When you have a pet health-related emergency, what should you do? Life-threatening health conditions might manifest in different ways such as collapse or bleeding. But exactly where do you draw the line between making the call and handling the situation by yourself? However, some conditions with the capability to end your pet’s life might not be exhibit themselves in black and white as you would expect.

Emergency and Critical Care Signs

It’s nearly an impossible mission to come up with an exhaustive list of all the danger signs. However, the following are some of the most common signs to watch out for:

• Behavioral changes e.g. hiding in a secluded place, aggressiveness towards other pets and humans
• Bite wounds; these may be from other pets or even wildlife
• Bleeding
• Collapse
• Difficulty in breathing
• Heavy panting due to being overheated
• Stumbling around
• Heat stroke
• Excessive coughing
• Poisoning or ingestion of toxic material
• Excessive drooling
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Lethargy of weakness
• Allergic reactions
• Swollen abdomen
• Discolored or pale gums
• Snake bites

Chances are that your pet will exhibit a combination of the above symptoms at some point in its life. For instance, heat stroke may be occasioned by excessive drooling, collapse, heavy panting and general body weakness. If your pet exhibits any of the above symptoms, you should call for emergency and Critical care support immediately.

In other cases, the signs exhibited by your pet might not be life-threatening but causing intense pain. You should also take into consideration the medical history of your pet, its personality and combine such information with the prevailing situation to determine if it is necessary to visit a Vet.

Many emergency and critical care facilities operate on a 24-hour basis. These units are staffed with experienced and qualified staff that is always on standby to respond to emergency situations. Your pet can also be hospitalized in case there is need to monitor for several days. The units are also equipped with ICU facilities and certified specialists to ensure that your pet receives the best medical response and treatment.

The critical thing to remember is that unlike humans, pets can’t speak for themselves. It might thus not be possible to tell when the pain is becoming unbearable for your pet. Don’t ignore any of the above signs since things might get out of hand before you know what’s going on.
Castro Valley Animal Hospital offers 24-hour emergency care service for pets. No matter the nature of the emergency, you can always count on our reliable, affordable services.