When to Seek Emergency Care for a Limping Pet
Usually, veterinary treatment for your pet’s lameness can wait until the following business day. But, if your pet is limping, you should go right away to the nearest emergency veterinary hospital.
Pets with lameness symptoms needing urgent care
Go to the hospital emergency room if your canine companion exhibits any of the following symptoms:
- dragging a branch
- not putting pressure on a limb
- extreme lassitude
- continuous bleeding
- increased swelling
- a lot of vocalization
- sudden deterioration of a limp
In addition to alarming symptoms like vomiting or diarrhea, your pet may need emergency treatment for the underlying problem rather than just the limp.
Pet lameness issues that need immediate attention
Pets can become lame for a variety of causes, some of which require prompt medical attention. Although a muscular strain or sprain should be taken seriously, you do not need to head straight to the nearest emergency room. Nonetheless, some conditions do necessitate urgent attention, such as:
- a broken limb
- the paralysis of one or more limbs or paresis
- a huge or deep wound that is not healing
- a snake or venomous insect bite
- an auto collision
- dog fighting
Even though some of these circumstances might not seem to cause much harm, they could cause inside problems that need to be treated. For instance, you might believe that your pet who was hit by a car and just has mild limping and road rash is fine, but a thorough examination may discover damage to their liver, spleen, kidneys, or bladder, necessitating severe hospitalization.
A further scenario that frequently necessitates emergency care is a pet that has been bitten by another animal. Little holes are left by punctures, yet the wounds spread infection very quickly. Furthermore, a pet that grabs and shakes your animal might seriously harm the underlying tissues, which can quickly escalate into a serious condition.
It can be challenging to decide whether your four-legged pet now has three legs and needs emergency attention. Hence, give our staff a call to discuss your pet’s condition so we can let you know if they require emergency care.