Putting local human hospitals to work for your veterinary practice

If you run a practice that sees daytime or after-hours toxicology emergencies, you may have overlooked an important ally—your local human hospital.

Many human hospitals have full labs that can run diagnostics that you can’t, and they keep medication and products in stock that you can purchase as needed. But to take advantage of this time- and money-saving resource, you need to do some legwork ahead of time to know who to call and what is available.

Lab tests

Each hospital is different. Call to speak to the hospital’s lab and/or pharmacy manager to find out what your local hospital offers. Here are a few tests we’ve recommended at Pet Poison Helpline that local human hospitals often offer:

> Serum ethylene glycol concentrations

> Serum iron level

> Acetaminophen (APAP) levels

Drugs and procedures

> Methocarbamol

> Pamidronate disodium

> Injectable acetylcysteine

> Chelation agents

> Pralidoxime

> Intralipid emulsion

> Hyperbaric chamber treatment

When your toxicology case comes in, your pharmacy and lab equipment don’t have to be your only resource.