Visiting Hours & Guidelines

Hospital Admission at CityU VMC

While in CityU VMC, your pet will be cared for around the clock by a team of highly trained, compassionate veterinary professionals. Our nurses will ensure your pet has clean, comfortable bedding, food and water as appropriate, and other necessities at all times. If your pet requires medication for anxiety or pain, it will be prescribed by the supervising veterinarian. Our goal is to keep your pet as comfortable as possible throughout hospitalisation.

If your pet is admitted at CityU VMC for hospitalisation, your furry friend will be kept in one of three areas:

• Intensive care unit (ICU) : This is the highest level of care at CityU VMC, reserved for patients requiring intensive treatment and monitoring. The ICU is equipped with advanced medical equipment, and there are separate rooms for cats and dogs to minimise stress and noise. A dedicated veterinarian with a team of nurses is stationed in the ICU 24/7.
• Dog/cat ward: These wards are for patients that do not require intensive care or close monitoring but may need IV fluids, injectable drugs or medications. Pets in wards are still monitored by our nursing staff.
• Isolation: The isolation wards are reserved for patients with potentially contagious or zoonotic diseases. The isolation wards are designed to minimise the risk of spreading pathogens to other areas of the hospital, while maintaining a high level of care and patient monitoring. CityU VMC has both respiratory and gastro-intestinal isolation wards.

During the course of hospitalisation, your pet may be moved to different wards within the hospital according to their treatment and monitoring requirements. You will be updated as these changes occur.

Visitation

Visiting hours:

For the smoothest experience, please inform our staff in advance when you plan to visit, you may notify our staff at reception or contact us at 3650 3000.

Two adults may attend the hospital per visit once a day, visitation is limited to 15 minutes at a time. You may be taken to a private visitation room for better and smooth arrangements during your visit.

Visits outside of normal visiting hours must be arranged in advance with your pet’s veterinarian and depend on individual cases.

If you have questions about your pet’s care during your visit, please direct them to your primary veterinarian who is more familiar with your pet's condition.

Many hospitalised pets have various tubes, catheters, and bandages. Some pets may require supplemental oxygen. Please do not adjust or remove these items while visiting your pet. In some circumstances, for safety reasons, you may be asked to wear gloves or other personal protective equipment during your visit. Please follow our staff’s instructions, which are intended to protect you, your pet, and other patients in the hospital.

To protect the privacy of our clients and their families, taking photos and videos is not permitted within CityU VMC unless special permission is granted by the supervising veterinarian.

Belongings and food

If your pet requires a special diet and/or medications, please inform your veterinarian at the time of hospital admission. You may leave the food and/or medications with our receptionists, who will transfer them to our veterinary staff.

For safety reasons, raw diets are not permitted at CityU VMC. All diets and medications will be administered at the discretion of the supervising veterinarian.

For biosecurity reasons, we cannot accept personal belongings, bedding, or toys. Please take all personal belongings with you when you leave the hospital to ensure they are not lost or discarded. We cannot guarantee that items left with your pet will be returned.

Continuity of care

While your pet is hospitalised, your pet will be taken care of by various veterinarians as necessary and if needed – for example, during shift changes, or for specialist referral. Our attending veterinarians discuss your pet’s diagnostic and treatment plan in detail with our medical team during each handover. Our members of the team may contact you to clarify your pet’s medical history, assess your understanding of your pet’s diagnosis, and ensure thoroughness.

Referral of your pet’s care to a specialist depends on the urgency of your pet’s needs and the availability of our specialists. We will provide your pet with any required care as soon as possible, prioritising urgent requests, but immediate specialist referral cannot be guaranteed. If your pet is stable, you may be asked to schedule a follow-up appointment with a specialist after discharge from the hospital.

Phone updates and communication 

While your pet is hospitalised in the ICU or wards, you will be updated by phone. Please provide a working phone number and ensure you are available to be reached by phone while your pet is hospitalised. In case of an emergency or major change to the treatment plan, our team will call you as soon as possible. If you have questions that cannot be answered during a short phone update, you may be asked to schedule an in-person consultation with the attending veterinarian.

Last update: 06.2023

Discharge

When your pet is ready to be discharged from the hospital, your veterinarian will call you to arrange pick-up.

Discharges are scheduled during the day before 5:30 pm to ensure your veterinarian has time to meet with you and review the discharge instructions.

You will be provided with a written copy of instructions for home care, monitoring, and medications, either in person during the discharge appointment or through email by the end of the day.

Due to overnight staffing limitations, your veterinarian may not be available to meet with you if discharged after hours, and a late discharge fee may be incurred.

If you wish to bring your pet home before treatment is completed, you may be asked to sign an “against medical advice” form. This form acknowledges that you understand the risks of discharging your pet from the hospital without recommended treatment.

For more information

We look forward to serving you and your pets at CityU VMC. We know that hospitalisation can be daunting and scary, but our team is here for you and ready to help you and your pet through this challenge.

If you have any questions or concerns about your pet’s treatment, please call us at 3650 3000 or email info@cityuvmc.com.hk.

Last update: 06.2023