One of the hardest things to know is when to take your beloved pet to the vet. Fortunately, most pets are very resilient and overcome minor health issues with rest and care. But some signs are real emergencies, and getting treatment could be the difference between the life and death of your pet. Some emergency symptoms are pronounced, such as bloody diarrhea, collapse, or paralysis. Still, there are others that do not seem urgent at the onset (such as bloating) but should be checked out to prevent complications.

Please call us at Westlands Vet Clinic should you have concerns about your pet’s condition, and we can decide on whether it needs emergency care or needs more careful monitoring.

Here are a few symptoms that you should immediately visit the vet for:

1. Shows Severe Pain. If your pet is panting, vocalizing their pain, or limping profoundly, go to the vet immediately.
2. Exposure to Toxic chemicals: This includes rat poison (which will cause seizures), cleaning agents, human medications, grapes, raisins, inset poison, or chocolate.
3. Constant coughing: Coughing could be caused by exposure to rat or insect poison, kennel cough, or pneumonia. Especially if your dog never coughs and starts doing so, it is best to get checked out.
4. Difficult using or loss of rear legs: This can be serious and signify a spinal cord injury. If the dog has partial or total paralysis, this is very painful for them, and the sooner you bring them in, the quicker we can provide effective treatment.
5. Difficulty with urination. Pets urinate pretty quickly and easily, but if your pet is struggling with this, it may be a bladder infection. While not life-threatening, it could be a sign of severe bladder issues like bladder stones obstructing the urinary tract. At Westlands Veterinary Clinic, we can check for stones as bladder infections can also be very painful for your pet.
6. Major Trauma or profuse bleeding (hemorrhage). This is serious and if your dog has fallen, fought with larger dogs or cats, or been hit by a car – bring them in immediately even if you think the dog seems unharmed. There may be internal injuries you have no idea about. Profuse bleeding should be treated immediately.
7. Seizures. Seizures are generally caused by ingestion of toxins and can start mildly but may develop into a fatal situation if they increase progressively.
8. Excessive drinking and extreme thirst. It’s a good idea to know how much water your dog drinks normally. Excessive drinking and extreme thirst could indicate developing kidney disease or even diabetes. If they also urinate excessively, it’s a good idea to get this checked out.
9. Extreme weakness or collapse. There could be internal bleeding, which could be hemoabdomen (accumulation of blood in the peritoneal cavity) which is a severe health issue. It could also involve cardiac comprise, toxic poisoning, Addison’s disease, pericardial effusion, or anaphylactic shock, all which all require urgent vet care.
10. Swollen and hard stomach region. This could be an indication of a grave condition called gastric dilatation-volvulus, which is commonly called bloat. This is caused when the stomach has distended to a point where it’s suppressing other organs. Some symptoms include pacing, retching without being able to vomit, excessive drooling, panting, distended abdomen, and putting their front elbows on the floor and hind end in the air (a play bow stance).
11. Repeated diarrhea and vomiting. Diarrhea and vomiting are apparent signs that you should take your pet to the vet immediately. If the diarrhea has blood in this, this is worse. Constant diarrhea and vomiting are signs of more significant problems, such as obstruction of the gastrointestinal passage.
12. Refusing to Eat or Drink. If your dog doesn’t eat a meal here or there, it could be just the type of food you are feeding them but keep in mind that pets that refuse to eat for more than a day are definitely sick. If they are not drinking water as well, they could develop severe dehydration.
13. Difficult Breathing. This is the most serious issue of all as, after three minutes of not breathing, you will lose your pet. Notice for signs of funny breathing, puffing of the lips, or making strange noises during breathing. Any of these symptoms mean taking your pet to the nearest vet immediately.