Murdoch Pet Emergency Centre process

Accessing Murdoch Pet Emergency Centre (MPEC) is straightforward

You may bring your pet to MPEC at any time, without an appointment or referral.
Your regular vet may also refer you at any time, using a simple referral form. The form helps us to assess and manage your case by providing a history of your pet’s condition and any drugs and treatment given. Your regular vet may fax the form to us or you can bring it with you. Download the Emergency Referral Form.
Many local vets divert clients to MPEC after-hours by providing our details on their after-hours telephone message. Please ensure you telephone us on 1300 652 494 before arriving at MPEC. This will allow us to provide directions and immediate clinical advice, if necessary, and to answer any queries you may have.

What you can expect on arrival

Once you arrive, you will be met by the Triage Nurse who will examine your pet and allocate a ‘triage level’ if other clients are waiting.

Triage is a process of prioritizing patients based on the severity of their condition.
Your pet will then be examined by the consulting veterinarian and treated as promptly as possible. A veterinary student may also be in attendance.
Once the examination is complete, the nature of the problem and the necessary treatment will be explained to you by the veterinarian.
There are usually two options at this stage. Your pet may be treated and sent home straight away or may require in-hospital treatment if very sick. The clinician will estimate all costs to you and discuss your options.

In-hospital treatment

Patients admitted to MPEC for emergency treatment are returned home or to your regular vet at the earliest possible time - usually the next working day or consulting period, following admission.

Following consultation with your regular vet and you, a critical patient may stay at MPEC for intensive care and/or specialist referral care until recovered sufficiently for discharge home or back to the care of your regular vet.

If your pet requires ongoing intensive treatment or your regular vet cannot treat your pet’s condition you may opt for your pet to remain at MPEC until they are well enough to be discharged.

Specialist referral

If your pet’s condition requires a specialist referral, our staff will discuss this option with you and your regular vet and proceed, if instructed, to refer to one of our specialists the next day.

Visiting hours

We encourage you to visit your pet as it may assist their recovery and help you and your family cope with their illness.

It is important to remember that visitors may disrupt patients’ rest and treatments, and ICU patients can easily become overtired by long visits. You may be asked to leave the ICU during your visit if another patient’s condition changes.

Brief visits (20 minutes maximum) with one or two people are the least stressful for all patients and enable us to maintain high standards of care for all our patients and communication with all our clients

Visiting hours are divided into afternoon and evening sessions:

11am-1pm
5pm-7pm

Please call us before you visit.

Special requests for visits outside these times may be accommodated. Please call ahead to discuss a suitable time. During busy periods please be understanding if we suggest an alternative time for your visit.

Discharge Information

Once your pet is discharged, you and your regular vet will receive full details in a discharge letter that is printed for you, and electronically faxed or emailed to your regular vet clinic.

Keeping you informed

To speak with a veterinarian regarding your pet’s condition, please phone our Triage Nurse on 1 300 652 494 and you will be transferred to the ICU.