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Emergency Animal Clinics
For quick reference of Canine Health Test Clinics, check out CanineHealthClinics.org
Chandler 1st Regional Animal Hospital ~OPEN 24 HRS~
1233 W Warner 480.732.0018
Gilbert Arizona Veterinary Specialists ~OPEN 24 HRS~
86 W Juniper Ave 480.497.0222
East Mesa 1st Emergency Pet Care ~OPEN 24 HRS~
1423 S Higley, Ste 102 480.924.1123
Mesa
1235 S Gilbert 480.497.0222
Mesa Animal Referral and Emergency Center of Arizona ~OPEN 24 HRS~
1648 N Country Club Drive 480.898.0001
Paradise Valley ~6pm-8am, M-F and 24 hrs weekends & holidays~
6969 E Shea Boulevard 480.991.1845
(Accepts wildlife)
Peoria
9875 W Peoria Ave (W of Loop 101) 623.974.1520
Phoenix ~OPEN 24 HRS~
2260 W Glendale Ave (E of I-17 exit) 602.995.3757
Scottsdale ~OPEN 24 HRS~
14202 N Scottsdale Rd., Ste 163 480.949.8001
Tempe University Animal Hospital ~open 7 days a week~
2500 S Hardy Dr 480.968.9275
AzSPCA 602.246.8280
AZ Equine Medical & Surgical Centre
1685 S Gilbert Rd 480.962.6660
Southwest Equine Medical Surgical Center
6001 E Bell Rd 480.998.3482
The Arizona Humane Society's EAMT
Ambulance for sick or injured strays 602.997.7585 x2073
Animal Benefit Club of Arizona's (ABC) Animal Emergency Services
Newly started program. Donations always welcome! 602.971.0001
Locations Shown HERE
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Is It an Emergency?
If your pet has any of these symptoms, bring in IMMEDIATELY
Symptom: With:
Inability to Breathe Noisy respiration, blue tongue, gasping for breath
Bleeding That Won't Stop From any area - Apply pressure and come now!
Inability to Urinate or Constipation But continues to try
Inability to Deliver Puppies or Kittens Keeps trying or has stopped trying
Sever Pain Continuous with no relief
Vomiting, Diarrhea Continuous or with the Appearance of Blood
Loss of Balance or Consciousness Includes tremors, coma, staggering, blindness, fainting
Itching Continuous scratching, biting, self-mutilation
Penetrating Wounds Any place, but especially chest or abdomen
Poisoning Bring the container or commercial/chemical name
Injury Continuous pain and/or total lameness
Hit by car
Bloat
Any other sign that looks serious!
If your pet has any of these symptoms, bring in TODAY
Symptom: With:
Difficult Breathing With or without cough; eats and drinks; not frantic
Vomiting/Diarrhea Without blood; no pain; no unusual contents
Sudden Lameness No apparent cause
Swallowed Object Even if you THINK pet swallowed it
Severe Itching Continuous; With possible self-mutilation
Strange Odor Usually disagreeable, from any part of the body
Burns Heat; chemicals; Go Immediately if Extensive
Injuries or Lacerations Not severe emergency but will worsen with delay
If your pet has any of these symptoms, it is safe to wait OVERNIGHT
Symptom: With:
Vomiting/Diarrhea No blood; no foreign material; no pain; not continuous
Itching Mild to moderate; no skin damage/bleeding
Lameness Little or no pain; no discomfort in walking
Thirst/Urination Excessive drinking or urination with no
blood/straining/discomfort
Loss of Appetite Skipped one main meal, but no other signs of illness
Most Skin Problems
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How To Save Your Pet's Life by Dr. Karen Halligan Published: June 22, 2008
It can happen in a second. A bone lodges in your dog’s throat or your cat darts into traffic. What should you do? In any emergency, the best thing is to be prepared, stay calm, and make quick decisions. But act cautiously—animals in severe pain or fear may bite. Be sure that you have a fully stocked pet first-aid kit (see box) and that you know where the nearest 24-hour clinic is. Knowledge is power, so take the steps right now to learn how to handle an emergency. It could mean the difference between life and death.
CAR ACCIDENTS
A pet that has been hit by a car needs to see a vet immediately. Internal bleeding is common, and outward signs of distress may not show for several hours. Also, puncture wounds that close rapidly can cause life-threatening infections later on. Enlist someone’s help in moving the animal by sliding a heavy towel beneath it. To avoid being bitten, tie a strip of cloth over your dog’s nose, or cover your cat’s face with a coat.
BLEEDING
Using direct pressure, apply a clean, dry cloth to the wound. If blood soaks through the first layer of fabric, add more so you don’t disrupt any clots that may be forming. Use a tourniquet only as a last resort, and make it just tight enough to significantly reduce the flow of blood. Loosen it every five minutes, and don’t keep it on for longer than 20 minutes. Transport your pet to the vet as soon as possible.
