{"id":676,"date":"2018-05-06T02:46:02","date_gmt":"2018-05-06T02:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/californiashorkies.com\/?page_id=676"},"modified":"2022-04-14T18:53:32","modified_gmt":"2022-04-14T18:53:32","slug":"emergency-dr-visit-not","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/californiaminidoodles.com\/index.php\/emergency-dr-visit-not\/","title":{"rendered":"Emergency Dr. Visit or NOT!"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhen to Take Your Dog to the Vet Immediately<\/u><\/strong>\n\n\u00a0<\/em>Knowing when a health problem is a serious concern can be a tough call. Here are 12 times you should take your dog to the vet ASAP<\/em>.\n\nFor several years I have worked as an emergency veterinarian. As the title implies, that means I treat emergencies. But what is a veterinary emergency anyway? How can you tell whether your dog is suffering from an emergency that requires urgent treatment at 1:00 am, or whether your dog\u2019s problem is something that can wait until the morning?\u00a0How can you tell when to take your dog to the vet \u2014 immediately?\n\nThis article will discuss several of the most serious and common veterinary emergencies. It is by no means exhaustive \u2014 there are far too many different types of true emergencies to list them all, and there are emergencies that can\u2019t even be imagined before they happen. (If you doubt that, then I urge you to read\u00a0my story<\/a>\u00a0about the dog that put his life at risk by eating a fake breast.)\n\nMany emergencies are not subtle \u2014 collapse, paralysis, and hemorrhagic diarrhea come to mind. However, some urgently life-threatening problems, such as bloat, can start with symptoms that don\u2019t seem like a big deal at first.\n\nSeveral critical emergencies will be described below. If something seems wrong with your dog that does not seem to fit into any of the descriptions, there are some basic guidelines you can follow to assess the urgency of the situation.\n\nFirst, check your dog\u2019s gums. The gums give a great deal of information about circulation, blood oxygenation, shock, and hemorrhage. The gums normally should be pink and moist; when pressed gently with a finger, the pressed-upon portion should flash white and then turn pink within a second or two. Pale, blue, grey, or red gums signal trouble. It is best to check your dog\u2019s gums regularly when he is not in distress, so that you can know what they normally look like. If your dog seems not well and you discover a difference in gum coloration, then he should receive treatment.\n\nSecond, remember that veterinarians \u2014 whether they work at emergency practices or at general practices \u2014 have telephones. If you\u2019re wondering whether your dog needs treatment, call a vet to describe the situation. The vet should be able to help you decide whether the situation is urgent.\n\nThird, remember that a situation doesn\u2019t have to be life-threatening to warrant veterinary attention. Broken toenails, ear infections, bladder infections, and hot spots are all survivable, but they are also painful and are best treated sooner rather than later if possible.\n\nFinally, if you\u2019re in doubt, the safest course of action is always to seek veterinary attention. If your dog has a mild tummy ache and you take him to the vet, no harm will come to him. But if he\u2019s suffering from bloat and you ignore it, he may be dead by the morning.\n\nNow, let\u2019s get on with the big-time emergencies that require immediate veterinary attention in dogs.\n
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  1. Difficulty breathing<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThis is the mother of all veterinary emergencies. After three minutes without breathing it\u2019s all over. If your dog is having trouble breathing, or is \u201cbreathing funny,\u201d making alarming noises when he breathes, or is puffing his lips when he breathes, you need to get to the vet immediately.\n
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    1. Restlessness, panting, inability to lie down comfortably, unsuccessfully attempting to vomit, and abdominal distention<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThese are all symptoms of gastric dilatation with volvulus, known colloquially as \u201cbloat.\u201d Bloat is one of the most urgently life threatening situations a dog can face. Some dogs will exhibit all of these symptoms, but others may only pant and act restless. Because of its urgency, dogs exhibiting any symptoms suspicious for bloat should be rushed to the nearest veterinarian.\n
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      1. Seizures<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nAlthough a solitary seizure is not likely to be life threatening, seizures often come in clusters, which can become progressive. And sometimes seizures are caused by toxins that can cause fatal reactions.\n
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        1. Collapse or profound weakness<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThese can be symptoms of major problems such as internal bleeding (particularly a syndrome called hemoabdomen), cardiac compromise due to a condition called pericardial effusion, anaphylactic shock, certain poisonings, a glandular condition called Addison\u2019s disease, and some types of organ failure. All of these problems require urgent veterinary attention.\n
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          1. Profuse hemorrhage or major known trauma<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThese are veterinary emergencies. Profuse hemorrhage is a no brainer. However, dogs who have fallen from height, have been struck by cars, or have been in altercations with much larger dogs can appear unharmed at first, despite suffering major internal injuries.\n
