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What is a common pet emergency?
A common pet emergency is an emergency that we see often in the veterinary field. Many times, when a client calls with specific details over the phone, we are able to almost “diagnose” what is going on with the pet right away. Some of those emergencies will be listed here but it is important to keep in mind that we will not know what is going on with your pet for sure until your pet is seen.
In this blog, I am going to go over the common pet emergencies that we see and recognizing the signs of the emergencies. I am going to go over how to be prepared and provide a checklist for owners of things they should keep on hand when needed and how to be prepared. I get calls from clients so often stating “I went on Google and it did not tell me much”. Well I am hoping that this will give you the insight you need to be able to accurately recognize when your pet needs to be seen.
Recognizing Common Pet Emergencies
Have you ever called a veterinary hospital wondering if your pet needed to be seen emergently? There are many reasons why a veterinary hospital would tell you to come in sooner rather than later but here is a list of some emergencies that absolutely cannot wait. It is always best to air on the side of caution so if you think your pet may be showing signs of any of these emergencies, take them to your local veterinary emergency hospital or reach out to your primary veterinarian.
Gastric Dialation Volvulus
Gastric Dialation Volvulus or GDV is only seen in medium-large to large dogs. When I was back in school, there was a theory that GDV was caused by pets eating and then going for a run. I have not heard that mentioned as a cause past that time and the cause is actually not fully understood at this point.
What is a GDV?
A GDV, also known as gastric dialation volvulus, is when the pets stomach flips, therefore keeping the “air” in the stomach. The esophagus has a twist at the bottom of it and the pylorus (area leading to the intestines from the stomach) does the same.
So lets talk about the signs of this common pet emergency. GDV is very often times presented as your large breed pet is trying to vomit with nothing coming up (also known as retching). If you have been around enough of these common pet emergencies you would be able to recognize what this particular retch sounds like which sounds strange but, funnily, I am also able to tell what a blocked cat sounds like when they meow. We will get into that one next. GDV cases also have a very bloated and hard stomach. There are cases that your pet can have a bloated stomach without the stomach being twisted or even times when it can be partially twisted and the vet can fix it without having to rush to surgery.
How is GDV fixed?
Surgery! That’s how we fix it! We can also prevent it with surgery. When you arrive at your veterinary hospital, your pet will be triaged and if your pet is believed to have a GDV, they will be rushed to treatment. IV catheters will be places and the vet is going to want to take xrays. If I were you, I would okay the xrays because that is how the vet is able to diagnose this particular problem. If you decide to move forward with everything your pet will go to surgery and their stomach will be “tacked” to the side wall of their abdomen, making sure to keep their stomach in place.
To prevent this from ever happening, you can elect to have your pet get a Gastropexy. That is the name of this surgery to fix it and to prevent it. If you have a large breed female dog that has not been spayed yet, it may be a good idea to discuss having the vet pexy the stomach while your pet is already in surgery. It will add to the cost but will prevent a much potential bill in the future.
Urinary Obstruction
Blocked Cat (Urinary Obstruction)
Do you have a male cat? Well, your cat could be one of these cats. Please don’t take this as every male cat is going to get blocked at some point in their life, because that isn’t true. But I do think that every male cat owner should be a little more diligent in keeping an eye out for pee in the litter pan. There are cat litters that are able to determine color of your cats urine to see if there are any changes, like this one here.
What is a blocked cat?
A blocked cat is a cat that can’t urinate or fully relieve their bladder. This common pet emergency is one that cant fully be prevented without surgical intervention. It typically happens when you cat has crystals or stones in their bladder which causes a blockage out of the urethra causing a urinary obstruction.
Blocked cats present very similarly and are pretty obvious to tell what the problem is by a quick conversation and exam. If your cat is blocked they will very likely be in and out of the litter pan, straining to urinate and yowling. As I had mentioned before, I have become very good at distinguishing the meow of a blocked cat. If your cat is experiencing this common pet emergency, you will likely be able to feel a very hard bladder. The faster you recognize what is going on the better!
When you arrive at the veterinary clinic, your pet will again be rushed into treatment for stabilization. The doctor will likely want to sedate your cat so they can pass a urinary catheter and unblock the urethra. In most cases, the vet will want to keep your pet for observation of their urinary output and bloodwork. When your pet is discharged, your pet may be sent home with a urinary specific diet. Often times, vets will not jump straight to perineal urethrostomy (also known as PU), which is a surgery to allow more area for the urine to pass.
Hemoabdomen
Hemoabdomen
Alright, this is another common pet emergency that is mostly seen in large dogs but can be seen in all sizes. These emergencies have a long road ahead of them to recovery and also requires surgery.
What is a hemoabdomen?
A hemoabdomen is blood within the abdomen (“heme” means blood). You will very often times see pale gums and your pet may suddenly collapse. Hemoabdomens are most commonly caused by one of two ways: trauma or the burst of a splenic mass.
These are a little trickier to triage over the phone but most commonly we will get calls that your dog is down or seemingly lethargic, may be breathing or panting heavily and not acting right. If you suspect that your pet may have a hemoabdomen, check your dog’s gum color. If your dog has white or pale gums, it is definitely time to rush to the hospital. Pale gums can be a number of different diagnoses but it is always an emergency so, take a look at their gums now and get to know the color. That goes for cats too!
Regular vet visits are a good way to try to avoid this common pet emergency. An ultrasound would be able to locate a splenic mass and splenic surgery when a mass is found would be able to stop this from happening. This is most commonly seen in dogs (typically large dogs but can also be seen in small dogs). A hemoabdomen caused by trauma can be seen in all species.
