Pet Connection: Pet emergencies: When to go or stay

Three-day holiday weekends are busy times at veterinary emergency clinics. While most of the animals who'll end up in emergency care over the Fourth of July weekend will be there because they should be, others have problems that could probably wait until the regular veterinary hospital is open again.

If you're not a veterinarian yourself, it's sometimes hard to tell a mild health problem from an emergency. But every day, people spend money they didn't need to for emergency clinic trips they didn't have to make. Knowing what's a true emergency and what's not can save you hundreds of dollars, since emergency clinics -- like human emergency care -- can be quite expensive. And it'll also help the emergency clinics take of the pets who truly need urgent care.

The first thing to do is figure out what you'll do if your pet has a medical emergency at night or on the weekend. That means calling your veterinary clinic or hospital now and asking about emergency or after-hours care. If your veterinarian refers clients to an emergency clinic after regular business hours, be sure you know which clinic it is, what the phone number is and how to get there.

With summer's big holiday at hand and lots of veterinarians closed for the three-day weekend, we want to revisit those problems that are definitely an emergency, in hopes of saving some lives.

You should be heading for the emergency vet if your pet has any of the following problems:

• Seizure, fainting or collapse.

• Eye injury, no matter how mild.

• Vomiting or diarrhea -- anything more than two or three times within an hour or so.

• Allergic reactions, such as swelling around the face, or hives, most easily seen on the belly.

• Any suspected poisoning, including antifreeze, rodent or snail bait, or human medication. Cats are especially sensitive to insecticides (such as flea-control medication for dogs) or any petroleum-based product.

• Snake or venomous spider bites.

• Thermal stress -- from being either too cold or too hot -- even if the pet seems to have recovered. (The internal story could be quite different.)

• Any wound or laceration that's open and bleeding, or any animal bite.

• Trauma, such as being hit by a car, even if the pet seems fine. (Again, the situation could be quite different on the inside.)

• Any respiratory problem: chronic coughing, trouble breathing or near drowning.

• Straining to urinate or defecate.

Although some other problems may not be life-threatening, they may be causing your pet pain and should be taken care of without delay. Signs of pain include panting, labored breathing, increased body temperature, lethargy, restlessness, crying out, aggression and loss of appetite. Some pets seek company when suffering, while others will withdraw.

When in doubt, err on the side of caution, always. Better to be dead wrong about a minor medical problem than to have a pet who's dead because you guessed wrong about a major one. If you're not sure what to do, call. The veterinarian may need to see you, now.

Keep your pet cool when it's hot

The temptation to take a pet along to holiday gatherings can be great, but the danger posed by heat can be greater. Dogs -- especially those with short, broad muzzles -- don't handle heat well and can overheat to deadly levels in just a few minutes. If your dog shows signs of heat stress -- rapid, frantic panting and glassy eyes -- get him to a veterinarian immediately for emergency care.

Swimming is a great way for dogs to stay cool, but remember that not all dogs can swim (dogs such as bulldogs sink like rocks), and even a pet who's an enthusiastic and strong swimmer can get into trouble if pushed to exhaustion or if caught in dangerous currents.

If you do take your pet along, keep an eye on him to make sure he's not getting into trouble. For many dogs, staying home is probably the better option. -- Dr. Marty Becker

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About the writer:

• Pet Connection is produced by a team of team of pet-care experts headed by veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books. E-mail them at petconnection@gmail.com or visit www.petconnection.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/spadafori