Emergency and Critical Care
 The VSH Emergency & Critical Care department operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week, covering the emergency and urgent healthcare needs of clients and their pets. If you currently have a veterinary emergency, click here.
The department is led by Dr. Alex Rousseau and is staffed with veterinarians and technicians with experience in emergency medicine. The hospital has a state-of-the-art intensive care unit, equipped with a multi-patient telemetry system for remote monitoring of EKG, and advanced vital sign monitors, ventilator, colloid osmometer, and an advanced Nova blood gas/electrolyte monitor. Patients are supported by an on-site full service laboratory for rapid test results -- especially important when a patient is in critical condition.
Dogs and cats are separated to minimize stress. Runs are large and glass enclosed to allow continual observation. A team approach is used with all patients. In addition, hospitalized patients are overseen by a single specialist.
We also coordinate closely with the patient’s regular veterinarian to determine which cases are best handled by the regular veterinarian. Communications with the referring or regular veterinarian are enhanced with timely phone conversations and detailed faxed reports.
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Emergency and Critical Care Services
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- Full service diagnostic laboratory for immediate test results
- Emergency surgery
- Intravenous fluid therapy with constant-rate infusion pumps
- Blood, plasma, and Oxyglobin transfusion
- Oxygen cages and nasal oxygen therapy
- Abdominal and cardiac ultrasound
- Video endoscopy and laparoscopy
- Doppler and oscillometric blood pressure monitoring
- Blood gas analysis
- Telemetry cardiac monitoring
- Pulse oximetry
- Vital sign monitors, with invasive and non-invasive blood pressure, capnography, oximetry, and blood pressure
- Ventilator
- Colloid osmometer
- Advanced Nova blood gas/electrolyte monitor
- 24-hour monitoring by veterinary nurses trained in critical care, surgery, and internal medicine
- Consultation with specialists always available
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Emergency Forms
Emergency Services - General Information (printable)
Emergency Services - Common Questions (printable)
Pet Emergency Information Booklet (printable) |
Corey Cole, DVM
Lynda Elliott, DVM
Brian Michell, DVM
Dina K. Raichel, MS, DVM
Monica Clare, VMD, DACVECC
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 Dr. Monica Clare received her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2000. She then completed an internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York. Dr. Clare then pursued a residency in Emergency and Critical Care at the University of California, Davis and Advanced Critical Care and became boarded in 2005. Dr. Clare has spent the past two years working as critical care specialist in Los Angeles. Her interests include respiratory disease and mechanical ventilation. She has published journal articles and a textbook chapter on ventilation.
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Corey Cole, DVM
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 Dr. Corey Cole earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of California, Davis in 2005. He then completed a rotating internship and received advanced training in general medicine and surgery here at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital the following year.
He has a special interest in emergency medicine, anesthesia and critical care and has had further training in intensive/critical care medicine under the supervision of our board certified Critical Care Specialist. Currently Dr. Cole is one of VSH's emergency veterinarians.
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 Dr. Lynda Cornelison graduated from Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003. She completed an internship here at Veterinary Specialty Hospital between 2003-2004. Dr. Cornelison has been practicing with Veterinary Specialty Hospital since September 2005.
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Brian Michell, DVM
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 Dr. Brian Michell graduated from the University of Georgia, School of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. He completed his internship at Veterinary Specialty Hospital between 1999-2000 and has been practicing at VSH as an Emergency Services veterinarian since 2005.
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Dina K. Raichel, MS, DVM
Dr. Dina Raichel received her Master’s degree in Anatomy in 1999 and her DVM from Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 2003.
She remained at Colorado State University to complete a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery from 2003-2004. Her special interests include emergency and critical care medicine. In her spare time she has volunteered with various marine mammal medicine and rescue groups. A standard poodle, a cat, and a bird allow Dr. Raichel to share their household.
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