Hit By Car
Hit By Car
Yes, this is obvious but I have to put it on this list. Take precautions to keep this from happening to the best of your ability.
For those of you who allow your dogs outside freely near your cars, look under your car and around before you are driving. You would not believe the number of hit by car cases that are their own pets. Also, leashing your dogs and keeping your doors locked with children will help to decrease instances also.
Regardless of how severe the hit looks when it happens, this is always an emergency and your pet should be assessed immediately by a veterinarian. You may be able to see a few marks that don’t look that bad but you aren’t always able to see what is happening internally.
Dyspnea
Dyspnea (Trouble Breathing)
This common pet emergency is also, strangely difficult to triage over the phone because every owner perceives trouble breathing differently. We get calls often from people who believe their pet is “breathing weird” and cannot say if it is difficulty or a normal pant. If you believe your pet may be having trouble breathing, we would much prefer to see them even if your pet is just a normal squish faced breathing.
Pets with difficulty breathing can be caused by a number of different things but it is a true emergency. A trained eye will be able to tell you if it is true trouble or if your pet is just panting for one reason or another.
Be Prepared
When you have pets, it is important to be prepared for unpredictable emergencies. I am going to go into how to prepare yourself for the common pet emergencies.
Contact Numbers
Does your pet have a primary veterinarian? Yes? Great, that is a wonderful start. Ask your primary veterinarian for a list of emergency locations, their numbers and locations in your area. I worked for a location once that triaged for after hours emergencies for primary veterinarians and there are quite a few places that do not have many emergency locations in the area. In that case, I would find a primary veterinarian that has after hours on call that will see emergencies. That way, you have a place you can go to after hours. Ideally, I would find a location that has on call every day when the clinic is closed. It will be well worth it, in my opinion. If that is your situation, be sure to ask if they see all emergencies or if they have specific things they will see. Fair warning though, a lot of these places will only allow on call if you are a current client, meaning your pet has been seen there in the last year. Just another reason for you to have your pet seen for regular veterinary visits.
As a side note, the veterinary world has been a tough place lately with too many pets in the world and too little staff so a lot of places are deferring when their clinics become too overwhelmed. If you are a person in an area with emergency locations to go to (and not an on call veterinarian), I would recommend having a list of multiple locations so you can reach out to others if your first choice is deferring. If you have exotic pets or pocket pets, it is also a good idea to have emergency facilities that see those pets as well. Better to have it ahead of time rather than try to find it when your pet needs immediate care.
Toxic Substances
Let’s face it, pets can be silly sometimes and eat things that are toxic to them. If you are interested in finding out more about toxic plants, visit here. But let us start with the basics…
If you believe your pet has ingested something toxic (or you saw them swipe it off the counter), the best place to start is calling poison control. There are two different poison control numbers. I personally air towards the ASPCA poison control. It is a little more expensive but I think they give us veterinary facilities a little more information. There is also Pet Poison Hotline. There are fees to call both BUT they could save you a trip to the vet and save you thousands of dollars if your pet does not actually need to be seen. Alternatively, if they tell you your pet needs to be seen, at least you know for sure.
Write these numbers down for the times you may need it:
ASPCA Pet Poison: 888-426-4435
Pet Poison Hotline: 855-764-7661
Transportation
Here we go, transportation. You’ve made it through the initial phone calls, have found your place to go to and now have to get there but your cat won’t get into the carrier or your dog is 100lbs and down. What do you do? Well, I am here to help. Firstly, if you are looking at this and do not have a pet yet, I would consider these struggles before choosing your species or breed. If you can barely lift a pencil and you live alone, it might be best to steer away from a dog like a Bernese Mountain Dog.
But, I am assuming you are here because you already have a pet. Here are some options for you to aid in this struggle.
Large Dogs: Large dogs that are down are extremely hard to transport but once you get to the clinic, the staff will be able to help you. Be sure to have friends you know you can call or get friendly with your neighbors if you have no one else. Large, very thick and durable comforters are wonderful for this. You can layer some comforters and use them like a gurney to roll your pet on and lift it to get them into the car. It’s not going to be easy, but the only other option that I know about is having a veterinarian come to your home and if this is after hours, many do not do emergency visits. You can always have that on your list though if you do find one.
Cats: Does your cat hate the carrier? Yeah, mine too. But it is necessary for their safety in the parking lot and the hospital to be transported in one. There are a few options you can consider. You can start leaving the carrier out and train your cat to like the carrier with treats and lots of encouragement over an extended period of time to make it a very easy process or you can keep a laundry basket at your house (with holes) that has a lid that goes with it and only use that in case of emergency. Your cat is expecting the carrier. They are not expecting the laundry basket. Funnily enough, I have used this one, that has worked pretty well!
Financial Consideration
These common pet emergencies are not cheap and pets typically have a long road to recovery. It is important to consider finances when when owning a pet and I am here to give you some insight into some financial assistance and how to prepare.
There are a number of different pet insurance options that can help you with your veterinary bills. Keep in mind, pet insurance does not cover everything so you should take a look at the specifics of the insurance and consider the amount that insurance will cover. Pet insurance typically does not pay the veterinary office directly but does reimburse you for the financial burden which is wonderful when you’re dropping thousands on your pet’s emergency.
Financial Assistance
Before signing up for any of these financial assistance links I would highly recommend that you discuss the particular financial assistance location with your veterinarian(s) to see if they accept it. Here are a few that you may be able to consider:
Care Credit
Scratchpay
I hope that this post gave you enough insight on these common pet emergencies, how to recognize them and how to handle the situation. I am always looking for educational content that my readers are wondering about so either comment below or visit this page to let me know what you want to know.
