How do you know if you should call an animal hospital? When it’s not obvious to you what is wrong with your pet you might be pondering whether or not it’s something that needs immediate attention or not.
Sometimes pets don’t feel well, just like humans don’t feel well. It’s not always a serious condition that means they are in peril. But because an animal can’t communicate the way a person can with respect to their health, it’s important to watch for signs that you may need to involve a veterinarian. Symptoms could soon escalate, especially if the pet becomes dehydrated or cannot urinate. Here are some signs that you should consider calling the animal hospital to see if they can see your pet quickly.
Lethargy
While your pet might feel active due to a tummy bug or a bit of a minor illness, lethargy can be concerning. Watch for signs of lethargy carefully. Staring off in a daze, difficulty moving around, and lack of reactions to excitement such as treats or toys could be a concern.
Pets & Dehydration
Dehydration is a concern and can happen quickly. If your pet won’t eat when they are unwell, this can be normal but they need to consume water.
Vomiting with Blood
Blood can sometimes come up with vomiting but can be a concern and worth mentioning to your vet.
Diarrhea in Dogs and Cats
Diarrhea can be a concern, particularly if your pet isn’t drinking water. He or she could get dehydrated very quickly. Bloody diarrhea can happen and could be due to an anal fissure because of excessive diarrhea but dark blood in the stool could be a sign of a more serious organ problem and in that case a vet visit is more urgent.
When you have a pet for a length of time you get to know his or her personality quite well. You can often tell when the pet is feeling a little bit down. If it continues or if symptoms seem severe it’s best to be safe rather than sorry by taking your pet to the animal hospital to be looked at by a veterinarian.
Above and beyond the above non-exhaustive list, it doesn’t hurt to get advice. By describing symptoms the vet may recommend you bring your pet in or could tell you that symptoms are not excessively concerning.
Western Veterinary Group has two locations to serve you, including Lomita and Torrance animal hospitals. You can also follow them on Twitter.