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            1. Protracted vomiting and\/or diarrhea<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThis is a veterinary emergency, especially if the liquid produced is significantly bloody. A dog who vomits once or has a single loose bowel movement may not require any treatment other than a few hours of resting the stomach and a day or two of bland food. However, repeated vomiting and diarrhea can rapidly lead to life-threatening dehydration; they also can be symptoms of major problems such as gastrointestinal obstruction.\n
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              1. Struggling to urinate<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThis may simply signify a bladder infection. Bladder infections are painful but not life threatening. However, this symptom could also represent obstruction of the urinary tract by bladder stones \u2014 a situation that is very urgent indeed. Either way, your pet will be best off by seeing the vet since bladder infections, as mentioned above, are painful.\n
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                1. Not eating or drinking<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nYou will have to make a judgement call. If my pal Buster (a\u00a0Labrador Retriever\u00a0<\/a>mix, and quite a chow hound) leaves over a piece of kibble, I know something is wrong. Other dogs may intermittently pass up a meal here or there. However, dogs who go a day or longer without eating almost always are sick. And they usually won\u2019t drink enough water to cover their needs, so dehydration can set in as well.\n
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                  1. Coughing<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThis may or may not be a veterinary emergency. It can be caused by something as simple and (relatively) harmless as kennel cough. Or it can be caused by pneumonia or exposure to rat bait. When in doubt, the safest course of action is to go to the vet.\n
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                    1. Loss of use of rear legs<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThis is especially common in\u00a0Dachshunds<\/a>,\u00a0Corgis<\/a>, and other so-called chondrodysplastic (think short legs and long backs) breeds, and can be a sign of injury to the spinal cord. This paralysis or partial paralysis is usually very painful, and rapid treatment can make a big difference in outcome.\n
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                      1. Severe pain<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThis is always an emergency. If your dog is vocalizing, panting, profoundly limping, or exhibiting other symptoms of agony, don\u2019t let him suffer. Get to a vet for treatment.\n
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                        1. Known exposure to dangerous poisons<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThis should precipitate an immediate veterinary visit. If you catch your dog munching on snail bait, don\u2019t wait for the seizures to start before you go to the vet. Although there are too\u00a0many dangerous poisons<\/a>\u00a0out there to list them all, some of the more common exposures include chocolate, rodent bait, grapes and raisins, human medications, and overdoses of flavored canine medications such as Rimadyl.<\/strong>\n\nThe 12 situations listed above are some of the most common emergency situations that dogs face. However, I must reiterate that this list is not exhaustive, and if you can\u2019t tell whether your dog needs emergency attention, it\u2019s always safest to take him in to your local veterinary clinic..\n\nAuthor: Dr. Eric Barchas, \u00a0Jun 20th 2017, retrieved from link below.\n\nhttp:\/\/www.dogster.com\/lifestyle\/12-dog-health-emergencies-immediate-veterinary-attention-ask-a-vet<\/strong><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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                          About our Dogs<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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                          About our Mini-Doodles and Shih-Poo’s<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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                          General info of Mini-Doodles and Shih-Poo’s<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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                          Gallery of Sold Pups<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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                          Important to Dogs<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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                          Poison to dogs<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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                          Peanut Butter Sweetener ‘Xylitol’ Poison<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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                          Ear Hygiene<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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                          Emergency Dr. Visit or NOT!<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                          When to Take Your Dog to the Vet Immediately \u00a0Knowing when a health problem is a serious concern can be a tough call. Here are 12 times you should take your dog to the vet ASAP. For several years I have worked as an emergency veterinarian. As the title implies, that means I treat emergencies. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-676","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nEmergency Dr. Visit or NOT! - California MINI-DOODLES<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/californiaminidoodles.com\/index.php\/emergency-dr-visit-not\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Emergency Dr. Visit or NOT! - California MINI-DOODLES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When to Take Your Dog to the Vet Immediately \u00a0Knowing when a health problem is a serious concern can be a tough call. 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