SOVSC Triage Priority

It’s a scary thing when something is wrong with our pets. They are part of the family and no one understands that better than the staff at Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center. It’s difficult when your furry family member doesn’t feel good and they can’t tell you what’s wrong. As a specialty center and emergency care facility, we need to see our patients based on the severity of their condition.

We understand that your time is valuable, and we promise that we’re working as quickly as we can to provide the best care possible to every patient that comes through our doors. To better illustrate how long you might have to wait to be seen, we have an infographic of our priority sequencing. If your pet falls into priority one, you’ll be seen first, but there may be a delay if your pet falls into priority 2 or 3.

Priority 1 – if your pet has these, or similar symptoms, they will be seen as soon as possible:

    • Poisoning
    • Collapse
    • Snake Bite
    • Bloat
    • Heat-stroke
    • Open fracture
    • Actively seizing
    • Allergic reactions
    • Road traffic accident
    • Difficulty breathing
    • Excessive Bleeding
    • Paralysis

Priority 2 – If your pet has these, or similar symptoms, they will be seen after Priority 1 patients:

    • Closed fractures
    • Diarrhea
    • Active vomiting
    • Bowel obstruction
    • Urinary tract issues
    • Birthing difficulties

Priority 3 – If your pet has these, or similar symptoms, they will be seen after Priority 1 and 2 patients:

    • Skin conditions
    • Lameness
    • Sore eyes/ears
    • Abscess
    • Minor wounds
    • Chronic diseases

We understand the frustration of waiting, but our priority sequencing offers the best chance of survivability and recovery for all patients that need our care. Thank you for your patience!