During an inpatient stay, patients are accommodated in separate kennels, adapted to their body size, in our housing facility. Dogs are taken out for short walks on the university grounds several times a day. Cats are provided with their own litter boxes inside their kennels, which are cleaned several times a day. If your pet has no special feeding requirements, all patients are fed twice a day with either wet or dry food. Depending on their clinical condition, patients are examined by one of our doctors at least once or several times a day. All animals are also examined several times a day by our nursing staff or our students and (upon patient request) receive the attention and affection (in the form of petting, stroking or cuddling) that they desire or need.

As a rule, we recommend against visiting your pet during an inpatient stay. The majority of our patients quickly come to terms with their inpatient status away from their family and tend to grieve especially after a visit. In the case of long inpatient stays or seriously ill animals, owner visits are of course possible and desirable. These should be arranged in consultation with the ward physician.

The attending veterinarian will contact you to give you all the information about your animal and answer any questions you may have. If you require specific information and the doctor has not yet had the opportunity to talk to you, you can call +43 1 25077-4441 (inpatient information) Monday through Friday between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Please bring your pet to the clinic between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. on the day of the scheduled surgery. Your pet should not have eaten anything since the evening before. The animal is allowed to drink water before the surgery, even on the same day. As the admission takes place at the same time as the morning rounds, no doctor will be available during the admission itself. If you have any questions or important information about your animal, please contact the reception or the nursing staff.

Following admission, your animal will be taken to its kennel and examined again during the morning rounds. Depending on the urgency of the surgeries planned for the day, your animal will undergo surgery between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. We ask for your understanding that incoming emergencies are prioritised in the daily operating schedule.

As soon as your pet wakes up from the anaesthesia, we will attempt to reach you by phone to inform you how the operation went. Depending on the time of surgery, this may not happen until late in the afternoon. There is no need to worry; you will be informed about the course of the operation in any event. In rare cases, it may be necessary to consult with the owners immediately before or perhaps even during the operation. We therefore ask you to leave a telephone number where you can be reached at all times on the day of surgery.

Depending on the type of operation, your pet may be discharged on the day of surgery to be cared for at home again. Alternatively, the animal can continue to be cared for at the clinic for inpatient treatment. If your pet is discharged on the same day, the surgeon will arrange an appointment with you to pick it up.

Everything you need to know about your dog’s inpatient stay at the clinic is available here.

Everything you need to know about your cat’s inpatient stay at the clinic is available here.