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Animal Emergencies

Staff reference for recognizing a major medical emergency, who to call, and how owner notification works.

Purpose

Short version: if a dog in our care looks or acts like something is medically wrong, loop in a senior team member and the vet on call right away, then work through owner notification once the dog is stable enough that you have a spare minute. This SOP breaks down how to recognize a major emergency, which phone line to reach for, and what gets written down versus what gets a phone call.

At a Glance

  • Treat any of these as a major emergency: heavy bleeding, lethargy, gums that look pale or bluish, unresponsive behavior, a diabetic dog sliding into lethargy or coma, or blood showing up in urine or vomit.
  • Daytime vet: Arizona Animal Hospital, 480.686.8083.
  • After hours and weekends: Pet Urgent Care, 602.687.7761. Vet Med, 602.697.4694. VCA Animal, 480.948.3873.
  • Each dog's personal vet and phone number is on file in the kennel system.
  • Each dog's owner emergency contact information lives in their file too.

Immediate Actions

  1. Report the situation to a senior team member and get the vet on call involved.
  2. Match what you are seeing against the major emergency list above.
  3. Check the kennel system for the dog's personal vet. If there is a spare moment, a call to that vet can give you useful history on the dog.
  4. Call the owner's emergency contact as time allows, using the number on file, and let them know what happened and what you are doing about it.

Follow-Up Steps

  • Minor issues, mild diarrhea or vomiting, a scrape, a broken toenail, get treated on the spot, written up in the kennel system, and the client gets a heads up.
  • Major issues, excessive vomiting or diarrhea, major cuts or bites, seizure episodes, bloat, or canine cough, get reported to the owner or their emergency contact.

Who to Ask

Report the situation to a senior team member and contact the vet on call. The dog's own veterinarian and phone number are on the kennel system, and the owner's emergency contact numbers are in their file.

Still not sure whether something counts as major or something you can log and move on from? Report it to a senior team member.