Douglassville Veterinary Hospital is not a 24 hour emergency veterinary clinic, but we do provide after hour emergency care. This service is only available for our clients. We do not provide emergency response for non clients. If you are a client of our hospital and your pet is experiencing a medical emergency during after hours, please call the hospital at (610)385-4848 and follow the instructions on how to page an on-call doctor.
Below is an informal guideline to determine if your pet is having an urgent problem which needs immediate medical attention. This is only general information and medical decisions should not be based on the information below. If your pet is having an emergency, it is best to bring it to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
1.) Gum color: Check the color of your pet’s gums. Look right above the teeth and make sure your pet’s gums are pink. Pink gums are a sign of good blood flow and proper oxygenation. Abnormal colors are pale, white, or blue. These colors indicate an emergency and your pet should be seen by a veterinarian
2.) Respiratory rate: A normal resting respiratory rate of a dog and cat should be between 15 to 30 breaths per minute. If your pet is having difficulty breathing (ie. labored breaths with increased abdominal effort or increased noise during breathing), a veterinarian should be contacted immediately. Note: Panting in the dog is a normal process which dogs use to cool themselves and does not constitute respiratory distress. Panting in the cat is ALWAYS abnormal and signifies respiratory distress. A panting cat is an emergency and should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
3.) Bleeding: If your pet is bitten or injures themselves, cleaning out the wound and surgically correcting the inury in a timely fashion is important to avoid serious infection and blood loss. Any wound that is causing blood loss warrants immediate medical attention.
Coughing, sneezing, urinating or defecating blood is also a significant emergency in pets. There are several causes for this type of blood loss, but the most important of them all is potential exposure to rat/mouse bait called rodenticide. Rodenticide prevents blood from clotting and if your pet is exposed to this toxin and not treated, they could rapidly bleed to death.
4.) Mentation: This is the mental awareness of your pet. If your pet is overly sedate, walking like they are drunk, or unable to rouse, this warrants immediate medical attention.
5.) Seizures: Seizures are abnormal electrical activity in the brain which can cause loss of conciousness and rigid shaking of all the limbs. Seizures are usually accompanied with urination and defecation. A seizure can be caused by toxins, disease, etc… A seizure is a medical emergency and your pet should be seen immediately by a veterinarian.
Here are a list of things to do if your pet seizures: