Is it an emergency?
These conditions require immediate attention
The Emergency Veterinary Clinic of Cincinnati compiled this list of pet health emergencies. If the animal has any of the following symptoms, call your local emergency care facility and tell the receptionist that you are bringing in a dog or cat that has
- Difficulty breathing,
- noisy respiration,
- blue tongue,
- gasping for breath.
- Bleeding that does not stop from any part of the body; apply pressure with a clean cloth and go!
- Bloated or distended abdomen or swollen or painful abdomen with or without vomiting.
- Inability to urinate or move bowels but continues to try or has bloody stool or urine or painful defecation or urination.
- Heatstroke
- heavy panting
- extreme weakness
- body temperature about 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Inability to deliver puppies or kittens, labor contractions for longer than one hour or more than 15 minutes of labor with the fetus or membrane showing.
- Loss of balance or consciousness or seizure, including
- tremors,
- coma,
- staggering,
- convulsions,
- sudden blindness,
- tilting of the head,
- biting at imaginary objects,
- sudden changes in disposition such as unusual withdrawal or out-of-character aggressiveness.
- Pain, severe or continuous.
- Major trauma, injury, or shock from
- falls,
- vehicle accidents,
- wounds,
- cuts,
- broken bones
- shows signs of:
- weakness,
- collapse,
- shallow breathing,
- rapid heartbeat,
- bewildered appearance,
- dilated pupils.
- Ingested poison; bring the container or the commercial or chemical name of the product or a list of ingredients if you have it.
- Penetrating wounds anyplace, but especially in the chest or abdomen.
- Vomiting or diarrhea with blood or violent episodes.
- Lameness and cannot bear any weight on the leg.
- Any other signs that look serious, such as:
- eye problems,
- severe itching with self-mutilation,
- severe hives
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Norma Bennett Woolf