Is this an emergency?

Never hesitate about going to the emergency clinic.  If your pet has a problem that is going to keep either one of you up all night, that's an emergency.  The staff at the emergency clinic is glad to have you visit them at any time for any problem, even a minor problem.

If you are in doubt, here is a list of typical emergency situations, in their approximate order of urgency:

Need to be seen right now. 

This is not an exhaustive list of things your pet is likely to die from.  It is a list of potentially fatal situations in which  immediate attention is crucial.

• My pet can't seem to breathe.  His tongue looks bluish.

• My big dog is restless.  He looks uncomfortable and won't lay down. He is breathing fast and kind of hard.  His stomach is hard and seems to be swollen.  He was fine a few hours ago.

• My pet got hit by a car, etc.  He seems depressed.  His feet are cold and his gums seem pale. 

• My male cat sits in his litter box hollering.  He is trying to urinate, but nothing comes out.  When I feel his lower abdomen it seems to hurt him.  

• My pet drank antifreeze, ate rat poison, gobbled a box of chocolate, etc. just now. 

• My pet is having seizures.  They have continued more than thirty minutes and won't stop, or they keep repeating over and over. 

Perhaps not immediately life threatening, but should be seen tonight

• My dog/cat has been trying  to have puppies/kittens for more than an hour. She is squeezing real hard.  Or, I'm seeing dark green stuff but no puppies/kittens. Or, I saw the end of a puppy/kitten poking out a while ago, but it went back in. 

• My pet has been out in the foxtails and  is holding one eye closed.

• My pet has been sick for a while, but now he is getting a lot worse.  He doesn't want to stand up and walk around any more.

• My pet is doing/not doing ( fill in the blank), and I am concerned about it. 

Could probably wait till tomorrow morning if necessary

• My female cat sits in her litter box hollering, she urinates pink or bloody drops of urine in the bathtub and seems uncomfortable.  She is not particularly bothered when I squeeze her abdomen.  See Feline Urinary Problems

• My dog has a seizure.  It lasted a minute or two, and he still acts a little odd but seems ok now.

• My dog was out in the foxtails, and has been snezing hard but seems a little better now.

• My pet started vomiting / diarrhea today, and vomited again tonight, but seems alert and reasonably happy otherwise.  See feline vomiting and diarrhea or canine vomiting and diarrhea.

• My dog has a bunch of ticks and seems weak in his back legs. See tick problems.