WHAT IS A TRUE ANIMAL EMERGENCY?
Sometimes it can be difficult to determine if your animal should be immediately whisked to the veterinarian.
As pet owners, we ask ourselves: is something wrong with my pet?, is my veterinarian able to see me as an emergency?, its after hours…where can I go?; am I overreacting and being too cautious?
The ultimate question remains: does my pet need immediate veterinary care?
Below is a list of animal emergencies that require immediate consultation with a veterinarian. This will help you sort through when it is, and when it isn’t, important to seek immediate care.
- your pet is not drinking water for 24 or more hours
- your pet is unconscious
- heat stress or heat stroke
- signs of pain or extreme anxiety
- broken bones, severe limping, or unable to move legs
- seizures; staggering gait
- severe vomiting or diarrhea (more than two episodes in 24 hours)
- your pet has eaten something poisonous
- choking; trouble breathing; consistent coughing or gagging
- severe bleeding; or bleeding that doesn’t stop in 5 minutes
- bleeding from nose, mouth, anus, blood in the urine, or coughing up blood
- eye injuries
- unable to pass urine or feces, or pain when animal is trying to urinate or defecate
Adapted from AVMA resources.
By Dr. Annette Rauch, Founder of PAAWS RI
