Is This a Pet Emergency? Warning Signs by Species

Before you read anything else

If you are not sure, call a vet. That call is free and takes a minute, and no vet has ever minded being called about an animal that turned out fine.

Poison: ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435, Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661 — both charge a fee. Your own vet or the nearest emergency clinic comes first.

Most pets that die of something preventable die because somebody reasonable decided to wait until morning. These pages exist to make that decision easier. They do not diagnose anything — they sort what you can see by how much time you have.

🐕 Dogs9 signs that mean go now
🐈 Cats8 signs that mean go now
🐇 Rabbits5 signs that mean go now
🐹 Guinea pigs, hamsters and rats5 signs that mean go now
🦜 Budgies and cockatiels6 signs that mean go now
🦎 Reptiles5 signs that mean go now

The five that catch people out

A male cat straining in the litter box

Looks exactly like constipation. It is a blocked bladder, and he has 24 to 48 hours.

A dog retching and bringing up nothing

Bloat. The belly is not always visibly swollen. Every hour makes the odds worse.

A rabbit that has not eaten

Rabbits cannot vomit and their gut has to keep moving. One missed meal is today's problem, not tomorrow's.

A bird sitting fluffed on the cage floor

By the time a bird looks ill it has been ill for a while. Birds hide it until they cannot.

A cat breathing with its mouth open

Cats do not pant. It is almost never nothing.

On the way

Call aheadSo they can be ready when you arrive rather than starting from scratch. Say the species, the age, what you have seen and when it started.
Take the packagingIf a substance is involved. Treatment for rat poison depends entirely on which of the five types it is, and you cannot tell from the color of the bait.
Write down the timeWhen it started, how long a seizure lasted, when they last ate, when they last passed anything. You will not remember accurately once you are there.
Keep the carrier dark and quietEspecially for birds, rabbits and cats. Stress alone makes a breathing problem worse, and in a bird in real distress the handling itself can kill.

What not to do

Do not make them vomitNot unless a vet or a poison line has told you to. Salt can poison them, oil can go into the lungs, and for caustic substances it does more damage coming back up than it did going down.
Do not give human painkillersOne regular acetaminophen tablet can kill an average cat. Ibuprofen ulcerates the stomach and damages the kidneys in both dogs and cats.
Do not pull anythingNot string from a cat, not a stuck feather, not prolapsed tissue. Cut string if there is slack, keep tissue moist, and let a vet do the rest.
Do not put your hands near the mouth during a seizureThey cannot control biting. Time it instead, and move furniture out of the way.
Do not wait to see if it improves overnightThat sentence is on this page because it is the most common thing owners say afterwards.

What the visit itself is like, from the wait to the deposit and the CPR question, is on What happens at the emergency vet?

Last reviewed October 2026. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.

If the heart has stopped

This only applies to an animal that is unresponsive and not breathing. An animal that is breathing does not need this, and chest compressions on one that does not need them can injure it.

One person drives to the nearest open vet. The other works on the animal on the way. Call the practice while you are moving so they are ready when you arrive.

100 to 120chest compressions a minuteEvery 6 secondsone breath2 minutesbefore stopping to check

Those are the numbers trained rescuers work to. Doing this well takes a course, and reading three numbers is not the same as being taught it. The RECOVER Initiative runs a paid course for owners if you want to learn it properly before you ever need it.

Numbers from the 2024 CPR Algorithm for Dogs and Cats, published by the RECOVER Initiative, which is supported by the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. Find a board certified emergency vet near you.