As an emergency veterinary clinic, this is probably the question we hear most often. No one likes emergency medical visits of any kind. If we can help it, we always prefer to go to our usual vet who knows us, our pets and is familiar with their health issues.
However, waiting until your vet is open or available to see you isn’t always an option. The challenge is, how do you know? It can be a tough call to make, so here are some ways to figure out the best course of action.
Take It to Search
Keep in mind that an internet search is no replacement for a professional veterinarian’s exam and assessment. However, it may be able to shed a little light on what’s going on. If you search your pet’s symptoms and see that it could be an indication of something serious, then it’ll help you decide your next steps.
Make a Call
Sometimes the best and fastest way to get an answer is to make a call to your regular vet or preferred emergency vet. Do your best to describe the situation in as much detail as possible. Call while you’re near your pet as the person you speak to may have questions that require you to examine your pet. Understand that there’s only so much they can do over the phone, but your description may help them to determine what to advise.
And if your pet ingested something you’re worried about, your first call should be to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control line. They can tell you pretty quickly whether you have a medical emergency on your hands or not.
Is the Issue Serious?
Any issue that compromises your pet’s safety or comfort could be an emergency. But it’s true that some are more urgent than others. Check out our blog, When Does a Pet’s Health Issue Become an Emergency to learn more, but here’s a quick reference to which issues are more likely to require a trip to the emergency vet:
- Breathing and respiratory issues
- Pale gums
- Vomiting or diarrhea that continues
- Blood in stool
- Traumatic accident
- Ingested a foreign object or toxic substance
- Major changes in eating habits
- Difficulty urinating
Duration of Symptoms
For some issues, it matters how long you’ve noticed something going on. For example, if your cat vomits one time, it’s probably not something you need to rush to the emergency vet for. However, if they’ve been vomiting regularly over the course of 24 hours, then it could be a serious situation.
Err on the Side of Caution
If you’ve gone through the steps described above and are still feeling worried, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Remember that you may have to pay a bit more than you would for a regular vet visit and you could end up waiting around for a while, but this is all normal with any emergency veterinarian you visit. Just like at an ER, we see pets in order of the severity of their condition. Bring along a book or tablet and be prepared to wait if there are other patients there whose issues are more serious.
Here’s how we think of it – you may regret waiting until the morning to visit your regular vet. And while there’s a chance your pet’s condition isn’t an emergency, the worst-case scenario is you get to hear that from a veterinarian and know you didn’t take a chance with your pet’s health.
