Emergencies: What to know

Unfortunately many owners at some point have had to deal with a medical emergency for their pet. Having a plan in place can often make it easier to make quick decisions and reduce some of the stress of these scary scenarios.

• Have our phone # available in a visible location. *ask us for a free magnet with our contact information.
• In addition, having your local emergency clinic’s phone number and address written somewhere accessible.

We often get asked what constitutes a true ‘emergency’ for a pet – a difficult question to answer, and ultimately, if you are concerned and feel that it can’t wait, you should seek emergency care immediately. Better to jump on something quickly than to wait too long.

Some general guidelines as to what constitutes an emergency for your pet:

• Anything that you think threatens your pet’s ability to survive (e.g. your pet is unresponsive, your pet is having difficulty breathing, your pet is seizuring and can’t stop, your pet has significant bleeding, your pet has been hit by a car)
• Anything that creates pain/discomfort for your pet that is beyond their level of tolerance – (e.g. if your dog has a limp but seems fairly comfortable and not distressed when resting, it can likely wait until tomorrow. If your dog is crying in pain even when not moving around, it should be seen as soon as possible)
• Anything that you feel will not be stable until the next morning. If you are not sure, often the emergency clinics will be able to advise you by phone on whether the problem can wait or not.

Winnipeg currently has one 24-hour emergency clinic:
Winnipeg Animal Emergency – 400 Pembina 204-452-9427

In addition, there are several clinics that are open full regular hours on Saturday and Sunday:
Centennial Animal Hospital – 204-269-8162

SouthGlen Animal Hospital – 204-452-0077

And finally, don’t panic! The more upset you are the more upset your pet will be and the more difficult it will be to make quick decisions.