Emergency FAQs
What to do in an emergency situation.
Please remain calm.
You are doing the best for your pet by taking steps to help.
Contact your veterinarian immediately.
Call us immediately at 303-688-8665. If it’s after hours, call Animal Emergency & Specialty Center at 720-842-5050.
Tell us the nature of the problem.
We will give you instructions on how to handle your pet while en route and give you directions to the hospital.
Please be careful.
When injured and scared, even a loving pet may bite. If in doubt, gently place a towel or blanket over the head making sure to provide good air circulation for breathing. This will help settle your pet.
What is an emergency?
If your pet is seriously ill or injured, it needs critical care immediately.
Bring your pet in to see us if any of the following occur:
- Difficulty breathing: Noisy breathing, blue tongue or gums, abnormal panting, gasping for air, or very shallow breathing.
- Unstoppable bleeding: Before transporting, apply pressure with a clean cloth. Do not use a tourniquet.
- Inability to urinate or defecate: Continuously straining with little or no result. Blood in stool or urine, painful urination or defecation.
- Heatstroke: Signs include: heavy panting, extreme weakness, a body temperature above 104*F. Wrap your pet in cool, wet towels prior to transporting.
- Bloated or distended abdomen: With or without vomiting.
- Inability to deliver kittens or puppies: Continuous contractions for more than 4 hours, or more than 2 hours between babies or more than 15 minutes of labor with fetus or membranes protruding.
- Loss of balance, unconsciousness, or seizure: Tremors, staggering, convulsions, sudden blindness, fainting, tilting of the head, or sudden changes in behavior, such as unusual withdrawal or aggression.
- Pain: Especially continuous pain. Signs of pain in animals include whimpering, restlessness, crying, reluctance to move or change positions, dilated pupils and a fast heart rate.
- Major trauma or injury: If your pet has fallen, been hit by a car, or has suffered wounds anywhere on the body, but especially to the eye, chest or abdomen, or has broken bones.
- Shock: If your pet shows signs of weakness, collapse, shallow breathing, rapid heartbeat, or weak pulses.
- Poisoning: If you believe your pet has been exposed to a poison, call first, then bring the container with you if you have it, or the commercial name or chemical name with a list of ingredients. Common poisoning: insecticides, snail bait, antifreeze, rat poison, over-the-counter drugs (Tylenol, ibuprofen, etc.), prescription medications, snake bites and some plants.
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea: Excessive, continuous, or contains blood.
- Lameness: Continuous, not bearing weight on limb, or swollen limb.
- Eyes: Eye injuries, sudden blindness, cloudiness or abnormal discharge.
- Allergic Reactions: Swollen face, hives, red skin, difficulty breathing, severe itching or a rash.
- Diabetic: Shaking, excessive salivation, abnormal behavior, excessive vomiting, seizures.
- General: Severe lethargy, anorexia, fever greater than 104*F or anything else that concerns you.
Have questions? We have answers.
Please complete the form below and a member of our staff will get back to you as quickly as possible. If this is an emergency situation during business hours, please call us at 303-688-8665.