Conditions

All pets with an emergency listed below should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

ALLERGIC REACTIONS

Signs:

• Swelling and/or redness around the lips and/or eyes
• Swelling around the face and/or neck
• Pale gums
• Difficulty breathing
• Vomiting
• Staggering, weakness, collapse, severe itching, hives

Common causes:

• Insect bites
• Vaccines
• Drugs (i.e. antibiotics, accidental ingestion of human medications)

First aid:

• Call or take your pet to the veterinarian or after hour’s emergency clinic.

BLEEDING

Signs:

• Arterial blood is generally bright red and squirts with the pulse
• Venous blood is generally purple/red and oozes
• Coffee ground appearance in vomitus, or bright red blood in vomitus
• Black tarry stool or frank blood in the stool

Common causes:

• Trauma
• Rodenticide toxicity
• Other anticoagulants, including Aspirin

First aid:

• Apply pressure to the area that is bleeding, taking care to not get bit by the animal
• Don’t remove bandages that are soaked through, apply new bandages on top

BLOAT

Signs:

• Excessive drooling, often thick and ropy saliva
• Unproductive vomiting and retching
  • Dog may produce frothy foamy material in small quantities
• Agitated, uncomfortable, won’t lie down, pacing
• Anorexia
• +/- Abdominal swelling or bloated appearance

Common causes:

• Deep chested breeds are more affected
• Hypothesized that may be due to rapid food and/or water intake, exercise

First aid:

• There are no home treatments for bloat and the pet should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

BLOCKED CAT

Signs:

• Frequent trips to the litter box
• Straining to urinate and not producing urine, or producing very small amounts
• Blood in the urine
• Vocalizing while in the litter box
• Lethargy, anorexia, not wanting to move
• Painful abdomen (cries or hisses when cat is picked up or abdomen is touched)
• Attempting to urinate in odd places (i.e. bathroom tub, sink, floor, etc)
• +/- Vomiting

Common causes:

• More frequently seen in overweight neutered males
• More frequently seen in cats with a history of urinary crystals (may not have been diagnosed prior to blocked episode)

First aid:

• There are no home treatments for urinary blockage and the cat should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

BREATHING PROBLEMS

Signs:

• Abdominal effort with each breath
• Open mouth breathing in cats
• Cyanotic, or blue, gum color
• Panting in dogs that does not subside with rest
• Marked respiratory noise (may indicate an obstruction)

Common causes:

• Allergic reactions
• Upper airway obstructions
• Asthma (more common in cats)
• Primary lung disease (infection, cancer, other)

First aid:

• Varies depending upon the cause of the breathing problem.
• Generally speaking, there are no home treatments for respiratory distress and the pet should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

BURNS

Signs:

• Moist red skin with no hair
• History of being in vicinity of a hot object or fire

Common causes:

• Trauma

First aid:

• Apply a cool wet washcloth (if pet will allow), especially if oozing or seeping
• Transport quickly to a veterinarian

COMPOUND FRACTURES

Signs:

• Fractured bones that protrude through the skin
• May or may not be associated with a large amount of bleeding

Common causes:

• Trauma

First aid:

• Move the fractured area as little as possible
• Transport quickly to a veterinarian
• May need a stretcher for larger dogs

DEEP LACERATIONS

Signs:

• Lacerations that have excessive bleeding
• Lacerations that have areas of muscle and/or bone exposed

Common causes:

• Trauma

First aid:

• Cover wound to control bleeding with gentle pressure
  • See bleeding
• Transport pet quickly to a veterinarian

DYSTOCIA (DIFFICULTY WITH LABOR)

Signs:

