What is an Emergency?

If you believe your pet is in an emergency situation please contact your vet or the Animal Emergency Centre on 2915 3999 immediately

What is an emergency?

An emergency is any situation where you feel your animal may be at risk or in a serious condition.
Some common signs that your pet may be in an emergency situation include:

  • Rapid breathing or difficulty breathing, or pale or blue tongue and gums
  • Not being able to stand up, walk around or balance normally
  • Heatstroke, including heavy panting and lethargy after a walk on a hot day
  • Repeat episodes of vomiting or diarrhoea, or a swollen abdomen
  • Shaking, severe shivering or seizuring
  • Eating or drinking toxins, including chocolate, onions, human medications or drugs, poisons, detergents, cleaning products or any other abnormal substance. Please bring the container with you if possible
  • Difficulty going to the toilet, or blood in the urine or stools
  • Bleeding that does not stop after 5 minutes
  • Trauma, such as a fall or accident, even if there are no cuts or bleeding
  • Wounds, including cuts and bites from other animals, including snake or spider bites

What to do in an emergency.

The exact treatment for an emergency differs depending on the exact cause, but in all cases your should do the following:

Airway – make sure your pet can breathe, and there is nothing blocking the mouth or nose that may affect breathing

Bleeding – place pressure with a clean cloth or bandage over any area of bleeding. Keep pressure on the area until the bleeding has stopped, then leave the cloth or bandage covering the area

Toxins – remove any potential toxin or poison from the mouth or coat, and bring a sample and the container if available down to the clinic. Be careful not to contact any dangerous material yourself.

Heatstroke – if you suspect your pet has overheated or has heatstroke, immediately stop any exercise and pour cool water over your pet. Get the animal to a car or taxi (carry if possible) and take them directly to emergency veterinary care.

If you feel that there is a serious emergency we’d highly recommend you contact your vet or the Animal Emergency Centre on 2915 3999 immediately.