​24/7 EMERGENCY CARE

   

253-983-1114

       2505 S 80th St, Tacoma, WA     

Summit Veterinary Referral Center is built upon saving the lives of the ones we love.  In light of the public health crisis, we must take extra steps to ensure we protect all whom we love – our animals, our clients, and our team. 

While the CDC and other health authorities have indicated that dogs, cats, and other domestic animals are not at risk for contracting COVID-19, we are taking extra precautions to ensure the health and safety of humans within our facility – notably our clients and staff.  The rapidly evolving nature of this situation means our hospital is revising our policies almost on a daily basis.

Effective Immediately, Summit Veterinary Referral Center is taking the following precautions:

- If you have been tested positive for COVID-19, have been exposed to someone who has tested positive, or are showing symptoms of illness we ask that you assign a trusted agent to bring your pet in for treatment.  We will be unable to provide service to anyone showing symptoms of illness.
-We have implementing ‘Social Distancing’ measures in accordance to CDC recommendations throughout our facility and are restricting access inside the building.  When you have arrived for your appointment, need to pick-up a prescription or have any other need, inform our reception team by calling 253-983-1114 ext. 0 and assistance will be sent to your vehicle. 
-For any animals admitted for hospitalization, please be advised that no personal items can be retained with pets; including blankets, toys, collars, leashes, etc.  
-At this time, we are limiting visitations to a case by case basis and for our hospitalized critical inpatients only.  Any authorized visitations will be limited to 1 primary caregiver. If you are visiting your critical pet, please utilize the sanitizing agents located right inside the door and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

-A bathroom trailer is available for Summit Patron use and is located in front of the building.  Please obtain the key from the reception team for access.  Please inform the reception team if you need access to an ADA facility. 

-To ensure your time at the hospital is as comfortable as possible, we advise you to bring a car phone charger, water and any snacks.   


Should your pet require emergency care, here is what you should know:


Summit has recently experienced a significant increase in the demand for emergency veterinary care. As one of the few tertiary level care facilities in our region, we are prioritizing patients transferred from other medical facilities as well as those with true emergency needs. While we try to see every animal in need of care, in some situations we are not able to.

  • Our wait times are often exceeding 5 hours for patients to be evaluated for care. We encourage everyone to research all care options in the area and be prepared for longer waits than any of us would like. Care availability at Summit and other facilities changes on a regular basis depending on time of day and day of the week.
  • If we determine that your pet is not experiencing a medical emergency, we may refer you back to your primary physician or ask you to seek care at an urgent care facility.
  • If the number of patients under our care at any time reaches our capacity for care, we may not be able to accept or evaluate new patients for periods of time. This is currently happening on weekends with more frequency than we’d like. We only commit to supporting the number of patients we can appropriately care for at any time to ensure our standards of care are not compromised.
  • The quality of care remains our top priority. Summit is still providing the highest quality medical care in our region and our large and experienced team remains dedicated to the highest standard of medicine possible for your pet.

                                          

We recognize that these changes are inconvenient.  These are trying times for our entire community.  We appreciate your understanding as these measures are essential to allow us to provide life-saving care for animals in need while keeping us all safe as possible.  For additional questions, please contact 253-983-1114.


For more information please click here: COVID-19 Updates

COVID-19 Community Update

of focused experience and diverse specialties. A group constructed to offer integrated and complete care to the Puget Sound veterinary community. With roots in Critical Care, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Oncology, Radiology, and Surgery - our careers have followed different paths. But the common thread that wove us together remains the uncompromised passion for helping animals lead happy and productive lives. Our story isn’t told in the surgery room or on the black and whites of an x-ray. It’s told when a game of fetch is played or a warm lap is filled again. The Summit Veterinary Referral Center was created because this singular solution requires answers to many different problems, and we are this collective.

Cardiology · Critical Care · Emergency · Internal Medicine · Neurology · Oncology · Ophthalmology · Radiology · Surgery