When to Take Your Dog to an Emergency Vet

Any pet parent dreads having to take their pet to an emergency clinic. These trips are stressful and expensive. Plus, it’s not always clear if visiting an emergency clinic is the right choice. 

Sometimes, your dog will have an obvious emergency — you may see them bleeding heavily, break a bone, or struggle to breathe. Other times, however, the emergency creeps up on you. And unless someone warns you, you won’t know what’s happened until it’s too late. (Emergencies such as bloat or urinary obstructions can be like this.) 

So it’s best to be prepared ahead of time. Below is everything you need to know about which medical issues are considered emergencies for dogs, as well as how to identify them. 

What is classified as an emergency for dogs?

Any health issue that may result in death — or a significant worsening of the issue if not treated within a few hours — is an emergency for dogs. Emergency rooms may stand alone or be associated with specialty hospitals. 

Dogs who need specialist care

Dogs experiencing an emergency that requires specialist care (such as specialized surgeries, MRI or CT imaging) or suffering from a rare disorder may need emergency hospitals with specialists and specialized imaging services. These emergency vets will usually feature specialty services in their name or be associated with a veterinary school. 

When in doubt, head to your closest emergency vet. You can always transfer to a more specialized facility after veterinary evaluation. 

Dogs who need urgent care

For pets in significant amounts of pain but not irreversibly affected by waiting for care, urgent care hospitals are better choices than emergency rooms. Painful ear infections, injured toes, bleeding wounds that aren’t life-threatening, and dogs who have had seizures but seem stable should contact a nearby urgent care center, which should have lower costs and shorter wait times. 

Previously, you’d have to visit general practice hospitals or specialty hospitals with emergency rooms. But luckily, there are now more options to help avoid long waits when your dog’s condition isn’t critical enough to be seen quickly at an ER. 

What type of emergency care does your dog need?

If you are unsure or overwhelmed, some resources can help you speak with a veterinarian who can advise if your pet needs to go to the ER, urgent care, or can wait for an appointment with your general practice veterinarian. This information is good to keep at the ready, because some veterinary ERs now require pet parents to speak to these services first — as confirmation that the case is an emergency — before heading to the hospital. 

Using a service like VetTriage allows you to video-call with a veterinarian who can perform a telehealth assessment of your pet and decide where they should go for help. They will even find your closest veterinary ER options, make recommendations on locations, and in some cases, call ahead for you.

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When to take your dog to the emergency vet

Here are some of the most common or important reasons why a dog may need to see an emergency vet.

Bleeding

Any significant bleeding that won’t stop requires an ER visit. If the bleeding is arterial (bright red and pulsing or spraying), this is an emergency. Bleeding from an extremity, such as a toe or tail tip, can be bandaged until the next day or warrant a trip to urgent care.

Trouble breathing 

Audible breathing or wheezing, fast breathing, gasping, facial swelling, or choking are all emergencies, and you should get your pup to an emergency vet as quickly as possible.

Foreign object ingestion

If the object was ingested during the previous 30 minutes, it may be appropriate to try to get your dog to vomit up the object. If the object is a choking hazard, is sharp, or was ingested too long ago, then your dog needs an ER visit. 

For help assessing if an object is safe for your dog to vomit up, contact VetTriage. Signs that an object was ingested one or more days ago (and is now causing an emergency) include vomiting (especially when your dog is unable to keep food or water down), straining to defecate, stretching, failing to settle, and rolling on their back. They may whine, pant, drool, or cry as well.

Loss of consciousness

No matter what happened, for how long, or how normally or abnormally your dog behaves afterwards, if they lose consciousness, always take them to an emergency vet. If you’re able, capture a video of the event to show the doctor.

Seizures

Any dog who has a seizure for the first time needs to see a vet immediately, because seizures can be the first symptom of a toxin exposure or other medical emergencies. If your dog has a seizure condition, you should still take them to an ER if their seizure pattern changes. This includes having multiple seizures in one day, having suddenly longer seizures, recovering poorly after a seizure, or if medications administered at home to stop a seizure fail to work. A dog who experiences a seizure lasting longer than three minutes needs to be assessed by an emergency vet.

