I have lost count of the amount of hours I have spent at the Animal Emergency Services at Underwood over the past 18 years. It is very distressing when we need to rush our pets to the vet, now knowing what is wrong with them.

Emergency visits are expensive and the waiting time can be long which just adds further stress to our already distraught minds.

Thankfully I have only had to take 2 guests to an Emergency vet in the 11 years we have been pet sitting, because just like people, accidents & illness can happen at any time.

Only this Saturday morning I had to take my beautiful girl Latte to them after she couldn’t walk and was all wobbly. I didn’t hesitate and jumped straight into the car with her. And I think I cried for most of the 2-hour wait time as I was sick with worry and feeling particularly emotional as I am still grieving for my girl Tia.

So, I thought it was a good idea to address the issue of emergency vet visits.

When to take them?

The severity of issues varies and a little diarhorrea or vomit might not require a trip to the emergency vet (unless it continues, and you are worried about them getting dehydrated which is a real risk). The thing to remember is that you know your dog better than anyone so you know what their ‘normal’ looks like.  You need to make the decision if they need to go based on the symptoms and the severity. Are they bleeding? Are they eating OK? Are they distressed?  Is it urgent or can it wait until your normal vet opens? Listen to your instincts or even call the emergency vet as sometimes they can offer advice to help you.

Try and stay calm

This is easier said than done as our initial response is to panic. I try and do some deep breathing on my way and reassure my dog that it’s OK and we are going to get them help to make them feel better. Remember that dogs pick up on your energy. You also need to be clear and calm when you communicate the issue to the vet nurses on arrival.

They will need to know what has happened, what medications they might be on, when the problem started, other medical issues they might have. So be prepared to answer those questions as this will help them treat your dog.

The consultation

Often they will take your dog to get the vet to triage (examine) them initially. During the consult they will explain what the issue is (if they know) or give you several options of the potential problem. This can be the most anxious part as you only want to do what is right but you also need to take into account the costs involved. You need to always think about what is best for your dog.

Take a step-by-step approach

In my experience, the vet will often mention costly procedures like ultrasounds, blood tests and MRI’s which all sounds scary and overwhelming as you don’t want to make the wrong decision. I try to take a step-by-step approach. Let’s do X first and see if they help then we can look at doing Y.

Example: They wanted to do a blood test on Latte which was quoted at $700. I asked if perhaps I could take her to her normal vet which costs around $250 and they said that was fine. However, her normal vet couldn’t see her if until later that morning and the blood would need to be sent away and we wouldn’t get a result until Monday which meant 3 days of no treatment. So, I decided getting the blood test and fast results was a better option so we could start her on the right medication immediately.

On other occasions doing an ultrasound made sense due to the nature of the issue they were suffering so consider that also.

Post visit

Of course the focus is going to be on your pooch as you bring them home and give them lots of TLC. Always follow the vets instructions and be sure to keep a very close eye on them so ensure they are calm and getting the rest they need.

But remember to also take care of yourself as you need to be strong enough to take care of them. If needed a mental health day after Latte’s recent visit as it was a shock on top of still grieving and it felt like a lot to handle.  So, I gave myself a break too (and lots of puppy cuddles helps with that).

Pet insurance

I recommend pet insurance as it can be very costly when your dog gets injured or sick and especially as they get older. We never had it with our previous dogs Nike, Harley and Jazz. They all developed illnesses towards the end of their life and we estimated we spent about $25K on vet visits and medicines that they needed.

When we got Tia, Latte & Neo we decided insurance was the way to go and it makes a difference when you need to visit the emergency vet. Every policy is different though so check your policy for inclusions.

Visiting the emergency vet is distressing so hopefully sharing my experience, can help you just a little if you ever find yourself in that situation (which I hope you don’t).

NB: This is based on my personal experience and is general in nature. I am not offering medical advice and you should always consult your vet and medical professionals if you your dog is injured or sick.