If you are a new pet owner, you should learn about an animal hospital. This way, you know when you should be taking your pet in and what it is you can expect. Here is a short guide on animal hospital basics for new pet owners: 

What an animal hospital is

For people, a doctor's office is where they go for routine medical care and a hospital is where they go for emergencies. However, an animal hospital and a veterinarian clinic can be one and the same. Therefore, you can use an animal hospital for your pet's regular veterinarian care. 

An animal hospital may be an emergency clinic

Sometimes, an animal hospital will also be an emergency hospital. This means that they offer 24-hour care, 7 days a week. A very important thing to know is just because an animal hospital may offer 24-hour emergency services doesn't always mean they are fully staffed and open all the time. Especially in more rural communities, an emergency animal hospital will have a phone number you call, and then the staff will come in to meet you at the hospital to treat your pet after hours. In more popular areas, it's common to have the hospital staffed around the clock. 

Animal hospitals can offer vastly different services

The services an animal hospital offers depend on the facility, the equipment, and the special training of the staff. While a small veterinarian clinic or animal hospital can take care of most emergencies like broken bones and lacerations, they may not be able to offer advanced cardio care or advanced neurology services. However, they can refer you to the nearest animal hospital that will. Also, some animal hospitals will offer care for exotic pets, so you can get great care for your monkey, wallaby, or other exotic pet that requires specialized care.  

Animal hospitals can offer other services

Some animal hospitals will offer other pet care-related services that fall outside the scope of medical care. One example of this type of service is a boarding service. This can give you peace of mind because you will know excellent care is readily available if something should happen to them while you are out of town. Another example of one of these services is dog grooming, so you can have your pet's medical needs and grooming needs addressed in one place. There are also animal hospitals that offer things like chiropractic care, acupuncture, and more.

Speak to a service like Angel Pet Hospital to find out more.