No matter how much we try to become good fur parents, pet emergencies are still inevitable. To be honest, it’s hard to prepare for these kinds of situations because we can do everything and still fall short of really preventing them.
The number one reason why pet emergencies are difficult to handle is the fact that not all of them are obvious. So it can be difficult to judge whether your pet needs immediate attention or not.
However, it doesn’t mean that we’re hopeless when it comes to emergencies. We can still do something about it. Especially if you equip yourself with more information about handling these situations.
In this piece, we’re going to list down all the tell-tale signs that your pet needs urgent medical attention. Once you’ve noticed these on your pet, call your emergency vets immediately.
1. Vomiting or Diarrhea
If your pet starts vomiting or having diarrhea, it’s normally a bad sign. It could mean that your pet is suffering from an underlying condition. It also means that your pet must be treated right away.
2. Ingestion of harmful substances
Pets love to eat everything. That’s why as soon as you turn your back on them, they will chew on everything that they can. The worst that could happen is if they ingested foods that are harmful to them like chocolates and grapes.
So as soon as you realize that they’ve eaten something bad, bring them to the vet immediately. Your vet can induce vomiting to reduce the amount of toxic substance that is absorbed by your pet’s body.
To prevent this from happening, make sure to keep these foods away from your pets:
- Chocolates
- Grapes or raisins
- Rodenticides
- Marijuana
- Plants like lilies
- Foods that have Xylitol
- Acetaminophen
3. Traumatic Injuries
Cats and dogs are known for not understanding the dangers of the road. They always feel like every car will stop when they cross the highway or the street. That’s why pets are prone to accidents and injuries.
If such events happen to your pet (knock on wood), call your vet immediately and tell them the situation.
The emergency vet will likely instruct you to do some first aid while help is on the way, so make sure to take note of all of that. Once you’ve done the first aid, carefully move them to the ambulance once it arrives, or transfer them to your car and drive straight to a 24-hour emergency vet clinic or hospital.
4. Eye inflammation and other injuries
Your pets are also prone to eye injuries, especially those with bulging or prominently exposed eyes like pugs.
If you see excessive discharge and extreme redness in the eyes of your pets, they need help. You may also notice them scratching their eyes with their paws or rubbing them on the carpet. Those are also signs that you need to call the vet immediately.
5. Bite wounds
Playful biting of cats or dogs can lead to something even more harmful. Sometimes they don’t know how to control themselves and they tend to use too much force when playing. Which often lead to lacerations or bite wounds.
If this happens, these wounds must be cleaned and stitched immediately to avoid infection. Also, they will have to take antibiotics and pain medications so they can handle the injury. For that, you need the help of an emergency vet.
6. Difficulty in breathing
There are many reasons why your pet is having a hard time breathing. It could be the result of an underlying condition like heart disease, asthma, or pneumonia. That’s why if you notice any change in your pets’ breathing pattern, bring them to the vet for evaluation.
You’ll know that your pet is having a hard time breathing if they’re inhaling and exhaling rapidly, coughing, or if their tongue colour turns blue, pale, or grey.
7. Choking on foreign objects
Like we’ve mentioned earlier, cats and dogs love to chew things. They don’t have a sense of what’s food and what’s not. Given that, they’re prone to ingesting or choking objects.
These objects can damage their stomach and intestines if not treated immediately. To somehow prevent this, give them toys that are large enough that will be hard for them to swallow. Also, make sure to keep smaller objects away from their reach.
