Aug 24, 2026

Emergency Vets in Denver: 6 Open 24 Hours, and 1 Address That Is Not Where You Think

Six metro Denver hospitals publish round-the-clock emergency cover, from East Colfax to Englewood. One of them is named for a suburb it is not in, and the emergency the city fields hundreds of calls about every year is a dog in a parked car.

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

Denver, Colorado10 min readPet Care & Services

Six hospitals across metro Denver publish round-the-clock emergency cover on their own websites. Five of them are one chain, spread deliberately across the map, and the sixth is a long-standing specialty and emergency hospital in Englewood.

One of the five is named for a suburb it is not in, which is the sort of thing you do not want to discover while driving.

Here they are, with addresses and numbers taken from each hospital's own site, plus what Denver's own guidance says about the emergency this city produces most.

The six

Hospital	Address	Phone
VEG Denver	3845 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80206	(720) 574-9834
VEG Denver Tech Center	6305 East Hampden Avenue, Denver, CO 80222	(720) 739-6003
VEG Edgewater	5485 West 20th Avenue, Edgewater, CO 80214	(720) 996-1200
VEG Littleton	5066 South Wadsworth Way, Lakewood, CO 80123	(720) 780-3311
VEG Boulder	1905 29th Street, Boulder, CO 80301	(720) 738-9994
VRCC Animal Hospital	3550 S Jason St, Englewood, CO 80110	(303) 874-7387

The address to read twice is VEG Littleton, which the chain lists at a Lakewood postal address on South Wadsworth Way. If you type "Littleton" into a map at midnight you may end up several miles from the hospital.

Veterinary Emergency Group, five locations

VEG's Colorado locations page lists each of these under the heading "OPEN 24/7".

VEG Denver, 3845 East Colfax Avenue, on (720) 574-9834. Central and east, and the nearest to Carla Madison Dog Park at 2405 E Colfax and to City Park.

VEG Denver Tech Center, 6305 East Hampden Avenue, on (720) 739-6003. South-east, and the practical choice if you are near Kennedy Dog Park at Hampden and South Dayton, or coming back from Cherry Creek State Park.

VEG Edgewater, 5485 West 20th Avenue, on (720) 996-1200. West side, and the one to note if your day is in the foothills, at Red Rocks, or at Berkeley Dog Park.

VEG Littleton, 5066 South Wadsworth Way, Lakewood, on (720) 780-3311. South-west, and the closest of the six to Chatfield State Park.

VEG Boulder, 1905 29th Street, on (720) 738-9994. Not Denver, but worth having if your trip runs north.

VRCC Animal Hospital, Englewood

Its site states "24/7 Emergency Care • Specialty Care By Appointment" and that its veterinarians "provide compassionate specialty care by appointment and emergency services 7 days a week", at 3550 S Jason St, Englewood, on (303) 874-7387.

That split matters. The emergency room runs around the clock; the specialists work by appointment. So at 3 a.m. you get emergency medicine, which is what an emergency needs. If your dog turns out to need cardiology, internal medicine, oncology or orthopaedics, that is a daytime appointment, often on referral from the vet who stabilised the dog.

Source: VRCC.

Save two, not one

Denver is a wide metro with mountains on one side, and the drive matters more than the badge on the door.

Pick the nearest to where you are sleeping, and the nearest to wherever you plan to spend the day. A dog that gets into trouble at Chatfield is a long way from East Colfax.

A rough geographic split from the list above: east and central, VEG Denver on Colfax. South-east, VEG Denver Tech Center. West, VEG Edgewater. South-west, VEG Littleton on Wadsworth. South, VRCC in Englewood. North, VEG Boulder.

Our emergency vet, what to know guide covers what a hospital will ask when you call, and our pet first aid basics guide covers the minutes before you arrive.

The emergency Denver warns about most

Every city has a pattern. Denver's own seasonal pet safety guidance names it directly, and it is the parked car.

The city writes that "A majority of days in Denver are sunny and summer temperatures can climb into the triple digits", so it asks people never to leave pets alone in vehicles, because "Temperatures inside a vehicle can reach 120°F in a matter of minutes, even if temperatures are mild and windows are open."

It also explains the physiology in plain terms: dogs "sweat small amounts through their paws and nose, but not enough to release excess body heat", and release heat mainly by panting, so a dog that cannot expel heat has a rising core temperature.

Who is most at risk, in the city's words: obesity and pre-existing medical conditions raise the risk, and "Puppies, elderly, long-haired, dark-haired and flat-faced dogs are also more at risk for overheating."

And the scale of it. "Every year, Denver Animal Protection (DAP) receives hundreds of calls of dogs left inside vehicles during extreme temperatures."

Our summer heat safety for pets guide covers the back-of-the-hand pavement test and the early signs worth acting on.

If you find someone else's dog in a hot car

Denver gives a specific route rather than leaving it to instinct: "If you are concerned about a pet locked in a hot car, call 311 and familiarize yourself with the Good Samaritan law. The state offers legal immunity for those who break into a lo[cked vehicle]."

So the order is: call 3-1-1, and know the law before you act rather than during. Denver Animal Protection's officer dispatch line is 720-913-2080, and the city gives (720) 913-1311 for all other inquiries from outside Denver.

