Riverside Animal Hospital North
Emergency Veterinary Care
How to Tell if Your Pet is Having an Emergency:
Not all pet injuries and illnesses require emergency vet services. However, if your pet is experiencing any one of the below pet health emergency symptoms, please call or visit our animal hospital right away:
Not breathing or visibly struggling to breathe
Unresponsive or unable to rouse
Obvious broken bone
A visible, deep, open wound with excessive bleeding or visible bone
Anaphylactic shock
Heatstroke
Unable to get up after collapsing
Gums or tongue are either bright red or blue
Bite or sting from a venomous snake or insect or that is causing a severe reaction
Bite from a stray animal or any animal whose vaccination history is unknown
Sudden paralysis of the back legs, particularly in cats
Seizures that last longer than a couple of minutes or multiple seizures in a row, or the first seizure in your pet
What to do in a Pet Emergency
If your pet is currently experiencing an emergency, follow these steps to keep your pet safe and give them the best possible chance at a full recovery:
Remain as calm as possible. If you panic, you may forget something or even cause your pet to feel more stressed and scared than they probably already are.
If your pet is in an unsafe location, such as in the road or near a dangerous animal, carefully move them to a safe spot. Try not to move your pet more than is absolutely necessary, as too much movement may worsen their injuries.
Contact us at (212) 865-2224 right away. Let us know what is going on with your pet so that we know what to expect when you arrive.
When in doubt, take your pet straight to our hospital. We can help you assess the situation and make sure that your pet gets the care they need.
