Aurora, CO - No pet owner wants to imagine their animal in harm’s way.  Unfortunately, accidents happen and emergency animal hospitals see pets on a daily basis that are in need of urgent care due to incidents such as ingesting a poisonous substance or being hit by a vehicle.

What actions you take when you have an urgent situation can make the difference between life and death for your animal.  Dr. Shannon Morrill, medical director at Smoky Hill Veterinary Clinic, saw a need for extended evening hours to help pet owners dealing with emergencies.  “As a practice, we have many people who come home after work to find an ill pet and because of the time of day, their regular veterinary practice is closed.  We decided to provide our clients with additional evening hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays to better meet their needs.”  She has seen hundreds of emergency cases and knows what dangers lurk in the common household for pets and how critical it is to have your pet seen immediately by a veterinarian when the animal is sick or injured.

“We also recently added a new veterinarian to our practice that has experience with emergency care,” states Dr. Morrill.  “We are very happy to have Dr. Rosalie Jorgensen join our team.”  Dr. Jorgensen has worked in both emergency and primary care settings in the Denver and Chicago areas.  She is licensed to practice veterinary medicine in Colorado, Illinois, and Iowa. Dr. Jorgensen is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Colorado Veterinary Medical Association and Denver Area Veterinary Medical Society. 

Dr. Morrill, would like to remind pet owners to be very careful during the holiday season.  “Chocolate and many other substances in the household can be poisonous to pets.  If you see vomiting, diarrhea, limping, difficulty breathing, panting in a cat, excessive drooling, a bloated abdomen or any other abnormal signs in your pets, please get them to veterinary care as soon as possible.” 

Smoky Hill Veterinary Clinic is located at 15600 Smoky Hill Rd, Aurora, CO and can be reached at 303-693-2020.  Their hours of operation are 8am – 6pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8 am – 8 pm on Tuesday and Thursday and 8 am -3 pm on Saturday.