We are quoting the city's summary of the state immunity provision rather than the statute, because we have not read the statute itself. That is a distinction worth keeping if you are deciding whether to break a window.

What the city can charge if the dog is yours

This is the uncomfortable half of the same page, and it is published: failing to protect a pet from extreme temperatures "could have dangerous consequences for pets and lead to a Cruelty to Animals or Animal Neglect charge, up to a $999 fine and/or a year in jail for the owner."

The city's administrative citation schedule puts cruelty at $300 for a first violation, rising to $700 and $999, and neglect at $200, then $500 and $700.

Denver also requires shelter for a pet kept outside: city ordinance "requires pets have adequate outdoor shelter such as a doghouse, porch area, or a similar structure that allows the animal to escape the elements."

Altitude, the other Denver-specific risk

Denver sits high, and the mountains west of it sit far higher. The threshold that matters for dogs is published by PetMD, which states that the effects of high elevation on pets "only begin above 8,000 feet."

That puts the city itself below the line and a drive into the mountains above it. Denver's own Mount Blue Sky, a city mountain park, rises "more than 14,000 feet above Denver's front range" and holds the highest paved road in North America, per the city's Mount Blue Sky page.

Why that belongs on a vet page. If your dog becomes unwell after a mountain day, say so when you call. Altitude, exertion and heat interact, and the hospital's questions will be different if it knows the dog spent the afternoon at 12,000 feet.

What to have ready before you call

Your dog's weight, because dosing depends on it.

Vaccination status and any medication with doses. Our pet health and vaccination tracker is built for this, and a photo of the record works.

Where the dog has been today, especially altitude, water and time in a vehicle.

A card in your wallet. Our emergency pet info card is a one-page version to fill in and carry, which helps precisely because the moment you need it is the moment you cannot recall anything.

If your dog goes missing instead

Not a veterinary emergency, but the other number to have. Denver Animal Shelter is at 1241 W. Bayaud Ave., Denver, CO 80223, with officer dispatch on 720-913-2080 and general inquiries via 3-1-1.

Denver requires a city licence and a rabies tag attached to the collar for dog park use, and both are what turn a found dog back into your dog. Our microchipping your pet guide covers the registration side.

What a 24-hour hospital is, and is not

Three distinctions worth having straight before you need one.

Emergency medicine is not specialty medicine. VRCC advertises "24/7 Emergency Care • Specialty Care By Appointment", which is the standard arrangement. Overnight you get stabilisation and critical care. A cardiologist or an internist is a daytime appointment, usually on a referral from whoever stabilised the dog.

No appointment does not mean no wait. Emergency hospitals triage, so the sickest animal is seen first regardless of arrival order. A limping dog waits behind a dog that cannot breathe, and that is the correct order even when you are the one waiting.

A chain is not a single hospital. Five of the six here are VEG locations, which means the model and the hours are consistent, and it also means the individual site can be busy or quiet independently of the others. If one is far and one is near, go near.

Cost, and asking about it early

Emergency care is charged at the time in most cases, and an estimate is a normal thing to ask for rather than an awkward one.

Two questions worth asking at the desk, before treatment rather than after: what the consultation and diagnostics are likely to come to, and whether a deposit is required to admit the dog. Our emergency vet, what to know guide covers the rest of that conversation, and our how to choose pet insurance guide covers the version of this problem you can solve before you travel.

Conclusion

Six hospitals with 24-hour cover, spread sensibly across the metro: Colfax, the Tech Center, Edgewater, Wadsworth, Englewood and Boulder.

Save two of them before you need either, and note that VEG Littleton has a Lakewood address. Then take Denver's own warning seriously, because the emergency its animal protection officers field hundreds of calls about every year is a dog in a parked car.

Frequently asked questions

Which Denver vets are open 24 hours?

Six publish round-the-clock cover on their own sites: VEG Denver at 3845 East Colfax Avenue on (720) 574-9834, VEG Denver Tech Center at 6305 East Hampden Avenue on (720) 739-6003, VEG Edgewater at 5485 West 20th Avenue on (720) 996-1200, VEG Littleton at 5066 South Wadsworth Way in Lakewood on (720) 780-3311, VEG Boulder at 1905 29th Street on (720) 738-9994, and VRCC Animal Hospital at 3550 S Jason St in Englewood on (303) 874-7387.

Is VEG Littleton in Littleton?

Its published address is 5066 South Wadsworth Way, Lakewood, CO 80123, so check the street rather than the suburb name when you navigate.

Does VRCC have specialists overnight?

No. Its site advertises 24/7 emergency care with specialty care by appointment, so overnight you get emergency medicine and specialists are seen during the day.

What is the nearest 24-hour vet to Red Rocks?

VEG Edgewater at 5485 West 20th Avenue, on (720) 996-1200, is the westernmost of the six.

What is the nearest 24-hour vet to Chatfield State Park?

VEG Littleton at 5066 South Wadsworth Way in Lakewood, on (720) 780-3311.

What is the most common dog emergency in Denver?

Heat in a parked car is the one the city warns about most. Denver states that temperatures inside a vehicle can reach 120°F in minutes even when it is mild outside, and that its animal protection officers receive hundreds of calls each year about dogs left in vehicles.

Sources

Hours and phone numbers change. Call before you drive.