Emergencies in veterinary medicine are common and it is important to be able to recognize when a situation requires an immediate call to your veterinarian. There are many instances when the “wait and see” approach should not be taken when concerning the health and wellbeing of your animal(s). The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Animal Hospital Association have created lists of emergencies that require immediate veterinary consultation and/or care.
- Severe bleeding or bleeding that doesn't stop within five minutes
- Choking, difficulty breathing or nonstop coughing and gagging
- Bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum, coughing up blood, or blood in urine or feces
- Inability to urinate or pass feces (stool), or obvious pain associated with urinating or passing stool
- Injuries to your pet's, horse or cattle eye(s)
- You suspect or know your pet has eaten something poisonous (such as antifreeze, xylitol, chocolate, rodent poison, etc.)
- Seizures, staggering, and/or disorientation
- Fractured bones, severe lameness or inability to move leg(s)
- Obvious signs of pain or extreme anxiety such as whining, shaking or refusing to socialize
- Heat stress or heatstroke
- Severe vomiting or diarrhea – more than two episodes in a 24-hour period, or either of these combined with obvious illness or any of the other problems listed here
- Swollen and hard abdomen
- Refusal to drink for 24 hours or more
- Unconsciousness or collapse
- Pregnant dog or cat that has gone more than 2-3 hours between delivering puppies or kittens.
The bottom line is that ANY concern about your pet's health warrants, at minimum, a call to your veterinarian. We are here to serve your animal’s needs!
https://www.avma.org/public/EmergencyCare/Pages/an...
https://www.aaha.org/pet_owner/pet_health_library/...