When you develop a relationship with a vet, one of the first things you will be advised on is preventative care for your animal. Although Country Durham has emergency vet services, there are things that can be done to help your pet remain healthy and prevent an emergency from occurring. Keeping your animals on a good diet and having regular annual check-ups that include full dental care could greatly reduce the number of emergency situations that occur. However, accidents do happen, and this is when it’s important to have a relationship established with an emergency vet who knows your animal’s history and will be able to respond immediately.
Signs to look out for to decide whether an emergency vet in Country Durham is needed
The most frustrating thing for animal owners is that they can’t have a conversation with their pet to find out where it hurts or what might have happened to them. You can see distress but you don’t know if they’d been stung by an insect, have imbibed poison, or have heatstroke, among a wide range of possibilities. With dogs, checking their gums is always a good way to start. If, instead of being a healthy pink colour and moist, your dog’s guns are blue, grey or even red, you are already alerted that something is wrong. Just like with humans, if an animal has a rapid or very weak pulse or is breathing rapidly, this is a sign of distress.
Other signs are more obvious – if an animal has difficulty standing or loses the use of its back legs, this would always indicate an emergency situation. Any bleeding after a fight or from an internal condition would require an immediate visit to an emergency vet. Animals are all known to vomit from time to time, but if vomiting or diarrhoea becomes persistent, this can lead to dehydration, which is a far more dangerous condition and will definitely require quick treatment. Trouble with breathing should have you reaching for the phone as soon as possible, as this is something that will need urgent and instant attention. You can click here to get more information.
The protocol when visiting an emergency vet
If you have already built up a relationship with a veterinary practice, you will know who to call. Many vets remind their clients that they are a phone call away. Sometimes an animal owner is worried that something might be seriously wrong, but a call to a vet and a discussion of symptoms will put their mind at ease that the condition is not life-threatening. If there are several vets working together in a clinic, it is likely that they operate an on-call rotation, and then there will be an emergency number that can be called. Animal owners are always advised to keep the relevant number in a place where it is easily accessible, as panic can cause confusion and forgetfulness.
If you are caring for an animal that is injured or sick, you may need the services of an emergency vet in the County of Durham. Ashfield Veterinary Surgery is in County Durham and has trained veterinary surgeons and nurses available 24 hours a day.