Home › Procedures › Emergency vet visit
How much does an emergency vet visit cost?
Start with the door fee: the emergency exam alone runs $107–$246; average $135 for a dog and $113–$260; average $143 for a cat (CareCredit/Synchrony 2025 study; national averages $135 and $143). One university hospital publishes its emergency exam fee outright — $235 at NC State's veterinary hospital, with initial stabilization at $500–$700 on top. Everything after the exam — stabilization, imaging, surgery, hospitalization — is billed separately, which is why emergency totals climb so fast.
| Emergency exam — published figures | Figure |
|---|---|
| Dog exam, national range | $107–$246; average $135 |
| Cat exam, national range | $113–$260; average $143 |
| NC State veterinary hospital, posted emergency exam fee | $235 |
| Most expensive state average (Hawaii, dog/cat) | $241 / $257 |
| Least expensive state average (Mississippi, dog/cat) | $108 / $115 |
What common emergency procedures average, once you're in
CareCredit's emergency guide (May 2026) publishes average costs for procedures commonly performed during an emergency visit — these are averages across settings, and your hospital's figures will differ:
| Published emergency-procedure averages (CareCredit, May 2026) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Bladder stone removal surgery — dogs (average) | $2,331 |
| Bladder stone removal surgery — cats (average) | $2,096 |
| Emergency exam — dogs (average) | $135 |
| Emergency exam — cats (average) | $143 |
Emergency versions of planned surgeries carry the premium in this site's other guides too: an emergency C-section runs roughly $3,000–$4,500 against a $1,229 planned average, and pyometra — almost always an emergency — is published at $1,800–$5,000.
Stabilization, imaging and surgery are where emergency bills are made. The imaging guide shows the published price of each scan your pet might need.
Read the imaging cost guideEmergency exam fee by state
CareCredit/Synchrony's published state averages for the emergency exam (2025 ASQ360° study, published May 2026). Averages, not caps: a specialty emergency hospital in a major city will sit above its state line.
| State | Dog exam | Cat exam |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $114 | $120 |
| Alaska | $160 | $171 |
| Arizona | $139 | $147 |
| Arkansas | $112 | $119 |
| California | $180 | $190 |
| Colorado | $137 | $145 |
| Connecticut | $146 | $153 |
| Delaware | $132 | $140 |
| District of Columbia | $183 | $193 |
| Florida | $133 | $141 |
| Georgia | $118 | $125 |
| Hawaii | $241 | $257 |
| Idaho | $132 | $140 |
| Illinois | $122 | $130 |
| Indiana | $117 | $124 |
| Iowa | $116 | $123 |
| Kansas | $113 | $119 |
| Kentucky | $120 | $127 |
| Louisiana | $119 | $127 |
| Maine | $142 | $149 |
| Maryland | $150 | $159 |
| Massachusetts | $188 | $200 |
| Michigan | $117 | $124 |
| Minnesota | $123 | $131 |
| Mississippi | $108 | $115 |
| Missouri | $115 | $122 |
| Montana | $135 | $142 |
| Nebraska | $121 | $129 |
| Nevada | $131 | $139 |
| New Hampshire | $146 | $154 |
| New Jersey | $148 | $157 |
| New Mexico | $121 | $128 |
| New York | $159 | $170 |
| North Carolina | $127 | $134 |
| North Dakota | $119 | $126 |
| Ohio | $122 | $130 |
| Oklahoma | $111 | $118 |
| Oregon | $144 | $153 |
| Pennsylvania | $124 | $131 |
| Rhode Island | $146 | $154 |
| South Carolina | $125 | $131 |
| South Dakota | $120 | $127 |
| Tennessee | $117 | $124 |
| Texas | $120 | $127 |
| Utah | $134 | $142 |
| Vermont | $149 | $156 |
| Virginia | $131 | $137 |
| Washington | $148 | $157 |
| West Virginia | $109 | $115 |
| Wisconsin | $125 | $133 |
| Wyoming | $124 | $131 |
Sources: CareCredit / Synchrony — How Much Does an Emergency Vet Visit Cost? (May 2026; 2025 ASQ360° study) · NC State College of Veterinary Medicine — Veterinary Hospital, emergency services. Researched October 2026 — prices change; confirm with your clinic.