If You Own a Pet, Learn These Things About Emergency Vet Care

Owning a pet is a very, very big responsibility. This is why, as much as possible, you must learn everything there is to learn about pet care. Especially the things that you must do in the case of emergencies.

In this brief blog piece, we’re going to aid you in your journey to becoming a better fur parent, especially in tough and trying times. Below you’ll find some of the things that are a must-know when you find yourself in unexpected situations. This is to ensure that you are able to give your pet the best care that they need and deserve.

1. Know what’s an emergency and what’s not

Some pet owners, especially the new ones, have a tendency to panic easily every time their pet is feeling sick or is not exhibiting their usual playful behaviors. While this is of course natural and understandable, a pet owner must learn not to get overwhelmed all too easily, because not every situation is an emergency. Know to distinguish between an emergency or just a simple mood change. That’s right, if your pet is feeling down, it could just be a regular old mood swing.

If you feel a lump on your pet’s body, don’t immediately jump to conclusions and call up a vet ambulance to pick you up in the middle of the night. Gather all the pertinent information you need from the internet about lumps and any other symptoms your pet may be showing before making a grand decision. Unless your furry friend is showing extreme signs such as vomiting or refusing to eat in addition to the lump, then that would be the time to make an emergency trip to the vet. Otherwise, it might just be safe to wait until the next morning to come in for a formal consultation.

Every pet owner like you must learn how to compose yourselves so that you could determine whether emergency vet care is needed. And if so, you would know what to do in these types of situations. Remember, when you panic, chances are, your pet will sympathize and start to panic as well.

2. Know when to call for help

When it comes to emergencies, there are certain tell-tale signs that you have to watch out for. For your future reference, professional vets and other licensed animal care experts all agree that the situations listed below could mean a bigger problem. In severe cases, the worst case scenario might happen and it could mean life or death for your pets.

• Injuries due to accidents
• Injuries due to an attack of other animals
• Unconsciousness
• Non-stop or consecutive seizures
• Blood in poop
• Pets having difficulty in peeing or pooping
• Swelling or pain in the abdomen
• Pets having difficulty in peeing or pooping
• Non-stop vomiting
• Poisoning
• Difficulty in breathing
• Choking due to ingestion of objects
• Eye inflammation
• Blindness

If any of these emergencies occur, don’t hesitate to call Bundaberg emergency vet for help as soon as possible.

3. Know what to do while help is on the way

The most important thing to do during pet emergencies is to compose yourself and do not panic.

Whether you’re bringing your pet to the emergency vet clinic, or a vet ambulance is already on its way, there are a few things that you can do to help your pet during these situations:

Choking

You’ll know that your pet is choking when it can’t breathe normally or when it paws the mouth non-stop. Other obvious signs are coughing or any form of choking sounds and when the colour of its lips and tongue start to change.

The first thing you can do is to call your vet and see if a vet mobile is available. While help is on the way, you can check your pet’s mouth and see if there’s anything that got stuck in it.

You can grab a pair of tweezers and try to retrieve the object. But if the object is not visible at all, or your dog is becoming aggressive, don’t even try.

If there are no vet respondents available, bring your pet to the nearest vet as much as you can.

Bleeding

Much like the first emergency, you should call your vet immediately if your pet got injured or was attacked by another animal. See if you can get a vet ambulance.

While waiting, you should muzzle your pet to avoid aggressive biting as you try to apply first aid.

Grab a gauze pad or any type of clean cloth that you can press over the wound of your pet. Lightly press the gauze over the injured part for three minutes. Then replace it with a new and clean one. Keep doing this until the bleeding stops.

If the bleeding doesn’t stop, wrap a bandage around the wound to put pressure on it. If there’s no vet ambulance available, bring your pet to the nearest vet to get treated.

Fractures

This is no different to emergencies involving blood and wounds.

Inform your vet about what happened and if possible, get an ambulance. But it’s important to also know how to provide first aid.

First, muzzle your pet to avoid further injuries. Then lay down your pet on a stretcher or a makeshift one.

Gently, wrap your pet onto the stretcher with elastic bands or blankets before bringing them to the clinic.

Seizures

During pet seizures, restraining your pet in any way is a big no. What you must do is carefully remove anything that is in the general space of your pet. This is to prevent your pet from getting injured when they bump into these objects.

Remember, don’t panic. Seizures normally last for a couple of minutes and everything goes back to normal again. Once the seizures stop, put your pet in a quiet and warm room to keep them relaxed.

But if the seizures don’t stop, call your vet ASAP and ask for any advice. From then on, follow the instructions of the emergency vet.