Acute emergencies — call immediately
With the following symptoms, every minute counts. Call us first or check the Emergency service page before you come. So we can prepare for your pet.
- !Seizure. Pad the surroundings, do not put your hand near the mouth, note start and duration. Read guide (DE) →
- !Bleeding wound. Apply gentle pressure with a clean cloth and come in immediately. Read guide (DE) →
- !Fall from a height. Even if your pet looks unharmed, internal injuries are possible. Read guide (DE) →
- !Suspected poisoning. Chocolate, grapes, painkillers, plants — bring the remains or packaging and call immediately. Read guide (DE) → · Chocolate calculator →
- !Insect sting with swelling around mouth or throat. Risk of airway obstruction — act quickly. Read guide (DE) →
- !Heat stroke (heavy panting, dark red mucous membranes, weakness): move to a cool, shady place, apply lukewarm water to paws and belly, head to the practice. First-aid overview (DE) →
- !Frostbite / hypothermia. Warm up slowly, do not rub. Read guide (DE) →
- !Severe head trauma (e. g. after a fall or kick). Read guide (DE) →
General first-aid notes can be found in our guide First aid for dogs and cats (DE).
General behaviour & changes
- Not eating. A single day of reduced appetite is usually harmless; if it lasts longer than 24 hours or other symptoms appear, your pet should be examined. In cats, loss of appetite is generally to be taken more seriously.
- Drinking noticeably more than usual. Can be an early sign of kidney, thyroid or sugar disease. Diabetes dog (DE) → · Diabetes cat (DE) → · Kidney disease cat (DE) →
- Listlessness, less interest in play. If this lasts more than one or two days or your pet seems clearly "not itself", an examination is worthwhile.
- Signs of pain (withdrawal, restlessness, excessive licking, hunched back). Pain in dogs (DE) → · Pain in senior cats (DE) →
- Behavioural change (sudden aggression, anxiety, excessive clinginess). Often there is a physical issue or pain behind it. Read guide (DE) →
Gastrointestinal
- Diarrhoea. A single soft stool is usually not worrying. If diarrhoea lasts longer than 24 hours, is bloody or accompanied by dullness, please bring your pet in. Poisoning (DE) →
- Vomiting. Repeated vomiting, unproductive retching, a bloated abdomen or blood are urgent reasons. If a foreign body is suspected, please call immediately. Intestinal obstruction (DE) →
- Poisoning. Vomiting with drooling, trembling, restlessness or seizures. Bring the remains/packaging if possible. Read guide (DE) →
- Suspected intestinal obstruction. Vomiting, no stool, a hard, painful abdomen, an emergency. Read guide (DE) →
Movement & lameness
- Lameness / favouring a limb. If it appears suddenly after a jump, lasts more than a day or two, or the limb is hot and swollen. Please bring your pet in.
- Signs of osteoarthritis. Stiff rising, slow on stairs, reluctance to move, typical in older pets. Osteoarthritis dog (DE) → · Osteoarthritis cat (DE) →
- Sudden paralysis. Often a slipped disc, always an emergency. Read guide (DE) →
- Loss of balance / wobbly gait. In older pets a vestibular disorder may be the cause. Read guide (DE) →
Skin & itching
- Persistent itching. Scratching, licking, redness, hair loss. Causes range from parasites to allergies. Read guide (DE) →
- Hot spot, a rapidly developing, weeping, painful skin lesion. Please come in promptly. Read guide (DE) →
- Inflamed paws. Redness between the toes, increased licking, swollen pads. Read guide (DE) →
- Allergic reaction (swelling, hives, breathing difficulties). Read guide (DE) →
Eyes
- Watery eyes / increased discharge. Clear and without irritation is often harmless; pus or squinting should be checked. Read guide (DE) →
- Eye injury (squinting, paw to the eye, cloudiness). Please come in promptly. Read guide (DE) →
- Cloudiness in the eye. May indicate cataract or glaucoma. Cataract (DE) → · Glaucoma (DE) → · Uveitis (DE) →
- Sudden loss of vision. Is your pet bumping into furniture, becoming unsure? Read guide (DE) →
Mouth & teeth
- Bad breath. Often a sign of tartar and gum inflammation. Read guide (DE) →
- Pain while eating / chewing on one side. Often periodontitis or a broken tooth. Periodontitis (DE) → · Broken tooth (DE) →
- Increased drooling. May indicate a problem in the oral cavity or a foreign body. Oral tumours (DE) →
Breathing & ENT
- Persistent cough. If a cough lasts longer than a few days or is accompanied by listlessness, please have it checked. Heart disease cat (DE) →
- Breathing difficulty (panting at rest, bluish mucous membranes, stretched neck), always an emergency. Pay particular attention with brachycephalic breeds. Brachycephaly (DE) →
- Ear infection (head shaking, ear scratching, odour). Read guide (DE) →
Urinary tract
- Frequent, painful urination / small amounts. Typical signs of a urinary tract infection, in male cats a urethral obstruction may be looming, which is an emergency. Read guide (DE) →
- Blood in the urine. Please come in promptly; causes range from infections to bladder stones. Read guide (DE) →
Senior-specific
- Confusion, restlessness at night. May indicate an age-related cognitive change. An examination rules out other causes.
- Sudden head tilt (vestibular syndrome). Looks dramatic but in older pets is often well treatable. Read guide (DE) →
- Silent pain in the older cat, often only recognisable from behavioural changes. Read guide (DE) →
How old your pet is in human years and which life stage it is in is shown by our Dog & Cat Age Calculator.