If your pet is injured or sick during our regular business hours (Mon-Fri, 8am to 6pm; Closed Saturdays and Sundays), call us at 303-646-2891 or come to the hospital at 330 W. Kiowa Avenue (Hwy 86). We are located at the red dot below.

map to elizabeth animal hospital

Animal Emergency & Specialty Center

Phone 720-842-5050

You can also call our number at 303-646-2891 and our answering service will transfer you to the Animal Emergency & Specialty Center (AESC) in Parker.

If your pet is injured or sick after our working hours, please take them to the Animal Emergency & Specialty Center. They have a fully equipped hospital and excellent doctors and staff. The center is located a little west of Parker Road on Cottonwood Drive in Parker (see the red dot below).

map to emergency center

Veterinary Specialist of the Rockies

Phone 303-660-1027
774 Maleta Lane
(One block North of Founders Parkway)
Castle Rock, CO 80108

Veterinary Specialists of the Rockies is there for your pets when your regular veterinarian isn’t available or when you need a board-certified specialist. We are a privately-owned animal hospital open 24/7 for emergencies. We also provide specialty services for pets in Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Denver’s South Suburbs and beyond.

Know What To Do When Your Pet Is Hurt

Some general guidelines are:

  1. Be the First to Aid Your Pet: When your cat or dog suddenly falls ill or becomes injured, follow some simple first aid measures to stabilize your pet before getting him to Elizabeth Animal Hospital.
  2. Stay Calm: Your pet will be calm if you're calm. You will also be able to better describe the incident and your pet's symptoms if you don't panic. This will help us better assess his condition when you get to Elizabeth Animal Hospital.
  3. dog with porcupine quills in face


    Focus on Your Pet: If possible, have someone else call us so you can focus on administering first aid and/or assessing the best way to move your pet without causing further pain or injury.

  4. Hot or Cold?: The normal body temperature for dogs and cats is 100–102.5 degrees. When you call us we might ask you to take your pet's temperature and report it.
  5. Handle With Care: No matter how friendly your pet can be under normal circumstances, it is extremely important to understand you must carefully restrain an injured pet. This is for your safety and for your pet's as well. Muzzle a dog unless he is unconscious, has difficulty breathing or has a mouth injury. Putting a muzzle on a dog with porcupine quills in its tongue and mouth area can be excrutiating for the dog. Use an E-collar or carrier for cats; muzzles can inhibit their breathing and create additional distress.
  6. Survey, Secure, Stat!: While it is important not to self-diagnose your pet's symptoms, you must first determine the situation, then stabilize your pet, then bring him to Elizabeth Animal Hospital.

Survey

Secure

Stat!


Broken Bones: your pet is limping or favoring a limb.

Muzzle your dog or use an E-collar for your cat and manipulate his head away from you while placing him in a padded carrier.

Go to Elizabeth Animal Hospital or AESC immediately. Pelvic fractures may not be readily apparent.

Burns: Your pet's skin has obvious signs of burns, or he has ingested a toxin and is drooling, pawing at his mouth or swallowing excessively.

Restrain your pet. Flush burns with cold water or apply a wet wash cloth cooled with ice water.

If the burns are caused by electrocution, go to Elizabeth Animal Hospital or AESC immediately. If the burns are caused by chemicals, go to the Elizabeth Animal Hospital or AESC within the hour. If possible, bring the chemical agent with you.

External Bleeding:

Restrain your pet for his protection and yours. Then, firmly press thick gauze on the wound until clotting occurs. Apply a tourniquet between the wound and the heart only if bleeding is severe or a limb is hemorrhaging. Every 15 minutes, loosen the tourniquet for 20 seconds.

Go to Elizabeth Animal Hospital or AESC immediately.

Internal Bleeding: Your pet is bleeding from the nose, mouth, ears or rectum, is coughing blood, has blood in his urine, pale gums, collapses or has a weak or rapid pulse.

Keep your pet warm and as quiet as possible. See if they respond when you call their name. No response is very bad; professional care should be given as quickly as possible.

Go to Elizabeth Animal Hospital or AESC immediately.

  1. First Aid Kit Checklist: Use a waterproof container and put together a well-stocked pet first aid kit using this checklist recommended by The Veterinary Pet Insurance Pet Well-Care Education Series
    • Elizabeth Animal Hospital contact information
    • Animal Emergency & Specialty Center contact information
    • Alcohol prep pads
    • Blanket or towel
    • Cold pack
    • Digital thermometer (to be used rectally)
    • Gauze rolls
    • Gauze pads
    • Gloves
    • Hydrogen peroxide
    • Rags or rubber tubing
    • Scissors
    • Soft muzzle
    • Tweezers

Your veterinarian at Elizabeth Animal Hospital knows best! If you suspect your pet has ingested a poison or foreign object, DON'T WAIT, bring him in to us immediately.

  1. Rabies Recommendation: It is critical that you can provide evidence of your pet's rabies vaccination at all times. You were provided a rabies certificate when your pet received his rabies vaccination at Elizabeth Animal Hospital. It has an expiration date. A pet without proof of current vaccination may be quarantined if he bites you or anyone else. A rabies tag is not considered proof of current vaccination.

Every home contains items and substances that can be dangerous or even fatal if ingested by dogs and cats. Do you know where to look for these pet toxins and poisons?

Hazards in the Kitchen

PLEASE keep the following food items that are hazardous to your pet out of your their menu:

  • Chocolate
  • Yeast dough
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Fatty foods
  • Avocado
  • Coffee grounds
  • Grapes/raisins
  • Onions
  • Tea
  • Alcohol
  • Salt
  • Garlic
  • Nutmeg
  • Raw salmon
  • Sugar-free chewing gum, candy and breath fresheners containing Xylitol

Cleaning Products

We don’t suggest you stop cleaning your house. We simply advise you to use caution with cleaners. Many household cleaners can be used safely around animals. It is important to use them safely, store them safely and dispose of them safely, always keeping them away from your pets. Safe use and storage procedures can be found by very carefully reading the label and following the directions for proper use and storage. In particular, bathroom cleaners containing bleach and Lysol® can cause very serious injury in high enough concentrations.

Symptoms of possible cleaning product poisoning: stomach upset, drooling, vomiting or diarrhea, severe burns if swallowed, respiratory tract irritation if inhaled in high concentrations, chemical burns on the skin.

Insecticides/Rodenticides

PLEASE follow label instructions before using any type of pesticide in your pet's environment. Some flea products are more harmful than the fleas themselves! Over-the-counter treatments often contain pyrethrin and permethrin to kill fleas on dogs. ASK US AT ELIZABETH ANIMAL HOSPITAL which products we recommend for safe use on your pets.

Rat or mouse poison should never be placed in areas accessible to pets. This poison causes serious or even life-threatening illness when ingested.

Insecticide poisoning is generally dose related (for example, too much flea powder). Symptoms of possible insecticide poisoning: drooling, upset stomach, dilated pupils, anxiety, hyperactivity, and, rarely, seizures or coma.

The symptoms of rat and mouse poison are often delayed from the time of ingestion. Symptoms of possible rodenticide poisoning: green-tinged vomit or stool near the time of ingestion; later, bloody nose or blood in urine or coughing up blood and/or pale gums. Rodenticides cause internal bleeding.

MAKE SURE THAT YOU KEEP PETS AWAY FROM ANY RODENTICIDES.

Hazards in the Bathroom

Medications

Never give your pet any medication unless directed by your Elizabeth Animal Hospital veterinarian. Medications that treat human medical conditions can make pets very sick. Your medications should be tightly closed and stored in a secure cabinet away from pets. Following is a list of medications potentially dangerous to pets:

  • Aspirin
  • Ibuprofen
  • Naproxen
  • Acetaminophen
  • Cold medicines
  • Prescription drugs
  • Diet pills/vitamins
  • Antihistamines
  • Antidepressants

Acetaminophen is found in more than 200 formulations such as Tylenol®, Hydrocodone (Vicodin®) and Lorcet®. It only takes one pill to kill a cat and ingesting it can cause kidney and liver damage in dogs.

Ibuprofen is the most commonly reported poison in dogs. It typically has a sweet coating and this entices dogs. It is found in Advil®, Midol® and Motrin® and many generic formulations.

Soaps and Sundries

To avoid stomach upset, vomiting, or diarrhea in your pet, please keep bath and hand soaps, toothpaste and sun blocks away from your pets. Also keep toilet lids closed when you have treated toilet water that could irritate their digestive tract.

Hazards in the Bedroom and Living Room

Miscellaneous

Small items that fall on the floor can be swallowed easily by a curious cat or dog. The result may be damage to your pet's digestive tract and the need for surgical removal of the object.

  • Liquid potpourri products
  • Mothballs
  • Tobacco products
  • Pennies minted after 1982
  • Alkaline batteries
  • Buttons
  • Childrens' toys
  • Jewelry
  • Electrical cords

Hazards in the Garage and Yard

Antifreeze, Herbicides, and Chemicals

Pets are exposed to antifreeze in your garage, driveway, on the street and in parking lots. Even in small quantities, antifreeze poisoning can be fatal to both dogs and cats. Cat litter or sand absorbs the sweet-smelling fluid and will prevent pets from licking it. Most antifreeze contains ethylene-glycol. Some contain propylene glycol which is less toxic, but still dangerous.

Other substances routinely stored in the garage that are toxic include insecticides, plant/lawn fertilizers, weed killers, ice-melting products and gasoline.

Paints and Solvents

Paint thinners, mineral spirits and other solvents are dangerous if swallowed or if they come into contact with your pet's skin.

Latex house paints typically produce a minor stomach upset, but some types of artist's or other specialty paints may contain heavy metals or volatile substances that could become harmful if inhaled or ingested.

Plants Inside and Outside the House

They may be pretty, but some plants are poisonous - even deadly. AVOID:

  • Amaryllis
  • Azaleas
  • Castor bean
  • Christmas tree pine needles
  • Chrysanthemums
  • Daffodils
  • Easter Cacti
  • Foxglove
  • Hibiscus
  • Holly
  • Hyacinths
  • Hydrangea
  • Lilly of the Valley
  • Mistletoe
  • Mother-in-Law's Tongue
  • Mulch with cocoa beans
  • Oleander
  • Philodendron
  • Poinsettias
  • Rhododendron
  • Rhubarb leaves
  • Sago Palm
  • Shamrock
  • Tulips (Tulips can be poisonous for your pets, but unfortunately not to deer, who will travel miles to wipe out a display).

As little as a single leaf from any lily variety can be lethal to cats. Complications from poisonous plants include heart problems, kidney failure, liver damage or other illness.

For a complete list of common toxic and non-toxic plants, visit the ASPCA and the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center.