. An emergency-trained doctor and critical-care nursing team are physically on site every hour we're open, including weekends and holidays. The phone is answered live by our own staff, never a call center.
Patients are seen by severity, not arrival order. Life-threatening cases go straight back. If your pet is stable, there may be a short wait while a critical patient is treated first — and your pet is monitored the whole time.
The ER triage exam is $165. For anything beyond stabilization, we give you a written estimate and your approval comes first. We offer payment plans and help you file with pet insurance.
If it's an after-hours emergency, come to us — we're built for it and open when day practices are closed. We send a full report to your primary vet so they can pick up care once your pet is stable.
After trauma, a toxin, a seizure, or any collapse, 'seeming okay' can be deceptive — internal injury and toxins often show late. Call us. A quick conversation will tell you whether you need to come in now.