Your emergency vet in Waldorf understands how frightening it is to see your pet suffering a medical emergency. That’s why our urgent care veterinary center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide treatment for a sick or injured pet. But how does a pet owner know when to bring their pet in for emergency care?
Ingestion of Toxic Substances
Unfortunately, many chemicals and toxic foods have attractive smells that encourage pets to take a lick or bite of them. If you think your dog or cat may have consumed something toxic, bring your pet to our emergency vet in Waldorf as soon as possible.
Signs of possible poisoning in pets include:
- Excessive drooling/foaming at the mouth
- Bloody diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Blistering/inflammation on or around the mouth
- Seizures
- Pawing at the mouth
Treatment for pet poisoning involves your vet giving your pet activated charcoal to neutralize toxins and providing supportive care to stabilize vital signs.
Chronic Diarrhea and Vomiting
Although pets will occasionally spit up or vomit one time if they eat without chewing their food properly or feel nauseous after eating something they shouldn’t have, pets experiencing diarrhea and/or vomiting repeatedly over a 24-hour period should be brought to our emergency veterinary center. Vomiting and diarrhea due to gastrointestinal disease, intestinal obstructions or kidney/ liver disease will quickly induce severe dehydration, organ failure, and shock.
Choking/Gagging
Pets choke and gag for a variety of reasons, from having objects stuck in their throats to suffering severe bronchitis, fungal or bacterial pneumonia or even congestive heart failure. Pets may also choke and cough if they are having an allergic reaction to an environmental irritant. Always bring a choking or gagging pet to our center immediately for treatment by our emergency vet in Waldorf.
Hit by Vehicle/Blunt Force Trauma
Blunt force trauma emergencies involve pets getting hit by a car or attacked by another animal. Chest/neck and head injuries are the most common blunt force traumas treated in dogs and cats struck by vehicles or attacked by large animals.
Veterinary Emergency and Urgent Care is available 24/7 to provide emergency vet care. Call our center today at (301) 705-9700 to learn more about common pet emergencies.