| You know your dog. You know when your dog is | | | | *Pupils are dilated. |
| just not feeling well. But when is it necessary to get | | | | *Exposure to poison: fertilizer, herbicide, certain plants |
| them to an Animal Emergency Hospital? First, stay | | | | *Ingestion or exposure to common household |
| calm and focus. If you panic, so will your dog. Be | | | | cleaning supplies like cleanser, pine cleaner, borax, |
| gentle, loving, and compassionate. Your dog knows | | | | window cleaner, and bleach. (bring the suspected |
| you'll do your very best to care for them. | | | | poison container or plant to the E.R.) |
| The following is a list of symptoms and/or situations | | | | *Puncture wounds from a dog fight or running into a |
| that require an Animal Emergency Hospital room & | | | | sharp object. (these wounds can go deeper than you |
| Veterinary care pronto! | | | | think & injure internal organs. They also become |
| *Difficulty breathing, noisy respiration, gasping for air | | | | infected easier than a scrape. |
| or shallow breathing. | | | | *Prolonged vomiting or diarrhea--especially if there's |
| *Blue tongue. | | | | any blood. |
| *Bleeding from anywhere that doesn't stop. (get a | | | | *Refusal to eat or drink for more than 1 day. |
| clean, lint free cloth; apply some pressure and go to | | | | *Limping; can't put weight on a leg. |
| the E.R.) | | | | *Green goopy stuff/crustiness in or around their |
| *Hypersensitive or a bloated belly. | | | | eyes. |
| *Your dog tries to go pee or poop and can't or | | | | *Swelling or redness around the eyes or snout (dogs |
| they're in obvious pain when they go. | | | | sometimes eat a bee, hornet or wasp and must be |
| *Uncontrolled urinating or pooping in an otherwise | | | | seen immediately). |
| potty trained dog. | | | | *Redness or hotness of ears: Especially if they're |
| *Bloody pee or poop. | | | | scratching or have constant head shaking (ear |
| *Heatstroke. | | | | infections, mites and fox tails happen fast). |
| *Heavy panting that doesn't stop. | | | | *Any chronic, severe itching or patchy red spots on |
| *They're obviously weak; your dog can't get up or | | | | the skin--self mutilation is soon to follow & can cause |
| falls down when they get up. | | | | more infection. |
| *Fever--104 degrees Fahrenheit is a canine fever. | | | | *Your dog is acting really weird. |
| *Difficulty in labor or delivery of puppies. | | | | If you're unsure of what's going on with your dog |
| *Contractions lasting more than an hour. | | | | and if it's an emergency, call your Veterinarian (many |
| *Labor pain lasting longer than 15 minutes. | | | | Veterinarian's handle all their own emergencies) or call |
| *A puppy fetus or its membrane is showing. | | | | the nearest Animal Emergency Center/Hospital. |
| *Any seizure, tremors, coma, staggering, convulsions | | | | Often times, at an Animal Emergency Hospital, you |
| or sudden blindness (running into things). | | | | can speak with a highly trained veterinary technician, |
| *Head tilting or snapping at imaginary objects. | | | | triage intake worker or the Veterinarian. These |
| *Sudden & severe behavior changes--withdrawal | | | | incredibly dedicated people will help you assess |
| depression/aggression. | | | | whether your dog needs to be seen immediately, |
| *Chronic crying/whimpering or obvious pain. | | | | sometime today, or if it can wait until tomorrow. |
| *Any major trauma: vehicle accident, fall, porcupine | | | | If you have any doubts, call a Veterinarian. Whatever |
| encounter, gun shot wound, broken bone, venomous | | | | you do, remember you're caring for a family member |
| poisonous snake bite. | | | | who doesn't understand what's going on. Your dog is |
| *Rapid heartbeat. | | | | scared and confused. Be calm. Be brave and do the |
| *Disorientation, having a bewildered look, your dog | | | | very best for your cuddly canine. The rewards are |
| doesn't recognize you. | | | | endless. |