Aug 19, 2026

Colorado Springs Has 2 True 24/7 Emergency Vets: 6 Numbers to Save Before You Arrive

Two animal hospitals in Colorado Springs publish round-the-clock walk-in emergency cover, which is better than most destinations manage. Save both numbers, because the second one is the one that matters at 2 a.m.

Luis ZamoraCo-founder of PetCompass; Dog Dad to Banzo and Tuck

Colorado Springs, Colorado10 min readPet Care & Services

Colorado Springs has two animal hospitals that publish round-the-clock emergency cover, and both take walk-ins without an appointment. That puts it well ahead of most holiday destinations, where the honest answer is often that the nearest overnight hospital is an hour away.

Save both numbers before you arrive. Not one. Hospitals divert when they are full, and the second number is the one that matters at 2 a.m.

The six numbers, at a glance

Who	Number	Cover
North Springs Veterinary Emergency & Specialty	(719) 920-4430	24 hours, 365 days, walk-ins welcome
Southern Rockies Animal Emergency + Specialty	(719) 473-0482	Open 24/7, no appointment needed
ASPCA Animal Poison Control	(888) 426-4435	24/7, 365 days
Pet Poison Helpline	(855) 764-7661	24/7, $89 per incident fee
Your own vet at home		For records and history
Your hotel front desk		For the closest route at night

Put the first four in your phone now. The last two are the ones people forget and then need.

1. North Springs Veterinary Emergency & Specialty

10520 White Diamond Pt, Colorado Springs, CO 80908. (719) 920-4430.

From the hospital's own website: "Our emergency team is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in Colorado Springs. Walk-ins welcome."

Its emergency page is more specific, and the detail is worth reading before you need it: "We are always open! 24/7/365."

It also explains how you will be seen, which is the part that saves an argument at the desk: "emergency cases are seen on a triage basis, meaning the most critical patients are seen first. You can walk-in anytime and we are available to care for you and your pet."

Triage is not first come, first served. If you arrive with a limping dog and a dog in respiratory distress arrives after you, that dog goes first. That is correct medicine and it is worth understanding in advance, because the waiting is where people lose patience.

The White Diamond Point address puts it on the north side of the city, which matters if you are staying south near the Broadmoor or Cheyenne Mountain. Work out the drive before you need it.

2. Southern Rockies Animal Emergency + Specialty

(719) 473-0482.

From its emergency page: "If your pet is experiencing an emergency in Colorado Springs, please call us immediately at (719) 473-0482, or bring them right over. We encourage you to call first, if possible, so we can be prepared ahead of your arrival."

That instruction to call ahead is the single most useful line in this guide. Calling on the way lets the team prepare, and it also tells you whether they are diverting before you spend twenty minutes driving there.

Its main site states it is "Open 24/7 For Emergency And Critical Care" with "No appointment needed," and of emergency care that "We're open for walk-in emergencies 24 hours a day," with every day of the week listed as "Open 24 hrs" on its own hours panel.

The site also notes a change of identity, describing "New Name, New Leadership." If you are searching an older bookmark or a printout from a previous trip, expect the name to have changed.

Its specialty services are listed as diagnostic imaging, radioiodine and surgery, and it runs a blood donor programme. Radioiodine treatment is for overactive thyroid, mostly in cats, and it is not something every regional hospital offers. If you are travelling with a cat on thyroid medication, that is a relevant thing to know exists here.

3. Why two hospitals is the number that matters

One 24-hour hospital is a single point of failure. A hospital can be full, can be short a doctor overnight, or can be dealing with a multi-patient emergency when you call.

With two in the same city you have a genuine fallback rather than a two-hour drive to Denver. Programme both, and if the first says they are at capacity, do not argue, just call the second.

This is the practical difference between Colorado Springs and a smaller destination. Our guide on what to know about emergency vets covers the questions to ask on that first call.

4. The poison lines, and the fee nobody mentions

For a suspected poisoning, a poison line is often the faster first call than driving. They can tell you whether what your dog ate is actually dangerous at the dose consumed, which decides whether you need a hospital at all.

ASPCA Animal Poison Control, (888) 426-4435. The ASPCA page states: "We are available 24/7, 365 days a year, so you can get expert guidance the moment a poisoning concern arises."

Pet Poison Helpline, (855) 764-7661. Its site is upfront about cost: "$89 incident fee applies," and adds that "When you call or chat with one of our staff experts, a $89 USD per incident fee" applies. It also makes the timing argument plainly, that the sooner an exposure is addressed, the easier, less expensive and safer it is to treat.

Know the fee before you dial, because a surprise charge in the middle of a crisis is one more thing to handle. Eighty-nine dollars to find out you do not need a $600 emergency visit is usually a good trade.

5. What to have ready before you call

Have this to hand and the call goes faster.

Your dog's approximate weight
What it ate or did, and roughly when
The packaging, if there is any, for a poisoning
Any medication your dog is already on
Your own vet's name and number
Whether your dog has a heart, airway or seizure history

Our pet first aid basics guide covers what you can do in the car, and the emergency pet info card is worth filling in before a trip so somebody else can answer these questions if you cannot.

