Veterinary emergency services in the Manche (50)

Respiratory Emergencies
 

- Breathing difficulties: rapid, shallow or laboured breathing
- Breathing with the mouth open (especially in cats)
- Bluish or purplish gums or tongue (cyanosis)
- Severe coughing, choking, suffocation
- Excessive breathing not related to exertion or heat

Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Emergencies
 

- Repeated vomiting (more than 2–3 times) or vomiting blood
- Bloody diarrhoea (red blood or black stools)
- A swollen, hard and painful abdomen (risk of stomach torsion)
- Inability to keep down water or food
- Excessive salivation, attempts to vomit without success

Trauma and Accidents
 

- Road accident (even if the animal appears to be fine)
- A serious fall (from a balcony, stairs, or a tree)
- A bite or a fight with another animal
- A deep wound or severe bleeding
- A visible or suspected fracture (severe lameness)

Urinary Emergencies (Life-threatening Emergency)

- A cat that is no longer urinating or goes to the litter tray and meows without urinating (urinary obstruction = a medical emergency)
- Blood in the urine and difficulty urinating
- Weakness accompanied by unsuccessful attempts to urinate

Neurological Emergencies

- Seizures (repeated seizures or those lasting longer than 5 minutes)
- Sudden paralysis or loss of balance
- Sudden disorientation, impaired consciousness
- Abnormal tilt of the head, abnormal eye movements
 

Poisonings

- Ingestion of chocolate, xylitol (chewing gum, sweets)
- Exposure to household cleaning products, antifreeze or rat poison
- Ingestion of human medicines
- Ingestion of poisonous plants (particularly lilies, which are toxic to cats)

Additional Emergency Situations

- Severe pain, listlessness, whimpering
- Unusual and aggressive behaviour
- Hyperthermia (heatstroke) or hypothermia
- Difficult labour (contractions lasting more than 30 minutes without a puppy or kitten being born)
- Eye problems: eye closed, red, cloudy or protruding from the socket