As a veterinary technician for the last 7 years, I have always been told that a medical emergency is anything that an OWNER considers to be medical emergency because things that are insignificant to the veterinary medical team can be a dire emergency to an animal's frantic aretaker. Be that as it may, diarrhea that has been going on for five days is NOT an emergency to us at closing time! Now, if you want to let your veterinarian's attention, there are a couple of key words that will bring their attention to you like a bird dog on point. Say the ords "trouble breathing" or "hit by a car" and you will have instant scrutiny from your veterinary staff. There are several instantaneous attention getters though, and, descriptiveness is key; trouble breathing, not eating, bloody vomit, inability to urinate, extreme lethargy, hit by a car, seizures, and/or paralysis are all things that will cause the veterinary team's heart to go pitter patter.

An animal that has trouble breathing will do a couple of different things. It is important to observe closely and give a detailed description of what is going on in order for us to better treat your animal. Is your dog sitting with head extended and elbows out? Is he/she making a honking noise upon inspiration? Does he/she seem to be choking or vomiting? Is he/she using the abdomen to breathe? Do the mucous membranes look purple or pale? All of these things are important in order for us to assess whether or not this is an emergency. In the country, it is common for people to say, "I don't know what's wrong with him, but he has been hassling all day!" hassling means panting, but it is not a good enough description to determine whether or not it is an emergency!

Animals that have been hit by a car, whether or not they look fine, should still be looked over by a veterinarian. A pneumothorax is aused by an internal tear in the lungs causing air to leak out and collapse the lung. This, broken bones, internal bleeding, and more can be caused by a car/animal meeting, and sometimes the damage is not immediately apparent. A dog or cat that does not eat for longer than a say is also something that needs to be seen. A fat cat especially should be seen due to the risk of hepatic lipidosis. There is a reason our pet is not eating - please let us find out why!

One of my favorite things is when an owner says to me, "He has been limping for five days now, but he didn't seem like he was in any pain, so I was just waiting for him to stop." Now, just a little clue, but LIMPING is a sign of pain. There is a reason the animal is non-weight tearing in the limb and that would generally be due to pain. Is limping a medical emergency? Not exactly, unless there is a bone ticking out of it. However, if it limps for longer than a day or two, the pet needs to be seen. Conversely, if an animal cannot stand up or use the hind legs, this is a serious problem. Long-backed dogs, like dachshunds, are especially prone to getting back injuries, and time is CRITICAL (within 24 hours) for back or disc injuries.

Ah, the inability to urinate, one of my favorites! A male cat that sits in the litterbox and strains for an hour yet produces no urine, his animal needs to be seen immediately. The male cat is the most likely animal to get a urethral obstruction due to predisposition, improper diet and constriction or blockage of the urethra, however, both dogs and cats of both sexes can and will become blocked due to stones, cancer, etc. Cats and dogs that cannot eliminate waste are slowly poisoned by their inability to excrete byproducts of the bodies' digestive system. Permanent damage can occur including bladder rupture, kidney failure, etc.

Bloody vomit is generally a bad sign. There are many reasons why this can occur, and none of them are good. Feeding your dog ibuprofen will cause this, ulcers, kidney failure (although it usually looks like coffee grounds), etc, are all reasons for bloody vomiting to occur. This is an emergency! If this is accompanied by extreme lethargy, there is a serious problem! Extreme lethargy would be a pet that does not move as much as normal, acts listless, feels cold to the touch, has pale or white gums, etc. If you see any symptoms like this, contact your veterinarian for further treatment options.

Continual seizures or seizures of any length or duration are a dire emergency! When your pet seizures, you will see extended, rigid limbs, paddling, eyes rolled back, loss of control of bladder and bowels, followed by insensitivity to surroundings or extreme confusion. Seizures occur when the muscles are in a continuous contraction or tetanus. This muscle activity is dangerous because it causes the body temperature to rise to lethal levels. I saw a cat recently that was having seizures due to a brain tumor and body temperature upon presentation with twenty minutes of continual seizuring was 107.5 degrees. This is obviously a brain frying temperature!

Now, this article is not meant to replace a veterinarian's advice or care. It is not intended to diagnose or to tell you how to treat your pet in an emergency situation. I am sure that there are other situations in which an emergency situation can arise that I have not covered in this article. Still, the things mentioned above all have the potential to be life-threatening, and need to be treated as such. Your veterinary clinic may not appreciate you coming in five minutes before they close with an emergency, but as long as it's not a "faux" emergency, I am sure they will be happy to get you and your pet taken care of expediently.