Part of our job is helping you tell the difference between “keep an eye on it” and “go now”. These are the signs we would never ask you to wait on. If you see any of them, call us straight away during opening hours — and outside those hours, go directly to your nearest 24-hour emergency animal hospital.
Go immediately
- Difficulty breathing, or breathing that looks laboured at rest
- Collapse, fainting, or a seizure
- Suspected poisoning — chocolate, grapes or raisins, xylitol, rat bait, human medication, lilies for cats
- Bloated, hard, painful abdomen, especially in a deep-chested dog, with unproductive retching
- Unable to urinate, or repeated straining with nothing produced (a blocked cat is an emergency)
- Heavy bleeding, or a wound that will not stop oozing
- Suspected broken bone, or a limb that cannot bear weight
- Hit by a car, even if your pet seems fine afterwards
- Repeated vomiting or diarrhoea with blood, or that is exhausting your pet
- Seeming disoriented, pressing the head into walls, or suddenly unable to stand
Call the same day
- Painful or swollen eye, or sudden cloudiness
- Vomiting more than two or three times in a day
- Not eating for more than twenty-four hours
- Marked lethargy — unusually quiet, reluctant to move
- A swollen, painful ear with head shaking
- Sudden difficulty rising, or dragging a limb
A caution about cats
Cats in discomfort very often go quiet rather than cry. A cat hiding under the bed and refusing food is not simply having a moody day. Not eating even for a day can be significant in a cat, and a blocked bladder is life-threatening within hours.
If you are not sure, call us. A two-minute conversation can save you a great deal of worry — and occasionally save your pet.
