Emergencies

The following are examples of situations that can be considered urgent or emergent:

• Bleeding – Bleeding from any part of the body: blood in the urine or stool.
• Vomiting and/or Diarrhea – Many repeated episodes in a short period, or intermittently over days or weeks.
• Convulsions or Fainting – Violent shaking of the head and/ or body with uncontrolled spasms: loss of consciousness.
• Lethargy – Lack of normal tolerance for exercise: reduced energy or playfulness.
• Pain – Limping or favoring a leg: crying or showing signs of pain when touched.
• Eye problems – redness, discharge, squinting, cloudiness of the eye: a foreign object in the eye, or difficulty seeing.
• Changes in appetite – Refusing food and/or water with nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea.
• Changes in urination – Urinating frequently, urinating larger amounts or only small drops or difficulty urinating.
• Breathing problems – Shortness of breath, extending head and neck to breathe, wheezing.
• Abnormal color of the gums – Gums should be pink in color. Dark red, white, pale or blue gums can be a sign of an emergency