When it comes to the health of your pets – you’d do absolutely anything for them right? As pet owners ourselves, we totally get it.
While we do everything we can to keep them out of trouble, the unfortunate reality of being a pet owner is that they need emergency care. There are many different kinds of accidents and illnesses that can leave your pet needing urgent care, and it’s important that you’re as prepared as possible when it comes to an emergency.
To ensure you’re ready to tackle any emergency that might come your fur baby’s way, with the help of the Bundaberg emergency vet team at Bundaberg Emergency Animal Hospital, we’ve put together some handy information about emergencies and your pet.
How to know if it’s an emergency situation
A great skill a pet owner should have is knowing whether or not a situation is an emergency. When our pets are unwell or injured, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed and find it difficult to make a judgement.
To make it easier to make a call as to whether your pet needs emergency care, we’ve put together a list of situations and signs that may indicate that your pet needs help. These include:
- Excessive vomiting or diarrhea – especially if there is blood
- Breathing difficulties, including slow and labored breathing or very fast breathing
- Loss of appetite for longer than a day
- Seizures
- Choking
- High temperatures and fevers
- Bloating
- Injuries from animal attacks
- Involved in an accident with a car or vehicle
- Limping or lameness – especially after a fall, fight or accident
- Bleeding
- Ingested any toxins or poisons
If your pet is showing any of these signs, give your local emergency vet a call. While you might be tempted to drop everything and jump in the car, if you speak to a veterinarian, they may be able to confirm whether your pet definitely needs emergency care, how to make them more comfortable and how to transport them if they are in a lot of pain.
What is the difference between a normal vet and an emergency vet?
If you’ve never had an emergency with your pet or you’re a new pet owner chances are you’re only familiar with a normal vet. You’ve probably taken your pet for routine check ups and vaccinations.
Now, while a general vet and an emergency vet have similar skills, if not the same ones, the biggest difference is when they are available.
So, when you have an emergency, you might want to reach for the phone to give them a call first – the thing is, chances are, your vet is only open during normal business hours.
When it comes to an emergency, you need a vet that is going to be available at any time – you need an emergency vet. So, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with your nearest emergency animal hospital.
Image sourced from Pexel.com
Emergency Vets and After Care Clinics
There are several clinic options out there when it comes to emergency care and your pet. Some of the different kinds of clinics include:
Full service vet clinic
This type of clinic is one that tends to offer everything your pet needs, from basic check up facilities to surgery facilities. They serve as a normal vet clinic in the day, but also offer emergency and after hours care for those urgent situations or pets who may need overnight monitoring.
After-hours vet hospitals
These types of clinics are usually only dedicated for those urgent emergency situations that occur after hours. They do not offer check up services or any routine procedures, rather they offer care for your pet outside the normal hours of operation of normal vet clinics. They are also usually open on the weekends, almost keeping opposite hours to a general vet clinic.
24 Hour Emergency Veterinary Clinics
These 24 hour emergency clinics offer care to your pet at all hours of the day. They can do checks and routine care, as well as usually being able to provide emergency or specialist care for serious illnesses.
In many cases, these 24 hour clinics have the ability to come to you if your pet is very large or severely injured. And as the name suggests, they are always open!
If you’re a pet owner, make sure you keep this information in mind so if your pet is unwell, you can keep calm and get them the help they need!
