PETS Referral and Emergency in Berkeley has been handling dog emergencies since 1979, operating around the clock every single day of the year. If your dog needs urgent care while you’re traveling through Alameda County, this is the kind of place that actually answers the phone at 3 a.m.

The hospital started because local veterinarians in Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro, Richmond, and Pinole needed somewhere to refer their after-hours cases. That history means the staff knows how to handle the referrals from your regular vet while also being equipped to take walk-ins without appointments. They have the full suite of specialty services beyond emergency care—surgery, oncology, internal medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine included. The facility uses current diagnostic technology and keeps enough specialists on hand that you’re not just getting stabilization; you’re getting actual expertise.

Emergencies are chaotic enough without navigating appointment systems. You can walk in whenever your dog needs help. That said, calling ahead is worth doing when you can. It helps them prepare and gives you a sense of wait times. They take major credit cards, checks, ATM cards, and CareCredit, which matters when you’re dealing with an unexpected emergency bill far from home.

The emergency exam fee is reasonable for a 24-hour specialty facility. What you’re really paying for is having veterinarians on staff trained to handle everything from trauma to critical internal medicine cases, not just a vet tech doing triage. If your dog eats something weird on a trail near Berkeley, gets hit by a car, or shows signs of bloat or other urgent problems, these are the people who can actually fix it.

When you’re planning a longer trip through the Bay Area with your dog, knowing where a capable emergency facility is located gives you breathing room to actually enjoy your travels. Save their information before you need it, but hopefully you won’t.