Normal Business Hours
South Texas Veterinary Specialists’ normal business hours are from 8:00am to 6:00pm Monday through Friday.  If you call
(210) 930-8383 during these hours, you can talk with the doctor in charge of your pet or nurses on duty to get updates or to have questions answered. 

Nights Monday through Friday and Weekends
South Texas Veterinary Specialists has nurses that care for our patients Monday through Friday evenings and throughout the weekend.  If you want to check on your pet, call (210) 930-8383 and press 1 at the prompt.  This will transfer you to one of the STVS critical care team members.  They have access to the doctors if needed.

Although not officially open, generally, STVS personnel may be contacted on Saturday between 9:00am and 11:00am at
(210) 930-8383.  Press 1 at the menu to page the nurse.  STVS doctors make rounds on all the cases in the hospital Saturday and Sunday mornings and discharge certain patients at their discretion. Your STVS doctor will inform you of the timing and nature of communications over the weekend.

Visitation
You may visit your pet during our normal business hours Monday through Friday, between 9:00am and 5:00pm. It is helpful to limit cage side visits to approximately 10 minutes. If longer visits are desired, special arrangements can be made at your request.  If you have a need for longer visitation, please consult with the doctor in charge of your pet to schedule this.

Monday through Friday evenings, the critical care team will allow you to visit your pet between the hours of 9:00pm and 10:00pm. It is helpful to remember that they are providing care for a number of patients and are not authorized to discuss your pet’s treatment plan or assessment. Please respect the other patient’s need for care by allowing the nurses to do their jobs during your visit. 

You may also visit your pet on Saturdays between 9:00am and 11:00am.

Pain Management and Post Operative Care

At STVS, special emphasis is placed on pain management. We make a point of interceding with medication before the pet experiences any pain. Because the veterinary patient cannot express their need for pain medication, we use a variety of techniques to block pain. We routinely use epidural analgesia, local anesthetic techniques, injectible narcotics and special pain patches that slowly release pain medication as the patient needs it.

A patient that has appropriate pain management will have a less stressful and improved recovery. To supplement this, the majority of our patients are discharged with oral pain medication.

STVS patients receive 24 hour observation and care. A veterinarian is always on duty within our facility. This level of care will ensure our commitment that our patients receive adequate pain management and that critical patients receive the intensive care they require. Our facility is fully staffed and equipped to deliver all levels of care, including that required by our most critical patients.