In a pet emergency, every second counts. Knowing how to recognise a critical situation and understanding what to do — and what not to do — before reaching the vet can be the difference between life and death. This guide prepares you for the most common emergencies.
General signs your pet needs urgent care
Go to the vet or emergency clinic immediately if you notice:
- Difficulty breathing, very rapid or laboured breathing
- Loss of consciousness or seizures
- Heavy bleeding that won’t stop
- Sudden abdominal bloating (the belly swells and the animal is distressed)
- Paralysis or inability to move
- Pale, blue or white mucous membranes (gums)
- Obvious trauma (hit by car, fall from height, severe bite wound)
- Bloody vomiting or diarrhoea that is persistent and severe
- Severe difficulty urinating or complete absence of urine
Heatstroke
Heatstroke is an emergency that can be fatal within minutes. It is especially dangerous in summer, in hot cars or after intense exercise in the heat.
Symptoms: heavy panting, excessive drooling, weakness, staggering, vomiting, body temperature above 40 °C (104 °F).
What to do:
- Immediately remove the animal from the hot environment.
- Wet them with cool (not ice-cold) water — extreme cold can cause peripheral vasoconstriction.
- Use a fan or create air flow.
- Offer cool water if they can drink on their own.
- Go to the vet even if they seem to recover; heatstroke can cause organ damage that takes hours to appear.
Do not submerge them in ice water or put them in a freezer.
Poisoning
Dogs may ingest toxic substances out of curiosity: human medications, chocolate, grapes, raisins, xylitol, rat poison, ornamental plants, household cleaners.
Symptoms vary by toxin: vomiting, diarrhoea, excessive salivation, seizures, weakness, breathing difficulty, dilated pupils.
What to do:
- Identify what was ingested and in what quantity.
- Call your vet or the national veterinary toxicology helpline before acting.
- Do not induce vomiting unless explicitly instructed by a vet — in some poisonings it makes things worse.
- Take your pet to the vet with the product packaging if possible.
Seizures
A seizure can be frightening to witness. Most last less than 2 minutes.
During the seizure:
- Stay calm.
- Clear nearby objects your pet could hit.
- Do not put your hand in their mouth — a seizing dog can bite without control.
- Time the duration.
- Once it stops, keep them in a quiet, dark, cool place.
See a vet after any seizure, even if the animal appears to have recovered. If it lasts more than 5 minutes or repeats within 30 minutes, it is a critical emergency.
Wounds and bleeding
External bleeding:
- Apply direct pressure with a clean cloth or gauze for 5–10 minutes.
- Do not remove the compress; if it soaks through, add another on top.
- For limb wounds, apply a compression bandage and go to the vet.
Never clean a deep wound with hydrogen peroxide — it delays healing and can be irritating to tissue.
Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV / bloat)
A life-threatening emergency, especially in large and deep-chested breeds (German Shepherd, Great Dane, Labrador). The stomach swells and rotates on itself, cutting off blood supply.
Symptoms: very swollen and hard abdomen, unproductive retching, drooling, extreme distress, weakness.
Action: emergency vet immediately. There are no valid home first aid measures; it requires emergency surgery.
Pet first aid kit
Keep at home:
- Sterile gauze pads and bandages
- Blunt-ended scissors
- Saline solution for cleaning eye or minor wounds
- Rectal thermometer
- Emergency blanket (space blanket)
- Number of your regular vet and nearest 24-hour emergency clinic
How Dogtorcito helps in an emergency
📋 Medical history available in seconds
In an emergency, time is critical. The on-call vet will need to know your dog’s current medications, allergies and past medical history. With Dogtorcito, that information is on your phone, ready to share instantly.
📞 Vet contacts always at hand
Store your regular vet’s number and the nearest emergency clinic in the app. Under stress, you won’t have to search for it.
📝 Log the episode
After an emergency, record in the app what happened, when, and how it progressed. This record is very useful for follow-up care and detecting recurrences.
💊 Post-emergency medication management
After an emergency, dogs often go home with complex medication schedules. Dogtorcito reminds you of each dose so treatment is never interrupted.
Preparation is the best response to any emergency. With basic first aid knowledge and your pet’s medical history on your phone thanks to Dogtorcito, you can act calmly and effectively when it matters most. 🐾
