Airport Animal Emergi-Center

- 5235 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46241

Introduction / Overview

For pet owners across the Indiana region, the realization that your cherished companion needs immediate medical attention, especially outside of regular business hours, is one of the most stressful moments imaginable. Fortunately, Indianapolis is home to dedicated facilities like the Airport Animal Emergi-Center. This is not a routine general practice but a specialized Veterinarian and Animal Hospital focused exclusively on providing high-quality, immediate Emergency & Critical Care Services for dogs and cats when your regular family veterinarian is unavailable.

Established to fill the critical need for after-hours care, the Airport Animal Emergi-Center ensures that pets experiencing sudden illness, traumatic injury, or life-threatening emergencies—a true Pet Emergency—have access to expert attention around the clock on nights, weekends, and all major holidays. The dedicated team, which includes highly skilled professionals like Dr. Gust, DVM, is trained to handle a wide range of critical scenarios, with a commitment to offering compassionate care during these difficult times. As one grateful client shared after a critical procedure, "Dr. Gust and the entire staff saved my dog's life. We are so incredibly grateful for their expertise, compassion, and dedication. They gave us back our dog."

It is important for local residents to understand that this facility provides Emergency Veterinary Care only. They do not offer routine services such as annual wellness exams, routine vaccinations, elective spaying/neutering, or regular dental care. Their singular focus allows them to maintain the necessary staffing, equipment, and expertise required for immediate, high-stakes medical intervention.

Location and Accessibility

The strategic location of the Airport Animal Emergi-Center is a significant benefit to residents of Indianapolis and surrounding Central Indiana communities, ensuring quick access during emergencies.

The facility is located at:

5235 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46241, USA

Situated on the west side of Indianapolis, the clinic is conveniently positioned inside the I-465 loop. This proximity to a major interstate facilitates rapid transport from various parts of the city and its neighboring suburbs. Accessibility features are a priority to accommodate clients and their injured or ill pets, including:

• Wheelchair accessible entrance
• Wheelchair accessible parking lot
• Wheelchair accessible restroom
• Dedicated Restroom for client use
• Ample Free parking lot space immediately available for quick access.

Their operational schedule is specifically designed to cover the times when general practices are typically closed, making them a crucial resource in the local veterinary network:

• Overnights: Monday through Thursday from 6:00 PM until 8:00 AM the following morning.
• Weekends: Continuous coverage from Friday at 6:00 PM through Monday morning at 8:00 AM.
• Holidays: Open 24 hours on all major holidays.

Services Offered

The Airport Animal Emergi-Center offers a comprehensive suite of services essential for diagnosing, stabilizing, and treating critical and urgent conditions in companion animals, specifically dogs and cats:

• Emergency & Critical Care Services: Immediate assessment, stabilization, and intensive monitoring of life-threatening conditions, including shock, severe dehydration, respiratory distress, and internal organ failure.
• Emergency Care / Animal Urgent Care: Treatment for acute, non-life-threatening but time-sensitive issues such as severe vomiting, sudden lameness, severe allergic reactions, or minor trauma.
• Advanced Diagnostic Imaging: Utilization of cutting-edge technology like digital X-rays and Ultrasound for rapid and accurate diagnosis of internal issues, including foreign body ingestion, fractures, and organ abnormalities (Diagnostic Imaging, Imaging Services, Advanced Diagnostic).
• Laboratory Testing: Fast and reliable in-house analysis, including Blood Tests, hematology, and urinalysis, allowing for immediate treatment planning in critical cases (Laboratory Testing).
• Emergency Surgeries: Performance of life-saving, urgent surgeries to address issues like gastric torsion (bloat), internal bleeding, complex lacerations, and foreign body removal, such as the successful pyometra surgery described by one grateful reviewer.
• Pet Trauma Care: Specialized medical attention for pets who have suffered injuries from accidents, falls, or severe bite wounds.
• Care For Pets: Comprehensive inpatient care and monitoring for all hospitalized animals requiring intensive observation.
• Pain Management: Aggressive and compassionate pain control protocols for ill and injured pets.

Features / Highlights

The facility's features are optimized for the urgent nature of its work, setting it apart as a key emergency resource in Central Indiana:

• Dedicated Emergency Clinic Model: Unlike mixed practices, this facility’s entire operation is geared toward emergency flow and critical patient management, ensuring rapid response times.
• No Appointment Necessary: Pets can be brought in immediately as walk-in emergencies, removing the stressful hurdle of needing an appointment during a crisis.
• Experienced Emergency Staff: The veterinary team, including surgeons and technicians, maintains extensive experience and specialized training in the unique challenges of emergency and critical medicine.
• Cost-Conscious Approach: Some clients have noted that the veterinarians, including Dr. Gust, take a pragmatic approach, focusing on essential, life-saving treatments and giving clear options regarding necessary costs, avoiding unnecessary testing in a crisis when possible.
• Compassionate End-of-Life Services: The center offers compassionate services, such as cremation, for those facing the heartbreaking loss of a pet, demonstrating a commitment to supporting families through all stages of pet care.
• Central Location and Accessibility: The easy-to-reach location with free, accessible parking is a critical advantage when every minute counts.
• Focus on Dogs and Cats: The team’s expertise is concentrated on the two most common companion animals, ensuring deep, relevant knowledge in their medical emergencies.

Contact Information

Indiana pet owners are encouraged to keep this vital information readily accessible in case of an after-hours emergency:

• Address: 5235 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46241, USA
• Primary Phone: (317) 248-0832
• Mobile Phone: +1 317-248-0832

While no appointment is necessary, calling ahead when possible is always helpful. It allows the emergency staff to be fully prepared for your pet's condition upon arrival, maximizing efficiency and minimizing precious response time.

What is worth choosing

The Airport Animal Emergi-Center is an essential choice for any pet owner in the Indianapolis area for one primary reason: unwavering, high-level availability for true emergencies. When a pet's life hangs in the balance during a late night, a weekend, or a holiday, this facility serves as the community's lifeline. The combination of its specialized focus on emergency and critical care, its state-of-the-art diagnostic and surgical capabilities, and its extended hours of operation makes it an indispensable resource.

The center’s commitment to immediate care for a range of severe conditions, from life-saving Emergency Surgeries to complex Trauma Care, is its defining feature. Testimonials consistently praise the staff’s expertise and success in critical interventions, often crediting them with saving their dog's or cat's life. Choosing the Airport Animal Emergi-Center means choosing a rapid, expert response when your pet cannot afford to wait for standard office hours, providing the ultimate peace of mind for pet-loving families across Indiana.

Airport Animal Emergi-Center

5235 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46241, USA