Recognising a pet emergency: when to call a vet vs go straight in
A 60-second decision tree: when is "wait and see" wrong, and when is it the only sensible move?
Go to the vet now
- Difficulty breathing, blue gums, collapse.
- Unproductive retching with a swollen abdomen (suspect bloat in deep-chested dogs).
- Suspected poisoning — chocolate, grapes, xylitol, ant bait, antifreeze.
- Heatstroke signs: heavy panting + bright red gums + stumbling.
- Seizure lasting > 3 minutes or multiple seizures in 24 hours.
- Open fracture or severe bleeding.
- Pale gums (could mean internal bleeding).
Wait an hour, watch closely
- One isolated vomit with otherwise normal behaviour.
- Slight limp with no obvious injury.
- Refused one meal but drinking water.
UAE emergency vet contacts
Keep your regular vet's emergency number saved AND a 24-hour vet number — Dubai has several. Have your car keys ready.
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