What should someone do if they think their dog is having an emergency?
If you think that your dog has an emergency, you can call us or go online and make an appointment. There are numerous dog emergencies that need to be addressed as soon as possible.
Can you tell us about some specific emergencies?
Definitely hemoabdomen or internal bleeding into the abdominal cavity. It's one of the most common emergencies that we're dealing with on a daily basis. A couple of things to look for at home: usually, your dog can either pace around because of changes in their blood pressure, or they can be very lethargic and stay in cold places, basically just laying down to the ground. You will see the abdomen acutely getting bigger. We can check gums as well; they will be pale, almost like a white wall. A dog can experience tachypnea, or very rapid breathing. One of the common symptoms for a dog to have is vomiting, diarrhea, and hematochezia, or a lot of blood in the stool.
What might these symptoms indicate?
A lot of dogs will experience these clinical symptoms for ingestion of a foreign body or anaphylactic shock because, again, a lot of dogs will have inflammatory mediators released, which momentarily are going to work in the gastrointestinal tract and will cause signs of vomiting and diarrhea as well as collapse. A lot of dogs, they don't know that they're not supposed to eat socks or underwear. So that's why a lot of them will be experiencing vomiting.
Is there anything owners can do at home?
We're usually recommending to have something like Benadryl. However, a lot of emergencies cannot be addressed at home. It's better to bring them to qualified professionals. We’re dealing with a lot of life-threatening emergencies here and the sooner they're addressed, they link to a better outcome for your pet. So, in other words, the faster you bring them to us, the faster we diagnose them and start treating them, the best outcome in survival rate.
Can you explain how CPR is performed on a dog?
CPR on a dog is a very involved process. Usually, at least five to seven people are involved. CPR includes placement of the intravenous catheter as well as intubation of the pet and chest compression, similar to human beings. After emergency protocol is implemented, we'll start usage of the emergency drugs like Atropine, Epinephrine, and Dopamines. You can do both.
What should owners do while bringing their dog to the hospital?
Our advice is to bring your dog to us and while you're on the way, you can give us a call so our emergency team can set up for an emergency. We can take your dog right away to the back and start implementing emergency protocols.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (703) 256-8414, or you can email us at [email protected]. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram