{"id":7642,"date":"2025-07-30T16:48:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T16:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vetmed.iastate.edu\/vmc\/?page_id=7642"},"modified":"2026-07-17T16:08:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:08:45","slug":"small-animal-hospital-emergency-and-critical-care-triage-status-system","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vetmed.iastate.edu\/vmc\/small-animal\/emergency-services\/small-animal-hospital-emergency-and-critical-care-triage-status-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Animal Hospital Emergency and Critical Care Triage Status System"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<div class=\"paragraph-widget paragraph-widget--text-html\">\n\t<div class=\"text-content\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementToProof\">\n<div class=\"elementToProof\">\n<p>To maintain our high standard of care, the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center (LVMC) uses a two-level triage system to manage emergency caseloads based on available resources\u2014including staffing and medical services (e.g., anesthesia, surgery, imaging)\u2014which are shared across both incoming emergencies and hospitalized patients.<\/p>\n<p>Upon arrival, all patients are immediately triaged by our emergency team to assess the severity of their condition. Stable patients may experience longer wait times if more critical emergencies are being treated, similar to how human emergency rooms prioritize care.<\/p>\n<p>Please know that even if your pet is stable and waiting, they are not being ignored. If their condition is urgent or emergent, they will receive appropriate care as quickly as the situation requires. Our team is constantly monitoring all patients and will adjust care as needed. Every decision we make is guided by our commitment to safe, compassionate, and timely care.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementToProof\">\n<hr align=\"left\" \/>\n<h3><strong>Current Triage Status: <\/strong><span class='cvm_triage_status cvm_triage_status_GREEN'>GREEN<\/span>\n<style> \n.cvm_triage_status {\npadding: 5px;\nborder-radius: 4px;\n}\n\n.cvm_triage_status_GREEN {\ncolor: white;\n\/*background-color: #78b159;*\/\nbackground-color: green;\n}\n\n.cvm_triage_status_YELLOW {\ncolor: #4a4a4a;\n\/*background-color: #fdcb58;*\/\nbackground-color: #FFEB3B;\n}\n\n\n.cvm_triage_status_RED {\ncolor: white;\nbackground-color: #dd2e44;\n}\n\n\n\n<\/style><\/h3>\n<hr align=\"left\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementToProof\">\n<p class=\"elementToProof\"><b>\ud83d\udfe2<\/b><b>\u00a0Green Status \u2013 Open for All Emergencies<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Resources are sufficient<\/b>\u00a0(staffing and services)<\/li>\n<li>Accepting <b>all emergency cases<\/b>\u00a0(referrals and walk-ins)<\/li>\n<li>No restrictions on case types<\/li>\n<li>All patients are triaged within 10 minutes of arrival and seen on the basis of medical urgency and then arrival order<\/li>\n<li><b>Anticipated wait time:<\/b> Most patients will meet with a doctor within <b>1\u20132 hours<\/b> of arrival to review recommended diagnostics, treatment options, and\/or hospitalization<\/li>\n<li><b>High patient volume:<\/b> During busier periods, you may experience longer wait times before meeting with a doctor to discuss recommended diagnostics, treatment options, and\/or hospitalization<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"elementToProof\">\n<hr align=\"left\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementToProof\">\n<p class=\"elementToProof\"><b>\ud83d\udd34<\/b><b>\u00a0Red Status \u2013 At Full Capacity<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Resources are critically limited<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li>May be due to\u00a0high level of care required for current inpatients, staffing, or medical service availability<\/li>\n<li><b>Only critical emergencies accepted<\/b>: Examples include patient requiring advanced respiratory support or blood pressure support<\/li>\n<li><b>Stable cases<\/b>\u00a0(e.g., fractures, foreign bodies)\u00a0may be deferred elsewhere or directed return to the LVMC at a later time or date if they require specialized yet non-urgent care.<\/li>\n<li><b>Stabilization and referral<\/b>\u00a0available if needed<\/li>\n<li><b>Anticipated wait time: <\/b>Extended wait times likely before you will meet with the doctor to discuss recommended diagnostics, treatments, and\/or hospitalization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"elementToProof\"><b>*Wait times may change based on caseload and available resources. The listed wait time refers only to the time from arrival to when a doctor meets with you to discuss your pet. Additional time may be required for diagnostics, treatment, or hospitalization, which can significantly extend your total visit duration.<\/b><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementToProof\"><i><br \/>\nJuly 2026<\/i><\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":4470,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7642","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Small Animal Hospital Emergency and Critical Care Triage Status System - Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/vetmed.iastate.edu\/vmc\/small-animal\/emergency-services\/small-animal-hospital-emergency-and-critical-care-triage-status-system\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Small Animal Hospital Emergency and Critical Care Triage Status System - 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