6. The Colorado Springs specific risks worth knowing

Altitude is the one that catches visitors. Colorado Springs sits high, and the Pikes Peak Highway climbs far higher. PetMD puts the threshold for effects on pets above 8,000 feet. The signs to watch for are heavy panting that does not settle with rest, unusual lethargy, stumbling or poor coordination, drooling, vomiting, or pale gums.

The treatment is descent. If those signs appear on the mountain, go down before you call anyone, because losing elevation is the intervention.

Heat and pavement. The red rock and paved loops at Garden of the Gods hold heat, and high-altitude sun is fierce even when the air feels mild. Burned pads are a genuinely common summer presentation. Our summer heat safety for pets guide covers the pavement test.

Dry air and water. This is a dry climate and dogs drink more than owners expect. Dehydration compounds everything else on this list.

Winter salt and ice. Below freezing, treated pavement irritates pads and gets licked off. Our cold weather pet safety guide covers it.

The blood donor programme, and why it tells you something

Southern Rockies runs a blood donor programme, listed among its pet owner services alongside a new client centre.

That is a small detail with a large implication. A hospital that maintains a blood donor panel is a hospital that transfuses, which means it is set up for trauma, immune-mediated anaemia and toxin cases where blood products decide the outcome. Not every regional emergency room holds that capability.

If you have a large, healthy, calm dog and you spend time in Colorado Springs, a donor programme is also a genuinely useful thing to volunteer for. Ask them about the criteria.

Getting there matters as much as choosing

Put both addresses in your phone's map application before you need them, not during. At 2 a.m., in an unfamiliar city, with a distressed animal in the back, is the wrong moment to be typing a hospital name into a search box on a weak signal.

North Springs sits on the north side at White Diamond Point. If your hotel is downtown, near Old Colorado City, or south toward Cheyenne Mountain, check which of the two hospitals is genuinely closer by road rather than by map distance, because the interstate and the mountain roads make those two very different numbers.

Do the same for the route out of any trailhead you plan to use. Cell coverage in the canyons west of the city is patchy, and a screenshot of the directions is worth more than a route you assumed you could load on arrival.

7. When to go now rather than wait for morning

Go straight in for any of these. This is not a diagnostic list, it is a do-not-wait list.

Difficulty breathing, or gums that are pale, blue or grey
Repeated unproductive retching, or a hard swollen abdomen
A seizure, or more than one in a day
Suspected poisoning of any kind
Inability to urinate, especially in a male cat
A wound that will not stop bleeding
Collapse, or an inability to stand
Suspected heatstroke after exercise or a hot car

Everything else is a judgement call, and that is exactly what the phone call is for. Both hospitals take calls around the clock, and both would rather triage you on the phone than have you sit in a waiting room with something that could wait.

8. Where you are staying changes your plan

Work out your route before you need it. North Springs is on the north side at White Diamond Point. If you are staying downtown or south toward Cheyenne Mountain, that is a real drive at night.

Ask your hotel front desk on check-in which emergency hospital they send guests to. They will know, they deal with it more than they would like, and it takes thirty seconds.

Our pet-friendly hotels in Colorado Springs page lists what each property allows, and the PetCompass hotel directory covers the wider region.

Conclusion

Two genuine 24/7 hospitals, both taking walk-ins, is a good position to be in. North Springs on (719) 920-4430 and Southern Rockies on (719) 473-0482 are the two numbers to save, and Southern Rockies explicitly asks you to call ahead so the team can prepare.

Add the two poison lines, remember the Pet Poison Helpline charges $89 per incident, and understand that triage means the sickest patient goes first. Then go and enjoy the mountain.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a 24-hour emergency vet in Colorado Springs?

Yes, two. North Springs Veterinary Emergency & Specialty at 10520 White Diamond Pt states its emergency team is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with walk-ins welcome, on (719) 920-4430. Southern Rockies Animal Emergency + Specialty states it is open 24/7 for emergency and critical care with no appointment needed, on (719) 473-0482.

Do I need an appointment for an emergency vet in Colorado Springs?

No. Both hospitals publish walk-in emergency access around the clock. Southern Rockies does encourage you to call first if possible so the team can prepare before you arrive.

What is the phone number for the emergency vet in Colorado Springs?

North Springs Veterinary Emergency & Specialty is on (719) 920-4430. Southern Rockies Animal Emergency + Specialty is on (719) 473-0482. Save both, because a hospital at capacity will send you to the other.

Why was another pet seen before mine at the emergency vet?

Triage. North Springs explains that emergency cases are seen on a triage basis, meaning the most critical patients are seen first. Arrival order does not determine who is treated first.

What should I do if my dog eats something poisonous in Colorado Springs?

Call a poison line first, because they can tell you whether the dose is dangerous. ASPCA Animal Poison Control is on (888) 426-4435 and is available 24/7, 365 days a year. Pet Poison Helpline is on (855) 764-7661 and charges an $89 per incident fee. Then call one of the two emergency hospitals if advised.

Does the Pet Poison Helpline cost money?

Yes. Its site states that an $89 per incident fee applies when you call or chat with a staff expert.

Sources

Phone numbers, addresses and opening cover change. Confirm by phone before you drive, and this guide is not veterinary advice.