How to Treat a Dog Care Emergency

1) Situations of maximum risk: (Require immediate intervention from the veterinarian. The animal's life may depend on it)

• Choking/ asphyxia. The animal gets very nervous, coughs repeatedly or throws its legs in its face: the gums appear pale, turn purple, and the lip inflates as well as the face and other parts of the body.
• Collapse. The animal loses its balance, moves randomly in circles.
• Difficulties giving birth. The female doesn't give birth after 90 minutes the last puppy was born, tries by all means to expel it, looks exhausted after several attempts and seems to give up trying.
• Sharp pain. The animal remains in a corner, unwilling to move, totally bristled back hair (from the neck to the tail), much arched back, rejects human touch, trembles.
• Poisoning. Variable symptoms depending on the agent that's causing it.
• Hyperthermia (extreme warmth). Continuous panting, temperature above 39, 5°C, unconsciousness.
• Hemorrhage. Massive blood loss after a cut or a wound happens, blood vomits, diarrhea with blood, urine with blood, main haematomas.
• Bites/ stings. Any in an allergic animal. Swollen body parts, urticary, gums that look pale, and turn purple, agitation, salivation, panting, loss of balance, unconsciousness.
• Piometra. Diarrheas, high fever, persistent panting, plenty of thirst, nervousness, difficulty to seat, loss of mucus, arched back.
• Burns. Whatever the chemical product is that produced them and/ or by contact with fire, electricity, etc.
• Thirst. Either when the animal looks unwilling to drink or after drinking vomits the liquid, or when the animal gets near the liquid bowl and seems unable to drink.
• Body quakes. Muscular quakes, exaggerated reaction to any sort of stimulation.
• Stomach torsion. Abdominal area appears swollen, unable to vomit even when it's clear the animal wants to, panting, salivation, sharp pain.

• Anorexia or loss of appetite. When prolonged for more than 24 hours and always that it's accompanied by pain.
• Limping. Any strong limp, accompanied or not by other locomotive difficulties.
• Diarrhea. Whenever there's an acid or rotten smell, presence of blood or a very dark color, greenish, yellowish or orange.
• Difficulties giving birth. If the dog doesn't expel the same amount of afterbirths as puppies born.
• Difficulties to urinate/ defecate. Repeated attempts in vain to urinate and/ or defecate, with or without signs of pain.
• Respiratory difficulties. Hard breathing accompanied or not by coughing, agitated breathing.
• Wounds. Whatever the kind, biting, stings, something that's stuck in your animal, whenever there's a chance of getting tetanus, when any previous wound appears swollen or red.
• Hypothermia. Body temperature below 37, 8°C, or any body part that doesn't go back to normal body temperature after 2 hours.
• Eyes. Swollen eye lids, semi closed or closed, dry eyes, dark cornea.
• Hives. Becomes red, with or without small dots appearing, probable hair loss in affected areas.
• Vomiting. Continuous, with pain manifestations, accompanied by lethargy.3) Situations that require waiting. (24 hours to check evolution and symptoms)

• Anorexia. Whenever other symptoms are absent.
• Limping. Whenever other symptoms are absent.
• Diarrhea. Whenever other symptoms are absent.
• Vaginal discharge. Whenever other symptoms are absent.
• Itching. Whenever other symptoms are absent.
• Thirst. Specially when accompanied by poliura, and whenever other symptoms are absent.
• Vomiting.Whenever other symptoms are absent

What to do in case of unconsciousness/ shock