Small Animal Intensive Care Unit

The Intensive Care Unit at the Small Animal Department of the University of Florida is dedicated to providing the highest quality care to critically ill small animal and special species patients.
Our ICU unit is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, by a team of trained nurses who work closely with faculty, residents, interns and students. The care and well-being of our patients is assessed constantly by several members of the ICU team.
We take pride in the fact that teaching is an important part of our mission, so while we provide the highest-quality care to every patient. Each of our patients has a designated team of students, ICU technician, intern or resident and a faculty member.

All our patients are severely sick and have been admitted to the ICU because of the presence of a life-threatening disease condition and/or due to special needs (such as advanced pain management or complex fluid or drug therapy).

Patients with complex and multisystemic diseases processes such as:
• Acute renal failure
• Sepsis
• Disseminated intravascular coagulopathy
• Multi trauma patients
• Toxicities
• Respiratory failure
• Congestive heart disease and

The ICU at the Small Animal Department provides state-of-the-art critical care monitoring and therapy . We are specialized in advanced monitoring such as:
• Direct and indirect arterial and central venous pressure monitoring,
• Lithium dilution cardiac output measurements,
• Renal clearances
• Arterial and venous blood gas analysis,
• Pulse oximetry
• End-tidal capnography and measurement of lung mechanics
• Urinary output monitoring via closed urinary collection systems and
• Bedside monitoring of blood gases, hematocrit, hemoglobin, electrolytes and colloid osmotic pressure.

Our technicians and doctors are trained and skilled in providing the following therapies :

  • Cardiopulmonary cerebral resuscitation
  • Fluid and colloid therapy
  • Blood product thearpy
  • Hemodialysis in acute renal failure
  • Charcoal hemoperfusion in acute toxicities
  • Oxygen supplementation
  • Advanced pain management
  • Positive pressure ventilation
  • Nutritional support
  • Wound care