In a pet emergency, every second counts. Knowing how to recognise a critical situation and understanding what to do — and what not to do — before reaching the vet can be the difference between life and death. This guide prepares you for the most common emergencies.
10 signs your pet needs urgent care
Go to the vet or emergency clinic immediately if you notice:
- Difficulty breathing, very rapid or laboured breathing
- Loss of consciousness or seizures
- Heavy bleeding that won’t stop
- Sudden abdominal bloating (the belly swells and the animal is distressed)
- Paralysis or inability to move
- Pale, blue or white mucous membranes (gums)
- Obvious trauma (hit by car, fall from height, severe bite wound)
- Bloody vomiting or diarrhoea that is persistent and severe
- Severe difficulty urinating or complete absence of urine
- A known toxin swallowed, even if there are no symptoms yet
Is it an emergency, or can it wait?
Not everything that worries you is an emergency, and not everything that looks mild can wait. This table is a guide, but when in doubt, calling always wins: describing the symptoms over the phone is free, and your vet decides in a minute.
| What you see | Emergency vet NOW | Call and ask today | Watch for 24 h |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breathing | Panting with a bluish tongue, neck stretched out, noisy breathing | Persistent cough, slightly heavy breathing at rest | The odd isolated sneeze |
| Digestive | Vomiting blood, retching with nothing coming up, hard abdomen | More than 3 vomits in a day, bloody diarrhoea | One isolated vomit, and the animal still eats and plays |
| Neurological | Seizure lasting more than 5 minutes or several in a row, collapse | A first seizure that has already ended, disorientation | A one-off tremor after exercise |
| Urine | Unable to pass urine (male cats above all) | Blood in the urine, straining often and passing very little | Drinking a little more than usual |
| Wounds | Bleeding that doesn’t stop after 10 minutes of pressure, hit by a car | Clean, superficial wound, limp that isn’t improving | Small scratch with no bleeding |
| Toxins | Any toxin swallowed, with or without symptoms | Suspicion of having licked a product | — |
If you have a male cat straining to urinate without producing anything, don’t wait: a urinary blockage is fatal within hours.
Heatstroke
Heatstroke is an emergency that can be fatal within minutes. It is especially dangerous in summer, in hot cars or after intense exercise in the heat.
Symptoms: heavy panting, excessive drooling, weakness, staggering, vomiting, body temperature above 40 °C (104 °F).
What to do:
- Immediately remove the animal from the hot environment.
- Wet them with cool (not ice-cold) water — extreme cold can cause peripheral vasoconstriction.
- Use a fan or create air flow.
- Offer cool water if they can drink on their own.
- Go to the vet even if they seem to recover; heatstroke can cause organ damage that takes hours to appear.
Do not submerge them in ice water or put them in a freezer.
Full guides: heatstroke in dogs and heatstroke in cats.
Poisoning
Dogs may ingest toxic substances out of curiosity: human medications, chocolate, grapes, raisins, xylitol, rat poison, ornamental plants, household cleaners. Some products also cause risk through residue or indirect contact, including minoxidil in cats and dogs.
Symptoms vary by toxin: vomiting, diarrhoea, excessive salivation, seizures, weakness, breathing difficulty, dilated pupils.
What to do:
- Identify what was ingested and in what quantity.
- Call your vet or the national veterinary toxicology helpline before acting.
- Do not induce vomiting unless explicitly instructed by a vet — in some poisonings it makes things worse.
- Take your pet to the vet with the product packaging if possible.
Full guide: poisoning in dogs: dangerous foods, plants and products.
Seizures
A seizure can be frightening to witness. Most last less than 2 minutes.
During the seizure:
- Stay calm.
- Clear nearby objects your pet could hit.
- Do not put your hand in their mouth — a seizing dog can bite without control.
- Time the duration.
- Once it stops, keep them in a quiet, dark, cool place.
See a vet after any seizure, even if the animal appears to have recovered. If it lasts more than 5 minutes or repeats within 30 minutes, it is a critical emergency.
Full guides: seizures in dogs: what to do and what not to do and, if several happen on the same day, cluster seizures.
Wounds and bleeding
External bleeding:
- Apply direct pressure with a clean cloth or gauze for 5–10 minutes.
- Do not remove the compress; if it soaks through, add another on top.
- For limb wounds, apply a compression bandage and go to the vet.
Never clean a deep wound with hydrogen peroxide — it delays healing and can be irritating to tissue.
If your dog has bolted after a fright or an accident, having them identified and knowing what to do in the first hour changes the odds enormously: how to stop your dog getting lost and what to do if it happens.
Gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat): the emergency that fools you
This is the emergency that most often arrives too late, because at first it just looks like a restless dog who can’t manage to vomit. The stomach fills with gas and rotates on itself, cutting off its own blood supply and compressing the vena cava. Without surgery, the outcome is measured in hours, not days.
Symptoms: very swollen abdomen, hard to the touch, repeated attempts to vomit with nothing coming up (or only white foam), heavy drooling, extreme restlessness, unable to settle in any position, rapid breathing and weakness.
