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A woman holding a cat with a staff member

Pet Parents

In Case of Emergency

Drive to ASECB’s Emergency Entrance. If possible, call us in advance to describe the situation so we can be prepared for your visit. Tip: Add our phone number (321-725-5365) to your mobile phone contacts now so you’ll have peace of mind should you ever need to contact us.

A Woman Checks Her Dog Into the Animal Specialty & Emergency Center of Brevard

What to Bring on Your First Visit

If you are a client (or we are seeing your pet for the first time), please bring:

  • a copy of current laboratory reports or blood work

  • a copy of any biopsy reports

  • a copy of radiographs/ultrasounds

  • a list of all medication that you are currently giving your pet

  • a list of current and previous major health problems

  • any pertinent information from your current veterinarian, or any previous veterinarian that your pet has seen, that is relevant to the current problem

Please note: don’t be concerned if you do not have all the above information available upon arrival; we can gather it at the earliest convenience.

If diagnostic testing or surgery (including endoscopy or ultrasound) is a consideration, food should be withheld after 9:00 p.m. on the evening prior to your scheduled appointment.

a vet tech and a pet owner hold a small dog while examining its mouth

When Referred by Your Veterinarian

We will have your veterinarian complete a referral form to ensure that we have the information that we need to move forward with your pet’s diagnostics or treatment. We also recommend bringing a written list of any questions or concerns you may have so that we can make sure that all of these are addressed and answered.

Helpful Questions & Answers

If you have an emergency at night, or during the weekend, please bring your pet directly to our emergency center for treatment and diagnosis.

Why would my veterinarian refer my pet to a specialist for treatment?

Veterinary Specialists have chosen to focus their education and expertise in a concentrated area. They are board-certified, which means that they have advanced training and have passed extensive testing in the area of their specialty. Just as for human patients, Veterinary Specialists provide care that is not available through your regular family veterinarian.

What is the difference between emergency care and critical care?

The emergency phase of a case requires rapid evaluation and response to life-threatening problems, ideally resulting in the stabilization of the patient. “Putting out fires” may be the best analogy. The critical care portion of the case, in contrast, is a slower process which helps ensure that there are no flare-ups.

When do I use ASECB instead of my regular veterinarian?

We focus on critical illness and see patients who:

  1. have an immediate need for emergency care due to trauma

  2. are referred by a Veterinarian for the care of a specialist

What should I do if my pet becomes sick or has been in an accident?

If your pet becomes sick or injured during the day, we recommend that you call your primary care veterinarian. Depending on the injury or illness, your veterinarian may recommend immediate referral to ASECB. If this occurs, we will see your case on an emergency basis.

Our Visitation Policy

The love of a Pet Parent is a vital part of the recovery process for your pet.

These simple guidelines are provided to ensure you have a pleasant visit, as often as possible!

When medically appropriate, we encourage you to visit your pet while in the hospital, however, please know it is important to arrange your visit in advance. Scheduling a visitation appointment ensures that the visit does not interfere with your pet’s treatment or treatment of other pets that are in our hospital.

When May You Visit?

  • Visitation appointments may be scheduled at a variety of times throughout the day and are scheduled based on the caseload of the facility.

  • Out of concern for your pet’s needs, we recommend limiting visits to only once a day and suggest that your visit lasts approximately 30 minutes, and if your pet is in ICU, visit for approximately 15 minutes.

  • Evening and Weekend appointments are available.

  • Telephone updates are always available. Upon calling one of our veterinary technicians, they will do their best to update you on your pet’s condition in a timely manner.

What to Expect When You Visit

Upon arrival, a technician will bring your pet into an exam room or the visitation suite. During visitation, there may be treatments and medications that need to be given; please allow the technicians to perform these treatments and/or take your pet back into the treatment area.

If your pet is in the ICU, you may be brought into the treatment area for visitation. A technician will bring you to your pet, stay with you for the duration of the visit, and walk you out when your visit is complete.

During your visit, the veterinarian in charge will make every effort to speak with you to provide updates regarding your pet. Due to the nature of our 24/7 emergency facility, there may be times when the veterinarian is unavailable during your visit. If the veterinarian is unavailable, questions may be directed to the attending technician.

Please note, although technicians are familiar with your case, some questions may still need to be answered by the veterinarian. In this situation, the veterinarian may provide updates for your pet through the technician or a telephone update will be provided as soon as possible.

Special Information Regarding Our Visitation Schedule

We are a 24-hour facility and emergencies may come in at any time. Please understand our technicians have a responsibility to care for the patients in the hospital. They will try to accommodate your visitation schedule, however, there may be conflicts depending on the caseload.

The best time to schedule a visit is Mon-Fri, 9 am- 6 pm, as more staff is available to assist with your needs. Our goal is to do our best to accommodate your availability when scheduling appointments.

Please note on evenings and weekends, the staff is limited and visitation appointments are strongly recommended to provide the best possible visit for both you and your pet.

Your Pet's Recovery is Our Priority

In certain cases, visitations may have strict limitations or may not be allowed at all. These restrictions must be followed in order to not jeopardize your pet’s recovery.

Special note: For the safety of our patients as well as yourself, please do not wander in our hallways unattended. If you would like a tour of the facility, just ask and we will be happy to show you around.