What to do in a Pet Emergency

Your pet may need emergency veterinary attention for any trauma or injury, the most common causes being traffic accidents, animal bites, or ingesting inedible items. In any pet emergency, it’s important to seek care from a veterinarian as soon as possible. But pet owners can take some preliminary steps while they’re calling a vet clinic or before transporting their pets:

Initial cleaning of bites and wounds – If you were injured, it would make sense to put a bandage on cuts or wounds before you visited the ER; the same goes for your pet. Before taking them to visit an emergency veterinary office, you can carefully clean cuts and scrapes and place clean gauze over wounds to slow any bleeding.  However, it’s important to only take this preliminary step and not try to treat more serious injuries yourself – this especially applies to any eye injuries.

Avoid giving them food – Before you know what could be causing medical distress, it’s best not to give your pet anything that could cause further problems or potentially make them sick.

Help your pet be calm and comfortable – Being anxious can make breathing harder on your pet, especially if there is a foreign body lodged in an airway or they’re experiencing internal distress. You can soothe your pet by speaking calmly and transporting them to the vet’s office in a blanket for their comfort.

Know when to not interfere – In some cases, there aren’t many preliminary care steps you can take before your pet is seen by a veterinarian. It’s typically best to not try and remove anything that’s hanging from your pet’s mouth or lodged in airways yourself (unless it’s stopping them from breathing entirely), as this could cause further injury. In these cases, take your pet to an emergency vet clinic immediately. With imaging technology, vets can get a better picture of obstructions and remove any foreign bodies that are causing discomfort or difficulty breathing.

If your pet is exhibiting strange behavior or if they’ve been in an accident and are injured, it’s important to visit a veterinarian for emergency care as soon as possible. Our Arlington, TX 24-hour emergency vet clinic uses advanced imagining and comprehensive care to get your pet out of pain and restore their health. Visit our office immediately if your pet is in need of same-day emergency care.