Animal Hospital Patients Guide
Every animal at your window is either a genuine patient to treat or an anomaly wearing an animal's face. Here's how to tell them apart before you open the shutters.
Genuine patients vs anomalies
In Animal Hospital most animals that arrive are real patients: check them in, diagnose them, and give the correct treatment. The threat is that some "patients" are anomalies in disguise. Admit one and it can drain your sanity, turn hostile, or trigger something far worse inside the hospital. Every patient therefore has to earn entry by passing the same set of checks.
The three patient checks
An anomaly gives itself away on at least one of these. Run all three, in order, on every patient:
| Check | What you're looking for | Catches |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Appearance | Study the patient at the window for 4–5 seconds — eyes, teeth, ears, posture, movement. | 7 appearance anomalies |
| 2. Photo | Photograph the patient and let it fully develop, then compare it to the live animal. | 6 photo anomalies |
| 3. CCTV | Sweep the security feeds before opening — some patients only fail here. | 7 CCTV anomalies |
Genuine patients: check-in to recovery
- Confirm the patient passes all three anomaly checks.
- Register it on the computer and print its ID tag.
- Follow it into its assigned room and read the diagnosis.
- Fetch and apply the correct treatment item before the timer runs out.
Dangerous "patients" to know
These disguised anomalies are the ones most likely to cost you a run if you admit them:
- Skinwalker — looks normal everywhere except the CCTV. The most dangerous check-in anomaly.
- Shapeshifter / Mimic — passes as a patient, then transforms and attacks.
- Hollow Face — empty sockets and a hunched stance, often tied to worse events.
Frequently asked questions
How do you know if a patient is an anomaly?
Run every patient through three checks: study its appearance at the window, take a photo and let it develop, then sweep the CCTV. If it fails any one check, it is an anomaly — deny it. Some, like the Skinwalker, only fail the camera check.
What happens if you admit an anomaly?
Depending on the anomaly you lose sanity, and dangerous ones turn hostile inside the hospital — attacking patients and staff or triggering worse events. A serious mistake can end your run.
Do all patients need treatment?
Genuine patients are checked in, diagnosed and treated with the correct item. Anomalies should never be admitted at all — they are denied at the window, not treated.