Pets are an essential part of your family. You do everything you can to make sure they stay safe, healthy, and happy. However, despite your best efforts, your pet can become injured or sick and need life-saving care. The amount of time it takes to have your pet treated can determine how and if your pet recovers. Naples Coastal Animal Hospital provides urgent and critical care services during normal business hours. Often this is when most emergency hospitals have less staff and veterinary offices are busy.

Equipped with in-house diagnostics and advanced technology, our highly skilled staff will evaluate and treat your pet quickly and compassionately. We are here to provide relief, stabilization, and advanced life support. Patients may be hospitalized throughout the day. If your pet requires overnight care, we will help refer and coordinate stable transfer to an emergency after-hours facility.

Advantages of Our Urgent and Critical Care Services

• No appointment necessary, walk-in accepted. Same-day appointments are available. Drop off options.
• Timely, quality care for your pet.
• Full-service capabilities: in-house laboratory, ultrasound, x-ray, blood work, urinalysis,  dental x-ray, pain management, advanced surgery, fluid therapy, blood pressure support, transfusion medicine, and pharmacy.
• Highly experienced and compassionate staff.
• A positive experience for you and your pet.

Common Pet Emergencies That Require Immediate Attention

Some pet emergencies are quite obvious. For example, a dog getting hit by a car while running across the road or a cat struggling to breathe. In such cases, you’ll contact an urgent care vet. But what about those situations where you’re not sure if your pet requires emergency care?

Below is a brief list of some of the most common conditions that require urgent or critical care services.

• Bleeding: Bleeding that lasts for more than 5 minutes or blood in sputum, excrement, vomit, nose, ears, or mouth is always an emergency.
• Difficulty breathing: If your pet is gagging, has collapsed, or the tongue is turning blue, they may not be getting an adequate amount of oxygen. Also, your pet needs urgent care if they’re choking or coughing uncontrollably.
• Poisoning: Items such as chocolate, raisins, antifreeze, medication, rodent poison, and multivitamins are very dangerous. If your pet has ingested any poisonous substances, call your vet, and bring all packaging material with you.
• Vomiting or diarrhea: Seek urgent care services if your pet has had more than two episodes in a 24-hour period or if other symptoms accompany the issue.
• Heatstroke: Signs include dry tongue, panting excessively, staggering/seizures, dark or bright red gums bloody diarrhea.
• Inability to toilet: Immediately treating pain or difficulty urinating or defecating is important because it could indicate that there’s a blockage in the urinary tract.
• Eye injuries: If there was trauma to the eye, or if you observe swelling, blood, or discharge around the eye, visiting us immediately may save your pet from blindness.
• Trauma: If your pet has been hit by a car, attacked by another animal, or fallen from the roof or higher, immediately bring them in for treatment.
• Difficulty with birth: Your laboring cat or dog has gone more than a few hours between kittens or puppies.
• Refusal to eat or drink for more than 24 hours is an indication of a situation that calls for our urgent care services.
• Seizures or unconsciousness: Urgent and critical care services are crucial if your pet seizes, becomes unconscious, or loses the ability to maintain balance.
• Fever: Call us if your pet has a temperature greater than 103°F.

Also, don’t wait to call us if your pet is experiencing pain, bloat, sudden complications from chronic diseases, snakebite, insect sting, bufo toad ingestion, heatstroke, or a wound deeper than a superficial scratch.

What to do When Your Pet Needs Urgent or Critical Care Services

Having a pet emergency can be stressful, but keeping calm is important for everyone’s safety. Approach your pet calmly and slowly – especially if they’re acting aggressively because of the pain. Keep your fur baby warm and as still as possible. This is particularly important if there are neurological symptoms, spinal injury, or broken bones. A small pet can be put into a carrier or strong cardboard for easy and safe transportation. Consider creating a makeshift stretcher for larger dogs. Since most injured pets become panicked or disoriented, use caution when approaching or touching a sick or injured pet.

Evaluation and Treatment of Urgent Pet Conditions

When it comes to urgent and critical care services, we will always treat the most life-threatening conditions first. When you bring your pet to our offices, our team will make a quick assessment of your pet’s physical condition, request a brief medical history, and make a diagnosis. The vet will evaluate your pet’s breathing, blood circulation, airways, and level of consciousness. We may collect samples of urine and blood for testing. Your pet will be stabilized and treatment procedures will be started.

If you think that your pet needs urgent or critical care services, contact Naples Coastal Animal Hospital at (239) 500-0105. Or visit us for prompt medical attention.