Omega Veterinary Group: Your Partner in Emergency & Critical Care

When your pet is sick or injured, knowing where to turn and how urgently to act can be the difference between recovery and tragedy. At Omega Veterinary Group in San Mateo, California, we specialize in both urgent care and ICU-level critical care, offering life-saving expertise when minutes matter most.

Some situations are minor and can be managed at your family veterinarian. Others, like persistent vomiting or sudden weakness, may require urgent attention. But truly life-threatening crises such as organ failure, severe trauma, or endocrine collapse require 24/7 monitoring, ICU support, and critical care training.

Contact Omega Veterinary Group for help, day or night.

When Is It Just a Vet Visit, Urgent Care, or an Emergency ICU Case?

  • Mild symptoms like occasional vomiting or minor limping may be fine for a next-day visit to your regular vet.
  • Urgent symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea together, minor wounds, or sudden limping without trauma should be seen at urgent care.
  • True emergencies—vomiting paired with lethargy, collapse, or refusal to eat—could indicate systemic illness and should be seen immediately.
  • ICU-level conditions—like Addisonian crisis, diabetic ketoacidosis, or anaphylaxis require continuous care from trained veterinary criticalists, IV medications, and real-time monitoring.

Understanding where your pet falls on this spectrum can save their life.

If you aren’t sure, be cautious and have your pet looked at. Some symptoms can be very subtle!

What Makes ICU and Critical Care So Important?

Pets in Crisis Need More Than Just Immediate Care. They Need Constant Monitoring

Some conditions require 24-hour hospitalization with IV fluids, oxygen, blood transfusions, and round-the-clock monitoring by experienced veterinarians and technicians. That’s where the ICU comes in.

At Omega Veterinary Group, our ICU team is trained to handle:

  • Electrolyte imbalances
  • Blood pressure instability
  • Respiratory failure
  • Seizure control
  • Severe pain or trauma
  • Organ support (kidneys, liver, pancreas, heart)

Common ICU-Level Conditions That Need 24/7 Care

1. Endocrine & Autoimmune Crises

Conditions like:

  • Addisonian crisis (hypoadrenocorticism)
  • Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)
  • Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA)
  • Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (IMTP)
  • Anaphylaxis or severe allergic reaction

These illnesses progress rapidly, often with vomiting, collapse, pale gums, or uncontrolled bleeding. They require aggressive fluid therapy, immune modulation, insulin, and sometimes transfusions, all under constant observation.

2. Ocular (Eye) Emergencies: Don’t Wait

Eye injuries or infections can go from irritating to irreversibly blinding within hours. If your pet is squinting, pawing at their eye, has redness, swelling, or discharge—go immediately.

Prompt treatment could preserve their vision and prevent painful complications. Don’t wait and wonder. Conditions like foxtails, glaucoma, corneal ulcers, and lens luxations can all cause blindness, severe pain, and even the need to enucleate (remove the eye) unless treated quickly.

3. Acute-on-Chronic Illnesses

Chronic diseases can decompensate fast:

  • CKD cats can become dangerously anemic or dehydrated
  • Heart disease pets can go into congestive heart failure
  • Liver disease and pancreatitis can spiral into vomiting, anorexia, or hepatic encephalopathy
  • Hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver in cats) requires feeding tubes and critical care nutrition

These cases often appear stable until suddenly, they’re not. ICU support is key.

4. Cancer Complications

Some cancers, like hemangiosarcoma, can cause sudden internal bleeding when tumors rupture especially in the spleen or liver. Dogs may collapse, seem weak, or have a distended abdomen.

These patients need emergency stabilization, ultrasound, transfusion, and possibly surgery.

5. Respiratory Distress: Every Breath Matters

Causes include:

  • Heart failure (pulmonary edema)
  • Asthma (common in cats)
  • Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS)
  • Laryngeal paralysis or tracheal collapse
  • Pneumonia or pleural effusion
  • Foreign bodies in the airway

These cases may need oxygen therapy, sedation, intubation, or surgery. ICU ensures constant oxygen monitoring and support.

6. Severe Gastrointestinal Emergencies

What seems like “just vomiting” could be:

  • Parvovirus
  • Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE)
  • Foreign body obstruction
  • Intestinal perforation
  • GDV (bloat with twist)

These require aggressive fluids, pain control, antibiotics, and sometimes surgery—all ICU-level care.

7. Urinary & Reproductive Crises

  • Male cats with urinary blockages can go into kidney failure within hours.
  • Bladder stones may cause rupture or bleeding.
  • Pyometra (uterine infection) can cause sepsis and death if not treated quickly.

Immediate catheterization, surgery, and electrolyte correction may be necessary.

8. Neurologic or Orthopedic Emergencies

  • IVDD (intervertebral disc disease) with paralysis
  • Seizures or clusters
  • Head trauma
  • Pathologic fractures from bone disease
  • Dislocations or unstable fractures requiring strict immobilization

These cases often require advanced pain control, imaging, and close observation.

9. Heatstroke

Especially common in summer and with brachycephalics. Can cause:

  • Organ failure
  • Bleeding disorders (DIC)
  • Neurologic damage

Requires immediate cooling, IV fluids, and ICU stabilization.

Why Omega Veterinary Group for Critical & Emergency Care?

We combine urgent care accessibility with ICU-level capability for pets who need the highest level of attention.

  • Experienced emergency and critical care team
  • Full in-house lab, ultrasound, and imaging
  • Advanced pain and fluid management
  • Oxygen cages, blood transfusion capability, and 24/7 monitoring
  • Meet Our Team
  • Explore Our Services

Whether your pet is having an unexpected emergency or needs long-term critical care, we’re here to help.

Don’t Wait Trust Your Instincts

If something feels off especially when multiple symptoms stack up don’t delay care. Even seemingly minor signs can signal something serious.

Trust your gut. Call us. Let us help you sort out if your pet just needs fluids, a few meds, or a full ICU setup.

Contact Omega Veterinary Group in San Mateo if your pet is showing signs of distress, illness, or sudden behavior change. We’re always here when your pet needs us most.

FAQ: Is This an Emergency?

Q: My dog is vomiting. When do I worry?
A: One episode may be okay. Vomiting + diarrhea, lethargy, or not eating? Call us. Could be something serious.

Q: My cat is hiding and not eating. Should I wait it out?
A: No—cats crash fast. This could be hepatic lipidosis or kidney failure. Get seen.

Q: Is it okay to wait until morning if my dog’s eye looks swollen?
A: No. Eye problems are emergencies. Delaying can cause blindness.

Q: Can you stabilize my pet and transfer them to a specialist later?
A: Absolutely. We work with specialists and referral centers to provide seamless care and ongoing support.

Because Your Pet Deserves Expert, Compassionate Care

Whether it’s a true emergency, a critical illness, or something you’re just not sure about Omega Veterinary Group is here to provide life-saving care when it counts.