As a general practitioner we see routine appointments every day. Some days we have no emergencies and some days we have many, which really keeps us on our toes. But what is a genuine Veterinary emergency? The answer to this depends on who you are asking. Sometimes an owner’s perception of an emergency is very different to ours. Owners can deem something as non-urgent, where we would class it as urgent, and conversely some clients class some things as emergencies when we do not.

Genuine Veterinary emergencies - need to see ASAP

• Collapse

• Choking

• Inability to urinate

• Difficulty breathing

• Road Traffic accident

• Excessive bleeding

• Eaten a toxin/poison - for example - Chocolate, grapes, onion, raisins, medicines, chewing gum - if in doubt call and ask!!!

• Seizure that doesn't resolve after 5 minutes

• Acutely swollen abdomen

• Dystocia (inability to give birth, puppy stuck, unproductive contractions)

• Non-weight bearing lameness

• Rabbits - not eaten or passed faeces for 12 hours

We would always advise it is better to call and ask for advice if you are not sure. We would much prefer to see something earlier rather than you waiting for a few hours to then be in a situation where we would have been able to treat the animal better if we had seen it earlier.

Our Vets and Nurses are experienced in knowing what needs to be seen and when, and our reception team can always seek advice from the wider team when deciding if an animal needs to be seen straight away if they (and you) are unsure.

In summary - if in doubt, call us and we can advise accordingly.

For a Veterinary emergency, please see our page for Emergency and Out of Hours Provision.