Pet emergencies are never planned. Whether you are a new or experienced pet parent, sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether your furry family member needs emergency care or not. Recognizing a pet emergency and obtaining the help your pet needs quickly is often the key to a successful outcome.
If you are worried, you are always safest going to a veterinarian – regardless of what time it is. Not only will this give you a peace of mind, but the veterinarian can make sure nothing more significant is being masked by your pet.
The team at Night Watch Elite Animal Emergency, located at 281/Evans next to Home Depot, has created a quick reference guide on the most common problems that require immediate attention:
- Refusal to Eat or Drink – not eating or drinking for 24 hours or more is considered an emergency
- Difficulty Breathing – noisy breathing or the abdominal body moving a lot while breathing
- Vomiting – pink, frothy, foamy liquid or blood.
- Diarrhea – bloody diarrhea. 2-3 times in a day
- Bleeding – from nose, mouth, rectum, coughing up blood, in urine or uncontrolled
- Inability to Urinate or Pass Feces
- Lethargic
- Straggering, Stumbling, Dragging Hind Legs
- Bloated, Swollen or Painful Abdomen
- Severe Injury/Trauma
- Bite Wounds – animals, snakes, insects
- Eye Inflammation or Injury
- Poisoning or Toxic Ingestion
- Seizures
- Broken/Fractured Bones
- Open Wounds
- Swollen Face