Top Signs You Should Bring Your Dog To Your Veterinarian IMMEDIATELY Pt 1. By Julie

Top Signs You Should Bring Your Dog To Your Veterinarian IMMEDIATELY!

By Julie

Sometimes we arrive home from work unsuspecting of what is waiting for us once we open our front door.  We’re out of the house all day, working or doing errands and come home to find our dog chilling on the couch, watching the cat sleep on the table.  Both places they know they shouldn’t be but can get away with when we’re not home.  But there are those times, the ones we always hope won’t happen where we come home to find our dog sick.  Or they’ve gotten into something.  Or they’re just not acting like themselves.

It can be a difficult task trying to decipher if something is serious enough to need medical attention.  Is it *really* serious, or just something that we think is serious but is normal?  What is considered an emergency and what can wait until the next day?   The staff at Richview Animal Hospital have compiled a list of signs you may see in your dog that need to be treated IMMEDIATELY!

We always recommend calling us either before you come or while on your way.  While we do take walk in emergencies, this is mainly so that we can be prepared with the proper tools and information to see your pet as soon as you arrive and that we do not waste valuable time that can be used to help treat your pet.  If you truly aren’t sure if what you’re experiencing is an emergency, this can also be helpful in triaging your situation over the phone before you come so that if it is something that may be able to wait, we can schedule you in at a time that the doctor can see your dog and do a full examination.

These are by no means an all-inclusive list.  There may be signs and symptoms that we’ve not included, and as a receptionist, I always convey to owners that if you are concerned, that in and of itself is a reason enough to have your dog checked out by a Veterinarian.

Below you will find numbers 10-6 in the countdown.  Be sure to check back for signs 1 through 5.

10. *Gasping/Panting for Breath.  Whenever we get a phone call from someone who informs us that their dog is having difficulty breathing, we immediately recommend coming in.  Sometimes clients believe that their dog is ‘reverse sneezing’ or just panting really hard, but sometimes it can indicate cardiac distress and your dog may be in serious trouble.

9. * Loss of appetite/refusal to drink water for more than 2 days.  No one knows your dog better than you do.  If Rocky always eats with enthusiasm and vigor and suddenly for a day or so is not interested in food what so ever, there may be an underlying cause happening inside.  Left for too long, inappetence can also bring forth it’s own problems in addition to whatever it is that caused the inappetence in the first place.

8. *Collapse or fainting.   This is very scary when happening to humans, so seeing our dog collapse or faint is just as serious.  There are many causes for a dog to collapse or faint.  From lack of blood flow to the head to seizures, this is something that requires immediate attention and should not be taken lightly.

7. *Excessive vomiting/diarrhea with lethargy.  If Rocky usually eats fast and is known to throw up immediately afterwards, this is something common and you know the reason.  But if Rocky is a dog that doesn’t generally throw up and is suddenly having two, three even more bouts of vomit in a short period of time, that is cause for alarm.  The same can be said for bowel movements.  If you’ve noticed Rocky’s stools are getting increasingly softer to the point that it is liquid, or discoloured, it is time to call us for a visit.  Lethargy often comes hand in hand with vomiting and diarrhea, as the body is focusing so much energy on expelling whatever is bothering him/her, it’s leaving Rocky tired and lethargic.  Rocky is also running the risk of becoming dehydrated, which will become a problem in and of itself eventually.  To help find what is making your dog sick and stop the vomiting and diarrhea, it is necessary for us to do an examination on them, possibly give them medications to help bring balance to their system and get them feeling better again.

6.  *Possible (or definite) foreign body ingestion.  Whether you see your dog eat that toy, towel, socks or even your intimate articles of clothing (you’d be amazed how many of those we see), or you know it was on the floor one minute and your dog is licking his/her chops the next and it’s not there, that’s something we should see immediately.  The quicker that we can see your dog and help him/her throw it up, the less likely it will go down further into their intestines and require surgery to remove it.  These items (and others like them) may seem like toys to dogs but can cause intestinal blockages that can be fatal if not treated quickly.