• Not progressing into the second stage of labor (delivery of puppies or kittens) after 6-8 hours of the first stage of labor
• Foul smelling discharge with no puppies or kittens delivered, or known that more should be delivered but are not
• Heavy, persistent flow of blood, prior to, during, or after, delivery
• Mother exhibiting muscle weakness, muscle spasms, tremors, muscle rigidity, or seizures
• Straining for more than 20 minutes without production of a kitten or puppy
• Weak, intermittent contractions for 1 hours without production of a kitten or puppy
• Passed fetal membranes but no puppies or kittens
• More than 1 hour has passes between birth of puppies or kittens
• Intense abdominal pain and/or shock

Common causes:

• Seen more in brachycephalic breeds such as Pugs, English Bulldogs and Shih Tzu’s.
• Large puppies or kittens, occurs more commonly in small litters

First aid:

• To resolve a dystocia, cesarean section may be necessary and best for the puppies or kittens. 
• Call or take you pet to the veterinarian or after hour’s emergency clinic for advice.

EYE TRAUMA

Signs:

• Blinking frequently
• Squinting
• Conjunctivitis (pink swelling around the eye).
• Ocular discharge
• Eye appears larger or smaller than the opposite side

Common causes:

• Trauma
• Brachycephalic breeds such as Pugs, Boston Terriers, Lhasa Apsos are more prone to having eye problems
• Age-related change
• Infectious

First aid:

• Do not handle the eye, prevent the pet from scratching at the eye
• Transport pet quickly to the veterinarian

GUN SHOT WOUND

Signs:

• Entry +/- exit wound
• Wounds are round, +/- hemorrhage
• May fracture bones, damage internal organs

Common causes:

• Dog or cat has strayed onto neighbor’s property

First aid:

• Control bleeding if present
• Transport pet quickly to a veterinarian

HEAT STROKE

Signs:

• Excessive panting (dogs), open mouth breathing (cats)
• Bright red mucous membranes
• Weakness
• Collapse
• Hot to the touch (unreliable indicator)

Common causes:

• Pets at greatest risk of heat stroke include…
  • Young (< 6 months) or old (> 7 years)
  • Overweight
  • Brachycephalic
  • Present or recent illness
  • Large breeds
  • Pets taking sedatives and anti-histamines

• Windows up in the car while it is warm outside (doesn’t have to be overly hot)
• Locked in a small room with poor ventilation
• Heavy exercise

First aid:

• Move pet to a cool area
• Rinse cool water over the paws, may use alcohol as well
• Transport pet quickly to a veterinarian

HIT BY CAR

Signs:

• If event is not visualized…
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Road rash
  • Limping

Common causes:

• Pet has strayed out of yard and onto a road
• Pet is sleeping or laying in the driveway

First aid:

• Transport pet quickly to a veterinarian. It may to wrap a large blanket around your pet for transport.

POISONING/TOXIN INGESTION

Signs:

• Dependent upon the toxin ingested (see page on Toxins)
  • Muscle weakness, muscle tremors
  • Seizures
  • Petechia (red spots) of the gums
  • Vomiting, diarrhea, GI upset
  • Urinary problems

Common causes:

• Toxins in the garage or household that are not stored out of pets’ reach
• Accidental ingestion of human medications

First aid:

• May recommend to induce vomiting depending on what was ingested
• Activated charcoal indicated in some cases
• May call poison control (see page on Toxins)
• Transport quickly to a veterinarian

SEIZURE

Signs:

• Uncontrolled body movements
• Frequently lose urinary and bowel control during the seizure
• Disoriented afterwards
• Is considered an emergency (seek immediate care) when…
  • Seizures last longer than 1 minute
  • Seizures cluster – reoccurring episodes
  • Pet does not recover from the seizure
  • More than 1 seizure per week

Common causes:

• Many seizures are idiopathic (have an unknown cause)
• Toxins
• Brain tumors
• Infectious (bacterial meningitis, viral meningitis, etc)

First aid:

• If you pet has been prescribed diazepam for seizures it may be administered rectally.
• Move objects and people away from the pet to prevent injuries
• If first time occurrence transport pet immediately to a veterinarian
• If pet has a history of seizures may increase or alter anti-seizure medication.  Discuss with the veterinarian.