EMERGENCIES
The following list is compiled to indicate an immediate life threatening situation in which veterinary attention is strongly recommended as soon as possible.
ALLERGIC REACTIONS
Sudden facial swelling, trouble breathing, hives or collapse are all signs of allergic reation or possible anaphylactic shock. Bee stings, spider bites or an allergy to a vaccine can cause these signs.
BLEEDING
Any bleeding is an emergency. Internal bleeding can be difficult to determine but it may come from the GI tract (black stool, bloody stool), from the stomach (vomitting blood), or within the abdomen (bloated or swollen belly). It can also be more subtle, like in the case of strange new bruising, or lameness (bleeding into joints).
BLOAT
Abdomen is distended because the stomach has "twisted on itself," followed by wretching and non productive gagging. Unfortunately with the onset of symptoms, there is little time to act. Surgery is often required to suture the stomach to the body wall to prevent future twists from occuring. It is also known as gastric dilatation volvulus.
COLLAPSE
Any type of collapse is an emergency.
BITE WOUNDS
These wounds need to be treated early so as to ensure the best outcome for healing. Infection is another complication.
RESPIRATORY DISTRESS
Any acute labored breathing, or inability to breath is an emergency. There are several possible causes for respiratory distress. Asthma, heart failure, trauma to the neck or chest - bleeding or fractures, foreign bodies, infections, and cancer are a few considerations. A full diagnostic work-up for the cause will be recommended.
HIT BY CAR
Even if your pet seems to by doing alright, internal trauma is a real possibility (ie. ruptured urinary bladders, internal bleeding, fractures...).
METALDEHYDE
"Slug bait" ingestion can cause tremmors, seizures, rigid postures, aggression, vomiting and diarrhea. Immediate attention is required.
RODENTICIDE TOXICITY
"Rat bait" toxins affect the body's natural ability to coagulate and therefore bleeding ensues. Some products have a delayed onset of several days to weeks, so signs can show up much later after the product was consumed. Bleeding can be along the gums, in the chest, abdomen, vomitus, stool, or show up as bruises on the skin. The veterinarian will try to evacuate the contents in the stomach if ingestion was recent (within 4 hour or less), administer activated charcoal to bind what is left in the stomach, and start vitamin K to restore clotting ability. If bleeding has resulted in significant blood loss, transfusions are often recommended.
SEIZURES
In young and senior pets, new seizures are an emergency. Also, epileptics on medication can still require emergency attention as well if the seizures are: 1) lasting longer than 2-3 minutes 2) multiple "cluster" seizures or 3) increase in frequency.
SNAKEBITE
Sometimes owners are fortunate enough to see the event take place, but often times, the pet comes home with pain and swelling. Bite punctures are usually evident. Severity of snakebites depends on type of snake, maturity of snake (young bites are worse), season (springtime), location of bite (face is common, but limbs are worse as there is little room for swelling). The veterinarian will discuss hospitalization and treatment including antivenom.
URETHRAL BLOCKAGE
"Blocked cat" - Presents to us on emergency in pain, with a history of straining to urinate, "in and out" of their litterbox, or passing only very small amounts of urine. These cats are always an emergency and will need to have a urinary catheter placed to enable urine flow. Complications of prolonged blocking are electrolyte problems, vomiting, kidney failure or ruptured bladders. Most cases are successfully treated but require staying in the hospital at least 2 days. A diet change might be recommended by the veterinarian when the cat returns home. If the event recurrs (and it might!), surgery will be discussed. The procedure is called a Perineal Urethrostomy.