It is 10 o’clock at night and your dog has vomited. Your cat is hiding under the bed. Your puppy has eaten something questionable. Do you rush to the emergency vet, or can it wait until morning?
Pet owners face this dilemma all the time. While not every illness requires an emergency visit, there are certain signs your pet needs a vet right now – and knowing them could save a life.
Difficulty Breathing
Breathing problems always deserve attention.
Open-mouth breathing in a cat, struggling or exaggerated breathing, blue or grey gums, obvious respiratory distress or a pet that cannot settle because they cannot breathe comfortably should be treated as an emergency.
Don’t stress the animal unnecessarily. Keep them as calm as possible and phone the vet while you are on your way.
Repeated Unproductive Retching
A large dog that repeatedly tries to vomit but produces little or nothing may have GDV, particularly if they are restless or their abdomen looks swollen.
GDV can progress rapidly to shock and requires urgent treatment. Merck Veterinary Manual
Collapse or Severe Weakness
A pet that suddenly collapses, cannot stand or becomes profoundly weak needs urgent assessment.
Possible causes range from internal bleeding and heart problems to toxins, severe anaemia, shock and neurological disease.
Seizures
A brief seizure in a known epileptic patient may be covered by an emergency plan you have already established with your veterinarian.
However, a seizure that continues for several minutes, repeated seizures without proper recovery, or a first-ever seizure should prompt urgent veterinary advice.
Your Cat Cannot Urinate
This deserves special emphasis.
A male cat repeatedly visiting the litter tray, straining, crying or producing only drops of urine may have a urinary obstruction.
Owners sometimes mistake this for constipation.
A complete urinary obstruction is potentially life-threatening. If you are unsure whether your cat is passing urine, don’t wait until the following day.
Poisoning
If you know or suspect your pet has eaten something toxic, contact a veterinarian promptly.
Chocolate, human medication, rat poison, certain plants, xylitol-containing products and many other household substances can cause serious poisoning.
Importantly, do not automatically make your pet vomit. Whether vomiting is appropriate depends on what was swallowed, how long ago it happened and the condition of the animal. Get veterinary advice first.
Trauma and Bleeding
Pets involved in motor vehicle accidents should be examined even if they initially appear okay. Internal injuries aren’t always immediately visible.
Uncontrolled bleeding, deep wounds, suspected fractures, severe bites and eye injuries also warrant urgent attention.
Persistent Vomiting or Severe Abdominal Pain
One isolated vomit in an otherwise bright adult dog may not constitute an emergency.
Repeated vomiting is different – particularly if your pet cannot keep water down, becomes weak, has a painful or swollen abdomen, vomits blood or may have swallowed a foreign object.
Puppies, kittens, elderly animals and pets with underlying disease can deteriorate more quickly.
Trust What You Know About Your Pet
Sometimes owners cannot identify a textbook emergency sign. They simply know that something is very wrong.
We take that seriously.
Knowing the signs your pet needs a vet right now is useful, but a checklist can never cover every possible emergency.
At Cottage Vet Clinic, emergencies do not require an appointment. If you are unsure whether your pet can safely wait, phone us. After hours, our clinic number connects you with the veterinarian on call.
When something genuinely doesn’t look right, we’d rather you ask.