Severe limps

When your dog cannot bear weight on a limb — especially if the limb shape seems different than before — this may be a severe enough injury for an ER visit. If you can see protruding bone from a wound or break, always go straight to a vet.

Straining to urinate

A dog who repeatedly squats and strains to urinate, but doesn’t pass anything or only dribbles urine, is experiencing an emergency. Take them straight to the closest veterinary ER and try to remember the last time you saw them urinate successfully. This may be just a urinary tract infection, but it can also be a sign of a urinary blockage. 

These infections prevent your dog from peeing by causing urine to build up in the bladder. Left untreated, the bladder can burst inside the abdomen and/or cause irreversible damage to your pup’s kidneys. Do not wait multiple days after you notice symptoms — go straight to the ER. 

Signs of bloat 

A tense, large, or “bloated” belly in a dog who may also be stretching, rolling, getting up and down frequently, whining, burping, vomiting, gagging, or panting may mean that they are experiencing bloat. This is a potentially fatal condition, and your dog should see a vet as soon as you notice signs. It is far more common in large-breed, deep-chested male dogs such as those over 90 pounds, but can happen in any dog. 

Excessive thirst 

A dog suddenly drinking too much water may have a neurological condition, salt poisoning, or have been exposed to a toxin. Get them straight to a vet, because drinking too much water can potentially be fatal.

Severe cuts or wounds

Visible organs or bones, head trauma, amputations, or bites — regardless of whether or not the animal is venomous — all need to be assessed by an emergency vet. You should not wait to have these issues checked. 

Exposure to toxins or medications

Here is a short list of common household toxins or medications that are toxic to dogs. For help assessing if your dog has ingested enough of a substance to be toxic, and for advice on whether or not they need to go to an emergency vet (versus their regular vet), contact the Pet Poison Helpline. It is always best to call the helpline even if you know you are going to the ER. They will provide a treatment report for the veterinarian, so they know what to do to protect your pet from the toxin upon arrival. 

• Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)

• Anti-freeze

• Xylitol

• Chocolate

• Alcohol

• Tobacco

• Marijuana or other recreational drugs

• Garlic

• Onions

• Grapes or raisins

• Ice melt

• Insecticides and pesticides (especially those intended for use in other species)

• Fertilizers

• Rat/mouse bait/poison

• Household cleaners

• Play-Doh or other salt doughs

• Lillies

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How to tell if a vet appointment can wait

In most cases, when your dog is sick, it will be okay for them to wait to see a vet until a general-practice veterinarian is available during business hours. Here are some of the most common signs and conditions that simply require a vet visit at a regular practice.

Commonly asked questions

How do I know if my dog is in critical condition?

If your dog cannot breathe properly, loses consciousness, has repeated seizures, vomits a lot, or is bleeding heavily, they need to see an emergency vet immediately.

What are the signs that my dog is dying?

If your dog shows signs of being critical (like the above), or declines very quickly in minutes or hours, they may be dying or in severe danger. Any illness progressing quickly means your dog needs to go to the ER.

What are the signs, which I might not recognize, that my dog is experiencing an emergency?

A dog who cannot keep food or water down is in more danger (than in other vomiting cases) and needs to go to an ER immediately. A dog with a distended or bloated belly is also always experiencing an emergency. Dogs who try to pee but cannot pass more than small dribbles are also in immediate danger. Lastly, if your dog passes stool that is soft to liquid, fully black, and horrid smelling, this is a sign of bleeding in the stomach. This is an emergency, and they need to go to the ER.

References

“24/7 Animal Poison Control Center.” Pet Poison Helpline, www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

Garcia, Eric D. “Top 10 Reasons Why Pets See a Veterinarian.” Today’s Veterinary Practice, 5 Nov. 2018, todaysveterinarypractice.com/news/top-10-reasons-why-pets-see-a-veterinarian.

“Potentially Dangerous Items for Your Pet.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1 Sept. 2021, www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/potentially-dangerous-items-your-pet.

“VetTriage.” VetTriage, 6 Mar. 2024, www.vettriage.com.