Vets & Emergency Care in San Diego

The long-established emergency and referral hospital on Mission Valley Road, listed by the San Diego Humane Society among the county's 24-hour facilities and open every day of the year. Its position in Mission Valley puts it within roughly ten minutes by car of downtown, Old Town, Hotel Circle and the Mission Bay hotels, which covers most of where visitors actually stay.

A 24-hour emergency-only hospital on Camino De La Reina in Mission Valley, on the San Diego Humane Society's list of round-the-clock facilities. Veterinary Emergency Group works on an open-treatment model in which owners stay with their animal through examination and care rather than waiting in a separate room, which suits an anxious dog in unfamiliar surroundings.

The main northern referral hospital, on Sorrento Valley Road and listed by the San Diego Humane Society as a 24-hour facility, combining emergency intake with specialist departments for complex cases. It is the closest round-the-clock option if you are staying in La Jolla, Del Mar, Torrey Pines or the northern beach communities rather than central San Diego.