Your pet is lethargic or is refusing to eat.These are some of the examples of when you may need to seek emergency veterinary attention: after hours) so you may need to take your pet to an emergency veterinarian.
In some cases, this may occur when your regular veterinarian is closed (e.g. This can be caused by dehydration alone or serious underlying issues such as gastrointestinal obstruction or after ingesting a toxin. Unfortunately, dogs and cats can become very unwell with vomiting or diarrhoea. When should I take my pet to an emergency vet for vomiting or diarrhoea? It may be necessary for your vet to perform blood tests and undertake further imaging such as radiographs or an ultrasound of the abdomen to rule out the more concerning causes. In some cases, your pet may need to be hospitalised and given intravenous fluid therapy for rehydration. Treatment for vomiting and diarrhoea generally involves medications to help reduce nausea and pain and treat the underlying cause. Other causes might be due to ingestion of a toxin, infection from a virus, a bacteria or a parasite, conditions such as pancreatitis, a gastric obstruction from a foreign body and other systemic diseases. This is just your vet’s way of saying your pet has eaten something they shouldn't. One of the most common causes of vomiting and/or diarrhoea in pets is a dietary indiscretion. How serious is cat or dog diarrhoea or vomiting? Is a puppy or a kitten ( any puppy or kitten with vomiting and/or diarrhoea needs veterinary attention).Has had intermittent bouts of vomiting and/or diarrhoea over a period of time.Might have ingested something they shouldn't have such as a toxin.Seems lethargic or has a reduced appetite.Has multiple bouts of diarrhoea or watery diarrhoea.You should seek advice from your vet if your pet: There are times when vomiting and diarrhoea become a little more serious and that's when you need to take your pet to a veterinarian. When to take the dog to vet (or cat) for vomiting or diarrhoea If the vomiting or diarrhoea persists or if your pet seems to deteriorate you should ask your veterinarian for advice and arrange an appointment as soon as possible. There are also prescription gastrointestinal diets available from your veterinarian and these are great for pets recovering from more severe gastrointestinal upsets or for those that require a bland or low-fat diet for longer periods. Steamed chicken without any bones with some boiled rice is an example of a bland diet but this should only be fed short term as it is not balanced and won’t meet all of your pet’s nutritional requirements. In most cases, your pet should recover without a problem. You can then gradually reintroduce their usual diet. It is best to feed smaller sized meals more regularly until your pet is back to normal. It’s a good idea to offer your pet a bland diet for a couple of days following an episode of vomiting and/or diarrhoea. During this time you can offer small amounts of water for rehydration. This is also known as gastric rest and will give the gastrointestinal system a chance to recover. If your pet has one or two vomits or a small bout of diarrhoea you should withhold food for at least six hours (unless you have a puppy or a kitten that is vomiting or has diarrhoea). What you should do at home if your dog or cat is vomiting or has diarrhoea
The truth is, no one likes talking about these reasonably common events, let alone having to clean them up but it’s important to know what to do and when to take your pet to the vet. It’s inevitable that your pet may have a bout of diarrhoea or even an episode of vomiting at some point in their life.