VCA Newark Animal Hospital
Overnight Monitoring and Nursing Care
Why overnight monitoring and nursing care?
Your regular veterinarian recommends transferring your pet to VCA Newark Animal Hospital
for overnight supportive care and monitoring. VCA Newark Animal Hospital is fully staffed 24
hours a day, seven days a week under the guidance of Teresa Rieser, VMD, DACVECC, Joshua
Levinson, DVM, DACVECC and a team dedicated to providing the highest quality of veterinary
medicine around the clock. If your regular veterinarian does not have after hour capabilities, we
are here to help.
What will happen when I first arrive?
Upon arrival you will need to fill out some paperwork so you and your pet’s information can be
entered into our system and we will create a medical record. This information includes contact
phone numbers which are extremely important should we need to reach you during the night.
Once paperwork is complete, your pet will then be admitted to the VCA Newark Animal
Hospital. The initial admission of your pet will be performed by a technician and our emergency
doctor will contact you following admission to discuss his/her initial assessment and to answer
any questions you may have. Our goal is to admit your pet as efficiently as possible to maintain
a continuity of care for your animal and to minimize your wait time. Should you wish to remain
with your pet and speak directly to the emergency doctor you are very welcome to do so, but
this may result in additional wait time.
What is a cardiac arrest code and why do I need to choose one?
In addition to your contact information we will ask you to select a cardiac arrest code at the time
your pet is admitted. Every animal that is admitted to the VCA Newark Animal Hospital
requires a cardiac arrest code so that we are aware of your wishes should there be an unforeseen
change in your pet’s condition. The technician will go over these choices prior to admittance and
can answer any further questions you may have.
What should I bring with me?
In addition to your pet, bring any recent blood work or diagnostic testing results and a case
summary; your veterinarian will provide this for you. This will ensure that our veterinarians
have a full understanding of your pet’s medical issues and needs. Your pet should already have a
functioning intravenous catheter in place at the time of transfer.
What will you do to my pet?
We will administer intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and pain medication per the instructions of
your veterinarian. In addition, we will monitor blood pressure, pulse oximetry and vital physical
examination parameters throughout the overnight hours to ensure that your pet is stable.
1360 Marrows Rd. Newark, DE 19711  Tel 302.737.8100  Fax 302.737.1480  www.vcanewarkspecialty.com
What if my pet is not doing well?
If your pet’s condition changes while in our care, we will contact you to discuss additional
treatments or testing that may be indicated. If your veterinarian instructs us to do so, we may
also attempt to contact them to discuss the changes in your animal’s status. At the time of our
phone call we will be happy to provide an itemized treatment plan and estimation of charges for
any services or therapies that are not included in the monitoring package.
What do I do in the morning?
In the morning, between 7:30 and 9 AM you will need to pick up your animal and transport
them back to your regular veterinarian. You will be provided with a full written discharge
summary that details the care your pet has received overnight. This summary will also be faxed
directly to your veterinarian’s office.
What does this service cost?
The Overnight Monitoring and Nursing Care Package is provided to you at a rate of $350 and
includes the following:
 Initial physical examination performed by the Overnight emergency veterinarian.
 Overnight intravenous fluid therapy (up to 2 liters).
 Pain medication injections (up to 3 injections) if needed.
 Antibiotic injections (up to 2 injections) if needed.
 Unlimited non-invasive monitoring (blood pressure and pulse oximetry).
 Overnight nursing care and physical monitoring.
When do I pay?
You have the option of paying upon admittance to the emergency service or at the time of
discharge. We happily accept Care Credit, cash, personal check (with valid ID), and most major
credit cards (with valid ID).
Can I visit my pet overnight?
For the safety of our overnight staff we are not able to accommodate visiting after hours but you
are very welcome to call for updates as often as you like while your pet is in our care. When you
call afterhours please press 2 when prompted to speak to the staff on duty.
Please get some rest… we’ll see you in the morning.
We look forward to caring for your pet throughout the overnight hours. If you have additional
questions regarding your pet’s care while in our hospital, please do not hesitate to ask the staff
or doctors; we will do our best to address any concerns you may have.
Sincerely,
The doctors and staff at VCA Newark Animal Hospital
1360 Marrows Rd. Newark, DE 19711  Tel 302.737.8100  Fax 302.737.1480  www.vcanewarkspecialty.com