Please call if you have any questions about the severity of you pet's symptoms.
It is better to call with a seemingly "silly" question than to wait and have a serious problem develop.
If you note the following, you should call the clinic or emergency center immediately. Your pet needs to be examined and treated without delay!
- Difficult or suddenly noisy breathing.
- Blue or white color in the gums.
- Injury or disease causing loss of conciousness.
- Heavy bleeding or bleeding that will not stop.
- Straining to urinate, especially males.
- Seizures lasting more than 10 minutes.
- Ingestion, or even a suspicion of ingestion of anything toxic. (Bring the package with you!)
- Sudden onset of paralysis or weakness.
- Any injury to the eye.
- Active hard labour without delivering a puppy or kitten in 15 minutes.
- Extreme pain.
- Deep penetrating wounds.
The following health problems are serious, but you can probably wait until the next available appointment today..
- Open wounds. The sooner we treat it the better it will heal.
- Severe itching that prevents you or your pet from resting.
- Change in the appearance of a surgical wound such as swelling, redness or discharge.
- Tick imbedded in skin.
- Continuous vomiting or diarrhea.
- Dangling or non-weight-bearing limbs.
- Injestion of inapprpriate items- balls, string, elastics, rocks, earplugs etc.
The following problems are less serious and can probably wait until morning.
- Mild vomiting or diarrhea that lasts more than a day.
- Small amounts of blood in stool.
- Mild lameness that hasn't resovled overnight.
- Shaking or scratching head or trunk.
- Abnormally bad breath.
- Anal gland problems (scooting).
- Cut or blistered footpads with only minor bleeding.
- Catfight wounds, if animal is otherwise fine.
- "Hotspots" - superficial skin infestions, unless severely painful.
- Ear infections and hematomas (swollen ear).
- Insect stings and bites causing swollen lips.
- Otherwise healthy animals off-feed for more than 2 days.
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