Action: emergency vet immediately, at any hour. There are no valid home first aid measures: don’t give water, don’t try to induce vomiting and don’t wait to see if it improves. It is emergency surgery, and every hour counts.
Which dogs are most at risk: large, deep-chested breeds, above all from 5–7 years of age onwards.
| Risk | Example breeds |
|---|---|
| Very high | Great Dane, Saint Bernard, Irish Setter, Weimaraner |
| High | German Shepherd, Doberman, Standard Poodle, Boxer |
| Moderate | Labrador, Golden Retriever, and any dog over 25 kg (55 lb) with a deep chest |
How to reduce the risk: split the daily ration into two or three meals instead of one, avoid intense exercise in the hour before and after eating, and use a slow-feeder bowl if your dog eats very fast. If your dog is in the very high risk group, ask your vet about preventive gastropexy, which is usually considered while the dog is already under anaesthetic for another procedure.
Summer emergencies
Summer concentrates a large share of the avoidable emergencies: heat, asphalt, water and open doors. Three guides cover the most frequent scenarios:
- Beach and pool with dogs: drowning, salt water, ear infections and heatstroke on the shore.
- Protecting paws from hot asphalt: at 30 °C (86 °F) air temperature, asphalt can exceed 50 °C (122 °F) and burn the pads in minutes.
- Walking in the heat: timing and warning signs: when to go out and when to turn back.
Pet first aid kit
Keep the left-hand column at home. The right-hand column matters just as much: these are human first aid products that make things worse.
| Yes, keep these at hand | Never use these on your pet |
|---|---|
| Sterile gauze pads and bandages | Hydrogen peroxide on deep wounds (it delays healing) |
| Blunt-ended scissors | Alcohol or iodine on open wounds |
| Saline solution for cleaning eyes or minor wounds | Ibuprofen, aspirin or any human anti-inflammatory |
| Rectal thermometer | Paracetamol (acetaminophen): fatal to cats even in small doses |
| Emergency blanket (space blanket) | Salt or oil to induce vomiting |
| Number of your regular vet and the nearest 24-hour emergency clinic | Human ointments and creams your pet could lick off |
How Dogtorcito helps in an emergency
Medical history available in seconds
In an emergency, time is critical. The on-call vet will need to know your dog’s current medications, allergies and past medical history. With Dogtorcito, that information is on your phone, ready to share instantly.
Vet contacts always at hand
Store your regular vet’s number and the nearest emergency clinic in the app. Under stress, you won’t have to search for it.
Log the episode
After an emergency, record in the app what happened, when, and how it progressed. This record is very useful for follow-up care and detecting recurrences.
Post-emergency medication management
After an emergency, record the dosage, schedule and administered doses in Dogtorcito so you can check them when needed. Dogtorcito does not send automatic alerts; use the alarms or instructions agreed with your veterinarian to avoid interrupting treatment.
Preparation is the best response to any emergency. With basic first aid knowledge and your pet’s medical history on your phone thanks to Dogtorcito, you can act calmly and effectively when it matters most.
Frequently asked questions
When can an emergency not wait until tomorrow?
It cannot wait if there is difficulty breathing, pale or bluish gums, bleeding that won’t stop, collapse, a seizure lasting more than 5 minutes, a swollen and hard abdomen, or a cat straining to urinate without producing anything. In those cases you go to the emergency clinic — you don’t call and wait. For anything else, call and describe the symptoms: your vet decides in a minute.
Can I give my dog ibuprofen or paracetamol?
No. Human anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or aspirin cause ulcers and kidney damage in dogs and cats, and paracetamol (acetaminophen) is especially dangerous in cats, where a single small dose can be fatal. There is no safe home dose: any painkiller is prescribed by your vet. If you have already given it, treat it as a poisoning and call immediately.
Should I make my pet vomit if they have eaten something toxic?
Not on your own initiative. With corrosive products or petroleum derivatives, vomiting burns the oesophagus a second time, and if the animal is drowsy or seizing they can inhale the contents into the lungs. Call your vet or a poison control centre first, with the packaging in your hand, and follow their instructions.
What should I take to the emergency vet?
The health record or medical history, the list of medications and allergies, the product packaging if poisoning is suspected, and a photo or video of the episode if you have one. A video of a seizure is worth more than any description. The full detail is in the guide on what to bring to the vet.
How much time do I have if I suspect bloat?
Hours, not days, and the prognosis worsens with every one that passes. If your dog is large and deep-chested, has a distended abdomen and is trying to vomit with nothing coming up, go to the emergency clinic there and then, even in the middle of the night. Don’t give water and don’t wait to see if it passes.
References
- Merck Veterinary Manual — What to Do in a Dog or Cat Emergency
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Emergency Care for Dogs and Cats
- Merck Veterinary Manual — Introduction to Poisoning
- Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine — Heatstroke: A medical emergency
- Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine — Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) or bloat
- AVMA — Pet emergency care
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control — People foods to avoid feeding your pets
