We all hope that we’ll never have to face an emergency situation involving our pets, but unfortunately, pet emergencies do happen, as I’ve seen with several people over the past week. We never know when our pet might have an accident, be injured or become suddenly unwell (for example unable to breathe easily, or having continued vomiting).
If you are unsure about what constitutes an emergency situation, click here for a good guide from the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association.
Even if you aren’t sure if it’s a full on emergency, it’s always wise to get a veterinary opinion, sooner rather than later.
It’s also wise to be prepared and to have a plan in place. Something as simple as knowing the route to the out of hours clinic could be the difference between life and death.
So, here are my recommendations for dealing with a pet emergency.
Contact your vet immediately.
Have the number for your veterinary practice on your phone, in the house and with any pet sitters. Better still, have the contact number for your vet’s ‘out of hours’ services as well. It could also be useful to have numbers of other local practices, just in case. As I said earlier, it’s wise to know the locations of any out of hours clinics, as the last thing you want in an emergency is to be unsure of where to go (or mind finds it hard to take in information when we are in a panic).
If you ring your vet and get through to voicemail, do you have another number available?
Know how to administer First Aid.
Even if you call a vet straight away, it’s of huge benefit to know how to administer First Aid to your pet. You could be the only person at the scene of the incident. Last year I asked Pet First Aider Shannon Nicholson to write this blog post about the topic, which lists worldwide resources for learning Pet First Aid. You can buy Pet specific first aid kits for your home and car. It’s a really smart move to do so.
It’s also worth learning about how to handle a sick animal. We may want to cuddle them better, but sometimes that is not the best approach. As this post by the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Foundation) shows, pets can act unpredictably when scared or in pain. (Later on I’ll look at one way to help ease their distress).
Learn how to calm yourself and your pet.
As I said above, when pets are in pain or in shock your usual methods for calming them may not work. Also, you are likely to feel shaken up also. That’s why in this week’s video I demonstrate how to use EFT tapping to help relieve shock and the effects of trauma, for both of you.
The video also shows you how to use it subtly in busy environments, such as waiting at a veterinary practice.
Important reminders.
Be prepared. Have those numbers to hand.
Learn about how to do pet First Aid.
Consider getting insurance if you haven’t already.
Emergencies can be costly and having pet insurance allows you peace of mind to know the cost is covered.
Keep as calm as possible.
Do the tapping, breathe deeply and consider having an emergency bottle of flower essences, such as Rescue Remedy, on hand (I discussed the calming effect of Flower Essences here last month).
Over to You.
Do you have any special tips or stories of how you dealt with a pet emergency?
Are you cool and collected or do you ‘go to pieces’ when there’s a crisis with your pet?
Do let me know if the comments section below and if you tried the tapping, tell me if it helped. Thank you.
My story: By the way, I can hold my hand up and safely say that I have a history of panicking and being quite useless in emergency situations. That’s one of the reasons I adore the tapping. It’s a quick and easy way for me to relieve any feelings of panic and think more clearly should an emergency arise.
When my Elvie had his accident in 2013 (which led to amputating most of his tail and one back leg). I was able to sit calmly, tapping gently for him and me, while waiting to take him to the vet.
I love your admission of how you have been like us…scared witless at times, and how EFT tapping has been your go to tool. Being prepared helps us when a spanner is thrown in the works. Love your advice and video tapping. I am so sorry to read about Elvie, but thank goodness you are such a wonderful pet mum and go Elvie all the help and love needed. I just love your natural style in all you do Ferris! You are so wonderful at connecting through your work!
Thanks Jul’s. It’s funny that people sometimes expect that I’d be calm and collected in emergencies, and are surprised to find out that isn’t always the case 🙂
Elvie was a wonderful example of how pets just take each moment in their stride. He made a wonderful recovery afterwards. Thanks for your kind words too 🙂
Such a necessary post, Ferris! Your video was incredibly helpful as well. When my husky, Blue had his first seizure, I was at a total loss. I had never had a pet with seizures, and was totally unsure of what to do. I remained calm and took action by calling our vet immediately, but it was still a traumatic experience. As these things never seem to happen at a “convenient” time, your tips are perfect. Blue’s first seizure happened at 10pm at night, so I would have benefited from these tips while I waited for a call back from the vet on call. Thanks for this great post!
oh my goodness, pet first aid! i could definitely have benefited from this training and also ways to calm both me and my pets many times over. i had two cats who got into a macadamia nut cookie overnight (i thought they were both dead when i found them in the morning, but fortunately they didn’t get very much of the poison and both survived). i’ve had two dogs completely covered, head to toe, in porcupine quills (with a few not surfacing for weeks!). and i’ve had a dog who developed epilepsy (and after a year of ups and downs, sadly passed away from one prolonged continuous seizure – the worst thing i’ve ever experienced with a pet). being a responsible pet owner is so important, but especially in pet emergencies. thank you for this essential post.
Wow, you really have experienced your share of pet emergencies April. I’m glad that most of them ended safely (and I can’t imagine how hard it was losing your dog to a seizure).
The more prepared we are, the better our chances of making the best decisions and doing so calmly when emergencies do come up.
Oh! This is an amazing article. I’m going to try the EFT with my boyfriend’s cat, Black Jack, who is petrified of car rides because of a previous trauma. Thank you also for the first aid tips, love them!
I’m so glad you liked this Jovanka and I’m delighted that you’ll be trying the tapping for Jack Black.
I also have a post specifically for travel issues http://ferrisjay.com/pet-happy-to-travel/
It could be helpful too.