CHOKING
Dogs or cats that are choking may breathe loudly, drool, paw at their mouth, cough, gag, become anxious, or faint. If this happens, gently open your pet’s mouth to locate and manually remove the object. If your pet isn’t breathing and you can’t find what is obstructing its windpipe, perform a modified Heimlich maneuver. With your pet facing away from you, clasp your hands around its waist, just beneath the rib cage. Compress the abdomen three to five times with quick upward thrusts. Repeat as necessary. If that doesn’t work, take your pet to the vet.
LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
If your pet exhibits signs of cardiopulmonary arrest—unconsciousness, a weak or irregular pulse, no heartbeat, and no obvious signs of breathing—begin CPR. The techniques used on humans can be modified easily to work on animals. If possible, enlist someone else’s help—it’s best to perform CPR on your way to the hospital, so that resuscitation can be continued there. Do not attempt it on a conscious animal.
POISONING
Symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, salivation, excitability, difficulty breathing, disorientation, poor coordination, twitching, convulsions, and collapse. Common sources are medications, household cleaning products, rat poison, antifreeze, insecticides, and plants. Not all poisons are treated alike, so if you think your pet may have ingested something dangerous, head to the vet immediately. Try to bring any plant material, vomit, or toxic substances with you.
As you transport your pet to the hospital, provide a cover for warmth and talk in a soothing voice. That way, it’ll know it’s in good hands.
First-Aid Kit
Here are just a few of the items you should have on hand for your pet:
- Phone number and directions for the closest 24-hour clinic
- Tweezers, to remove ticks, burrs, and splinters
- Antibiotic ointment, for wounds
- Gauze bandage and bandage tape
- Wound disinfectant
- Heavy towel or blanket to use as a stretcher
- Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), for allergic reactions
- Sterile saline, for flushing eyes
- Disposable latex gloves
- Muzzle
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CANINE CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION
The steps below are a good reference, but the best way to be prepared is to take a CPR class. The Red Cross provides classes on Dog and Cat first aid. Check out the classes here!
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation is the most important First Aid technique that every pet owner should be comfortable with. Chances are that you will never have to use it, but it will save your pet's life if a ball is lodged in his airway.
There are some very basic steps:
1. Assess responsiveness
2. Establish a patent airway
3. Perform rescue breathing
4. Cardiac massage - establishing circulation
STEP 1 RESPONSIVENESS
The first step is making sure that your pet is truly unresponsive.
1. CHECK his breathing by placing your hand in front of his mouth and nose.
2. CHECK for his heartbeat by placing your ear against the left side of his chest. This is the area where his left elbow touches his chest, immediately behind his left armpit.
STEP 2 AIRWAY
The second step in CPR is obtaining a patent airway.
1. PULL the tongue out of your pet's mouth, but be careful to not get bitten.
2. STRAIGHTEN the neck by moving the head to be in line with the neck. DO NOT HYPEREXTEND IN CASES OF NECK TRAUMA.
3. PERFORM two rescue breaths, by closing the mouth and performing mouth to nose ventilations.
IF they continue, then proceed to step 3. If there are no breaths, then look into the mouth.
4. VISIBLY inspect the mouth and look down the throat for a foreign body. If you see something, reach into the airway and remove it.
5. IF the airway is still not open, attempt HEIMLICH (shown in following steps).
6. TURN your pet upside down, with back against your chest.
7. WITH both arms, give sharp thrusts to the abdomen.
8. AFTER 5 thrusts, stop and check to see if the object is visible in the airway. If so remove it and give 2 mouth-to-nose rescue breaths. If the breaths do not go in, repeat HEIMLICH.
STEP 3 BREATHING
After achieving a patent airway, perform RESCUE BREATHING.
1. CLOSE your pet's mouth and breathe directly into his nose until his chest expands. If the chest doesn't expand then go back to STEP 2 - AIRWAY.
2. VENTILATE at 15 breaths per minute. One BREATH every 4 seconds.
3. PROCEED to step 4.
STEP 4 CIRCULATION
1. ENSURE there are no major points of bleeding. Control as necessary.
2. GENTLY lay your pet on his right side.
3. LOCATE the heart, which is found on the lower half of the chest on the left side, behind the elbow of the front left leg. Place one hand below the heart to support the chest; place the other hand over the heart.
4. COMPRESS the chest 15 times followed by 2 rescue breaths. 3 compressions every 2 seconds. Compress the chest ½ inch for small pets and 1 ½ inches for large pets.
5. EVERY 15 times follow up with 2 rescue breaths. Continue heart massage compressions and the rescue breathing until you hear a heart beat and feel regular breathing. ONCE your pet is breathing and his heart is beating, CALL your veterinarian immediately!!!
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