If you have a pet  emergency, come straight to us.

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FAQ's

The following are considered emergency situations. If your pet has had an accident or is displaying any of these symptoms, they require immediate care and should be brought to our animal hospital right away. We’re open 24 hours a day, every day of the year – 5 Hood St, Collingwood, VIC, 3066.

Severe or nonstop bleeding
Clear signs of extreme anxiety or pain
Breathing difficulty, choking or repeated coughing or gagging
Seizures and/or staggered movement
Nosebleeds, bleeding from mouth or rectum, or blood in urine
Inability to urinate or defecate, or pain associated with either urinating or passing faeces
Eye injury
Confirmation or suspicions of your pet ingesting something poisonous, including chocolate, antifreeze, rodent poison or xylitol
Broken or fractured bones, inability to move leg(s) or evidence of lameness
Heatstroke or other evidence of heat stress
More than two episodes of severe vomiting or diarrhoea in a 24-hour window
Refusing to drink water for 24 hours or more
Unconsciousness

At CARE Collingwood, we provide immediate, around-the-clock emergency veterinary care for pets in critical need. Our experienced team is equipped to handle urgent situations such as trauma, poisoning, seizures, and severe illnesses, ensuring your pet receives expert care when it matters most.

Yes, if possible, we recommend calling ahead to let us know you're on your way. This helps our team prepare for your pet's arrival and provide the most efficient care during an emergency. However, if calling isn’t an option, please head straight to CARE Collingwood, and we’ll assist you as soon as you arrive.

Yes, parking is available onsite at CARE Collingwood for your convenience. If you have any difficulty finding a spot, please call us, and we’ll guide you.

At CARE Collingwood, we accept various payment options, including credit cards, debit cards, and cash. We also offer access to third-party payment plans and insurances, such as Afterpay, VetPay, Zip pay or gap only to help manage costs. If you have any questions about payment, our team will be happy to assist you.

Yes, our team will provide a detailed estimate of costs for your pet's treatment plan before proceeding with care. We aim to ensure you are fully informed and comfortable with the recommended options. In emergencies, our priority is stabilising your pet, and we’ll keep you updated every step of the way.

Yes, CARE Collingwood accepts pet insurance. After your visit, we’ll provide you with a detailed invoice that you can submit to your insurer for reimbursement. If you’re unsure about your policy coverage, we recommend contacting your provider to confirm the specifics.

CARE offers the following at our Collingwood location:

Surgery

Medicine

Diagnostic Imaging

Surgery

Medicine

Diagnostic Imaging

Our services

Our surgery department offers a comprehensive array of specialised orthopedic and soft tissue surgical procedures and services.  Advanced diagnostic options are available to help with diagnosis and decision-making, including radiography, computed tomography +/- myelography, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, and MRI (off-site).

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We take pride in our specialty services

Our surgery department offers a comprehensive array of specialised orthopaedic and soft tissue surgical procedures and services. During the initial consultation, our specialist surgeons will consider your pet’s history and signs and perform a thorough clinical examination. They will then discuss a diagnostic and treatment plan with you, incorporating the most current evidence-based surgical options to optimise your pet’s care and recovery.

Advanced diagnostic options are available to help diagnosis and decision making, including radiography, computed tomography +/- myelography, fluoroscopy, ultrasound and MRI (off-site).

Surgical services and procedures include:

Surgical management of cruciate disease such as tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO)
Management of hip dysplasia, including total hip replacement.
Fracture repair
Management of neurological disorders
Oncological, respiratory, urinary and gastrointestinal soft tissue surgery.

We use specialised anaesthetic techniques and monitoring equipment during surgery. Pre- and post-operative care occurs within our ICU facility, which provides 24-hour veterinary care.

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The Centre for Animal Referral and Emergency is equipped with a large range of advanced diagnostic imaging equipment.

We offer multiple advanced diagnostic imaging modalities. Radiographic studies are performed using digital radiography. Our Phillips Affinity 50 ultrasound machine provides excellent, detailed, abdominal, cardiac and musculoskeletal ultrasound studies, which are performed by our radiologist and internal medicine specialists.

We have recently upgraded our CT machine to a 16-slice Siemens machine, which provides superior, high quality computed tomography images for diagnosis and assessment of musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, nasal, abdominal and neurological conditions. We also have access to offsite MRI imaging as needed.

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Our internal medicine department applies advanced diagnostic techniques and experience to optimise the care of patients with complex conditions.

When a pet is brought in to see our internal medicine team, the specialist will review all of their previous history and tests and perform a thorough clinical examination. When appropriate, they may discuss the use of advanced laboratory testing and/or diagnostic procedures such as ultrasonography, CT, MRI, endoscopy or surgery.

These more advanced tests allow us to develop a detailed picture of the health concerns of each patient, so we can tailor an effective management plan to help them and optimise their quality of life. We aim to work together with owners and their regular veterinarians to help manage their pet’s conditions with compassion.

Internal medicine encompasses:

Infectious disease
Endocrinology
Gastroenterology
Nephrology/urology
Cardiorespiratory diseases
Oncology

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About CARE

Our Centre for Animal Referral & Emergency (CARE) is a veterinary specialist, emergency and critical care hospital in Collingwood, Melbourne.  Our goal is to provide diagnostic and treatment plans which will help achieve the best possible outcome for each case. We consider the unique requirements of each individual pet, their owners and their primary care veterinarian.  Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, our emergency and critical care service operates continuously for unexpected out-of-hours problems and critically unwell patients.  Our specialists provide a unique, collaborative approach to optimising the management of your pet's health concerns.