{"id":898,"date":"2017-11-14T11:59:14","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T15:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/?p=898"},"modified":"2022-07-08T15:47:52","modified_gmt":"2022-07-08T19:47:52","slug":"take-pet-er","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/take-pet-er\/","title":{"rendered":"When should you take your pet to the ER?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just heard yet another horror story about a pet owner who waited too long to take her pet to the emergency clinic.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

There are countless reasons to visit the ER with a cat or a dog, so what follows is certainly not a complete list. I organized the most common signs in 4 categories.<\/p>\n

You should seek emergency help in the following situations.<\/p>\n

General signs<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n

. Collapse or severe weakness<\/p>\n

. Bleeding, external or internal<\/p>\n

. Severe lethargy<\/p>\n

. Trauma of any type, if it is violent enough to cause an injury or a pain reaction<\/p>\n

. Any kind of gunshot<\/p>\n

. Severe pain<\/p>\n

. Jaundice (yellow gums and eyes)<\/p>\n

. Discharge from the vulva<\/p>\n

. Pus coming from just about anywhere<\/p>\n

. Many things related to eyeballs: pain, bulging, squinting, scratches.<\/p>\n

. Seizures or tremors\/shaking<\/p>\n

. Difficulty giving birth<\/p>\n

GI & urinary signs<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n

. Severe or ongoing vomiting or diarrhea, with or without blood<\/p>\n

. Retching, ie an unsuccessful attempt at vomiting<\/p>\n

. Significant decrease in appetite for more than 24 hours,\u00a0or complete loss<\/p>\n

. Straining to urinate or defecate<\/p>\n

. Eating a poison of any type<\/p>\n

. Bloating or a distended belly<\/p>\n

Respiratory signs<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n

. Difficulty breathing of any sort<\/p>\n

. Severe or ongoing coughing<\/p>\n

Orthopedic signs<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n

. Limping<\/p>\n

. Broken bone<\/p>\n

. Painful joint<\/p>\n

. Dragging of or weakness in one leg or more<\/p>\n

Ultimately, just about anything that worries you is a reason to go to your local emergency clinic. Think about it. What\u2019s better, a false alarm, or arriving too late? If you\u2019re not sure what to do, at least call please the staff at the emergency clinic to ask what they recommend.<\/p>\n

Phil Zeltzman, DVM, DACVS, CVJ, Fear Free Certified<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I just heard yet another horror story about a pet owner who waited too long to take her pet to the emergency clinic. There are countless reasons to visit the ER with a cat or a dog, so what follows is certainly not a complete list. I organized the most common signs in 4 categories. 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