A UK vet has revealed six situations in which you should always seek immediate treatment for your pet.
Ben the Vet (who goes by the handle @ben.the.vet on TikTok, where he has almost 210,000 followers) frequently shares videos with information about animal welfare.
In a recent clip, he listed six emergency situations, but noted in the accompanying caption that people should keep in mind that there are situations other than those in the video that require immediate medical attention.
He wrote: “This list is not exhaustive, but every pet owner should be aware of these six scenarios in which you should never delay seeking veterinary advice for your pet.”
Beginning the video, Ben said, “Here are six scenarios in which you should always seek urgent veterinary care for your pets.”
He then described the six conditions, saying what they were, before explaining why they can be so dangerous.
Anyone who notices any of these behaviors in their pets should seek “immediate” veterinary advice, the video emphasizes.
1. Urinary obstruction
According to a veterinarian and TikTok creator, there are multiple situations that require immediate medical attention in animals.
This is when the animal cannot urinate. According to Ben: “This can happen in any animal, but it is especially common in male cats and can be fatal.”
‘The bladder swells, toxins build up in the body and the bladder may even rupture.
“So if they are straining and not urinating, call your vet urgently.”
2. Bloated stomach and unproductive retching.
Speaking in the clip, Ben said: “If you have a large breed dog and they suddenly feel unwell, with a bloated belly and retching, not productive, get them seen urgently.”
It could be (a) twisted stomach.’
3. Ingestion of toxins
If your pet has eaten something poisonous, the veterinarian said, “Never delay contacting the veterinarian, because often the most effective means of treating it is to induce vomiting, so that it throws out the toxin again.”
“But after one or two hours, the toxin will have left the stomach and this is not effective.”
Among his non-exhaustive list of six situations, Vet Ben (pictured) listed toxic ingestion, respiratory difficulties and more.
4. A seizure that lasts more than five minutes
“This is called status epilepticus and can be life-threatening, so your vet will want to see you urgently,” Ben explained in the video.
“Similarly, a pet that has multiple seizures within 24 hours needs to be examined.”
5. Difficulty breathing
According to Ben: ‘You can see that there is more effort in their breathing if they use their belly to breathe (or) if they breathe quickly.
‘If you have a dog and it pants excessively, or if you have a cat and it breathes with its mouth open (…) that is usually a cause for concern.’
6. Major trauma
“This is probably the most obvious one: any kind of major trauma,” Ben said.
‘So (if) your cat is hit by a car, get it seen urgently, even if it seems fine.
“They are extremely good at hiding signs of even serious internal injuries, such as a ruptured diaphragm.” So it’s not worth taking risks.”