Veterinary Critical Care at Mount Laurel Animal Hospital

At Mount Laurel Animal Hospital in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, our Veterinary Critical Care service provides round‑the‑clock emergency and intensive care for pets throughout South Jersey. Critical illness can develop suddenly and without warning, which is why our hospital is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with highly trained emergency veterinarians, several board‑certified criticalists, and an experienced nursing team dedicated to stabilizing and supporting the most vulnerable patients. Our Critical Care team blends advanced medical technology, rapid decision‑making, and compassionate care to give every pet the strongest possible chance of recovery.

Veterinary critical care focuses on diagnosing and treating life‑threatening conditions, managing unstable patients, and responding quickly to emergencies. Many pets brought to our emergency department require immediate oxygen support, fluid therapy, blood transfusions, advanced diagnostics, or intervention for trauma, shock, organ failure, toxicities, or respiratory distress. Our ICU is fully equipped with monitoring tools and treatments comparable to what is found in human critical care units, allowing us to provide exceptional medical care during the most urgent situations.

Why Veterinary Critical Care Is Essential

Emergency and critical care medicine is often the difference between life and death. Our team is trained to manage the most severe and time‑sensitive veterinary emergencies, including:

• Acute respiratory emergencies  
• Cardiac emergencies  
• Complex medical emergencies  
• Minor and major trauma  
• Surgical emergencies  
• Toxicities and poisonings  
• Shock and sepsis  
• Neurological crises  
• Heatstroke, smoke inhalation, and drowning events  

These cases require immediate stabilization and aggressive medical care, which our Critical Care team is uniquely trained to provide.

Our Veterinary Critical Care Services

Mount Laurel Animal Hospital offers a comprehensive list of services for critically ill pets, including:

• Management of acute respiratory emergencies including oxygen supplementation, high-flow oxygen therapy, thoracocentesis, placement and management of thoracostomy and tracheostomy tubes, and advanced monitoring including: pulse oximetry, capnography, and arterial blood gases  
• Management of cardiac emergencies including arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, and pericardial tamponade  
• Management of complex medica, neurologic, and respiratory emergencies including shock and sepsis, diabetic ketoacidosis, acute liver and renal injury, chronic metabolic conditions and immune mediated disorders, heat stroke, drowning, refractory seizures, vomiting, intoxications, and smoke inhalation  
• Management of minor And major trauma including bite wounds, motor vehicle and blunt trauma, traumatic brain injury, and severe burns  
• Management of surgical emergencies working along side our specialty surgery and anesthesia team including pre and post-operative care and stabilization  
• Transfusion therapy including whole blood and component therapy with our in-house blood bank  
• Advanced imaging including bedside ultrasound (AFAST, TFAST), emergency echocardiograms, digital radiography, on-site CT and MRI scan ability  
• Hemodynamic monitoring including continuous blood pressure, non-invasive blood pressure, and ECG monitoring/telemetry.  
• Full in-house laboratory including blood gas analysis and coagulation testing  
• Advanced fluid and electrolyte therapy  
• Vasopressor therapy including post resuscitation monitoring and support  
• Multimodal pain management including continuous infusions and epidural analgesia

These services allow our team to treat severe illness efficiently and aggressively while providing constant monitoring and rapid adjustments based on a patient’s changing condition.

A Fully Equipped Intensive Care Unit

Our ICU is designed to support the complex needs of unstable pets. Patients receive individualized treatment plans, continuous monitoring, and round‑the‑clock nursing care. Critically ill pets may require hours to days of intensive care, and our team is committed to providing them with comfort, stability, and compassionate medical attention throughout their stay.

Collaborative, Multidisciplinary Critical Care

Critical illness often affects multiple organ systems at once, which is why our Critical Care department works closely with all specialty services in our hospital, including:

• Surgery  
• Cardiology  
• Neurology  
• Internal Medicine  
• Oncology  
• Radiology  
• Anesthesiology  
• Ophthalmology

This collaboration ensures every pet receives comprehensive care informed by specialists across multiple fields.

Emergency Care for Pets Across South Jersey

Families throughout Mount Laurel, Cherry Hill, Moorestown, Voorhees, and the greater South Jersey region rely on our Veterinary Critical Care team during their pet’s most urgent moments. Whether your pet is experiencing trauma, sudden collapse, respiratory distress, uncontrolled bleeding, seizures, or severe illness, Mount Laurel Animal Hospital is here with immediate advanced care—day or night.

Our mission is simple: provide lifesaving, compassionate, and expert emergency and critical care when pets need it most.

Dr. Cassandra Janson
Critical Care Dept. Head
BIO