Emergency or not!

I know, if we have a pet that we love, anytime our pet becomes ill, we think that it is a medical emergency that demands immediate veterinary medical assistance.The following is a summary of conditions considered to be emergencies and those that are not.{{more}}

Emergencies: These situations that in my opinion require immediate attendance.

• Poisonings: These cases are quite easy to detect.One moment the animal is healthy and happy and the next is voilently ill. There could be vomiting, foaming at the mouth, muscular tremors, convulsions, rapid or difficult breathing, diarrhoea among other signs. Generally, there is a history of poison being set for pests like rats. The animal may have escaped during mating season or a neighbour may have treatened to poison them for one reason or other or a thief wants to get into your house unrestricted.

• Vehicular accidents: If an animal has been involved in a vehicular accident, depending on the severity, it could be classified as a veterinary medical emergency. If it is just a scrape, you will notice that the animal is using all of its legs and is not in any visible distress. On the other hand however, if an animal had been involved in a serious accident, there could be single or multiple broken bones, the animal could be knocked unconcious, there could be bleeding from the mouth and other orifices, or there could be massive internal bleeding, manifested by pale gums and mucous membranes.On ocassion, the eyes could pop out of the socket in which case, if the animal is seen by a veterinarian promptly and if there is no damage to the eye, it can be successfully repositioned and the animal could regain sight in that eye. On the other hand, if it is not seen to urgently, the eye may have to be surgically removed.

• Hemorrhage: or severe bleeding, caused by a cut or laceration to the body that involves one or more blood vessels.Some of the common causes of these injuries are: dog bites; wounds inflicted by malicious persons intending to fatally injure your pet; accidental injuries. In these instances,the animal owner should evaluate the situation carefully.

• If the animal was involved in a fight with another animal, and there are multiple wounds to the body that are bleeding profusely, then of course it is a veterinary medical emergency.

• In such cases, try to stop the bleeding before taking the animal to the vet. If the injury is low down on the extremity, try tying a bandage two or three inches above the wound. This should be done tight enough to stop or greatly reduce the bleeding. If it is higher up on the leg or on the body of the animal a pressure bandage should be applied directly to the wound to stop the bleeding.

• If there are a few bites with minimal or no bleeding, then that will not be classified as an emergency.

• I will not consider an epileptic seizure to be an emergency, as the animal starts to convulse, looks like it is dying, but in a few minutes,the symptoms disappear. The animal appears exhausted and weak, but gradually regains its composure. These cases are treatable with daily medication, and even though this condition generaly remains with the animal throughout the rest of its life, it is controlled with medication and the animal could live a relatively normal life.

For further information, contact:
Dr. Collin Boyle Unique Animal Care Co. Ltd.
 Tel: 456 4981
Website: www.uniqueanimalcare.com