Right at the onset, allow me to document – to prevent any misunderstanding – what an emergency is and what it is not.
For all practical purposes, let us understand that an emergency, relative to a companion animal, can be defined as an unforeseen combination of abnormal life-threatening circumstances, which call for immediate action to defuse the predicament. There must be a pressing need for speedy intervention, without which the consequences of the ailment could be dire. A genuine emergency is associated with a (sudden) serious threat to the body’s normal physiological functioning, such as is likely to require immediate medical attention. For example, a ruptured blood vessel, non-stop vomiting (especially if there is blood in the vomitus), uncontrollable diarrhoea, seizures, and unconsciousness.
It is important that you also appreciate and understand what conditions emergencies are not. If your pet sneezes twice, please do not get all panicky, and please do not react by calling your veterinarian at 2 am or on a special Public Holiday. Of course, if the sneezing is so intense that the animal is proceeding towards (anaphylactic?) seizures, then it is understandable, admissible, and even compulsory to rouse your vet.
Over the decades of clinic practice, here is the scenario that I confront regularly. Your pet shows symptoms that you feel will soon pass away. As a pet caregiver, you may decide that there is nothing to worry about, assuming that the pet’s innate healing capability will kick in and remedy the matter without any negative consequences. A week or more later, the animal’s condition has visibly worsened and it is almost comatose. You then respond in panic, and it is rushed (almost comatose) to the Veterinary Clinic.
The message here is that your vet will always prefer that you call or visit the clinic promptly. You will be much more comforted if the condition has been diagnosed, and corrected and is not life-threatening. Moreover, your pet’s chances of survival are greatly improved if its evolving health situation is detected earlier rather than later. It is most disturbing for a vet to be presented with a patient who is in a state of respiratory distress, lateral recumbency, and semi-comatose – because the caregiver opted for a wait-and-see attitude.
Here is a list of emergencies that necessitate quick action on the part of the owner/caregiver to prevent the pet from dying,
• Electric shocks
• Obstructed air passages
• Physical traumas (especially when associated with bites/fights/vehicular confrontations, head injuries – sometimes resulting in unconsciousness.
• A prolonged epileptic attack
• Poisonings (toxic encounters)
• Burns
• Suffocations (drownings; inhalation of smoke/toxic gases)
• Snake and insect bites, contact with frogs – especially those that lead to severe anaphylactic shock.
The greatest emergencies are the ones that cause the heart function and breathing to be severely compromised (or to cease altogether)
During the following weeks, the Pet Care Columns will be dealing with the prevention and treatment of genuine emergencies, especially those interventions that the caregiver can administer even as he/she contacts the veterinarian – preferably without panic and exhibitions of emotional drama.
