By 
- Toxic exposure
- Signs of toxic exposure
- Red eyes, pawing at the nose, whining
- Call your vet and follow instructions for rinsing or decontamination; if veterinarian recommends, take to vet or 24/7 urgent care.
- Seizures
- Signs of a seizure
- Uncontrollable shaking of some or all extremities, lethargic, possibly bit tongue
- Do not restrain your pet; place pillows gently around them and move everything that could harm the pet out of the way.
- Make sure to speak to them in reassuring tones. DO NOT MAKE THEM ANY MORE ANXIOUS THAN THEY ALREADY ARE.
- Try and time the seizure if you can.
- Call your veterinarian.
- Keep your pet warm and comfortable after the seizure; they will be slightly lethargic and weak.
- Poisoning
- Signs of poisoning
- Dry heaving, vomiting, diarrhea, foaming at the mouth
- IMMEDIATELY call your veterinarian or Animal Poison Control (1-888-426-4435).
- Have the container/product in hand and gather as much information as you can: name, description, how much pet ingested, and possibly how much time has passed since your pet has ingested.
- Have your pet throw up in a bag or contained; keep and take to vet or 24/7 urgent care.
- Heatstroke
- Signs of a heatstroke
- Fast heart rate, rapid panting, shaking
- Move pet to a cooler environment (preferably indoors) and place cold washcloths around their neck and head. Do not cover nose or mouth. Replace cold washcloths every 5 minutes.
- Call your vet.
- Place animal in cool bath or use hose to rinse over pet.
- Transport the pet to your veterinarian or 24/7 urgent care with extra cold washcloths.
- Choking/Heimlich Maneuver
- Signs of choking
- Coughing noises, difficulty breathing, gasping/anxiously breathing, blue-tinged lips/tongue
- Look into the pet’s mouth to see if the object is visible.
- If visible, try ONCE to sweep the object out. DO NOT LODGE THE OBJECT DEEPER.
- If possible, try and pick up pet by back legs (like a wheel-barrel) and they will naturally try to cough.
- If that doesn’t work, place legs back on the ground and reach around the dog so both of your hands are on the pet’s abdomen (like we would help a human in a choking situation). Compress the abdomen by pushing up with your fists.
- A little “pat” between the shoulder blades could do the trick, too!
*Do not hesitate to EVER call your veterinarian or take your pet to the nearest 24/7 urgent care.
