When to Bring Your Pet to the Animal Clinic

Monitor Your Pet for the Following Symptoms

Pain

One of the most common pet emergencies is pain. Pain can happen for many reasons. Common symptoms pets experience are increased heart rates, whining, aggression, panting, and restlessness.

Respiratory Difficulties

Even though it's scary, if a dog has difficulty breathing it means something is going on. If your dog is having trouble breathing it may indicate an allergic reaction, heart failure, blocked lung, or other serious problem. This should be treated seriously, and our pet clinic will be able to help.

Seizures

If your pet has had a seizure, you need to bring them into our animal hospital as soon as you can. Seizures happen when electrical activity in the brain becomes abnormal. Sometimes seizures are isolated, and other times they happen in groups.

Vomiting & Diarrhea

Did your dog eat something they shouldn't have? Their bodies may react in this manner. Vomiting and excessive excreting occurs when a pet has gastrointestinal problems.

Urinating Difficulties

Don't treat this lightly - if your pet is having trouble peeing it could be a result of a kidney stone, blood clot, cancer, or other life threatening symptom.

Coughing & Choking

If you've noticed your pet coughing or choking, make sure they come into our pet clinic to get checked out. Even if the episode clears up, they may have residual respiratory issues or be suffering from a bacterium, virus, fungus, or allergic reaction.

Trauma 

Unfortunately, pets may sustain trauma at some point in their life. If your pet has damaged any of their body parts due to a strike or blow, they need to be seen at our animal hospital.

Toxins 

Uh-oh, do you notice that your laundry detergent is being lapped up? What about your piece of chocolate? Pets, even though they're told not to, often get into toxic substances they shouldn't.

Dog Bites 

Any wound can be life-threatening, and if your pet has gotten into a scuffle with a dog, they need to be checked out. Dog bites do damage to the tissue, muscle, and fat of an animal, and can cause infections.

Refusing to Drink

Our beloved pets drink consistently. If it has been over a day and your pet has yet to drink, bring them to an animal hospital to be seen.  Keeping the water bowl clean is important, but even if the bowl is dirty, your pet would drink from it eventually. If your pet has not drank in over 24 hours it is an emergency situation.

Heatstroke

We all have heard the stories of people leaving their pets in the hot car while they shop or are working. Many of these animals experience heatstroke. If your pet is suffering from heatstroke, bring them to the vet immediately. Some common symptoms of heatstroke are:

• Excessive Panting
• Dry Tongue
• Bloody Diarrhea and/or Vomiting

Burns

There are many possible causes of burns such as a fire, acids, or alkalis. These injuries are not always noticed right away unless you were there when it happened. They are often unnoticed until a scab is formed or there is hair loss in the area because the animal fur can hide it. If you notice a burn on your pet, cool the area by running cold water over it or putting cold wet towels on it. If an acid or caustic substance caused the burn, run cold water over it for 10-15 minutes to help dilute the substance. Then take your pet to the animal hospital.

Contact Our Animal Clinic if Your Pet is Experiencing an Emergency!

If your pet is experiencing any of the symptoms above or just isn't acting like their normal self, please call Reidville Road Animal Hospital right away. Our animal hospital is located in Spartanburg and is a short distance from Roebuck, Boiling Springs, and the surrounding communities. For more information about our services or to schedule a regular wellness appointment, contact us today.