Acute emergency?
Call your vet or the nearest animal clinic immediately. Outside opening hours, the practice’s answering machine usually names the vet on duty.
How to recognise an emergency
- Difficulty breathing, rattling or very pale or bluish gums
- Heavy bleeding or deep wounds
- Seizures or unconsciousness
- Bloated, hard belly with unproductive retching (in dogs, suspected gastric torsion)
- Suspected poisoning, e.g. from chocolate, rat poison, medication or grapes
- Accident, fall or bite – even if the animal seems normal at first
- No urine despite straining, especially in male cats
- Heatstroke: heavy panting, staggering, vomiting
- Problems during birth
How to act correctly
- Stay calm and protect yourself: animals in pain may bite or scratch their owners.
- Call the vet first: briefly describe what happened. The practice can prepare and tell you what to do until you arrive.
- Transport safely: cats and small animals in a carrier, larger dogs on a blanket used as a stretcher. Keep the animal warm.
- Take important things with you: vaccination card, known medication and, in case of poisoning, the packaging or remains of the substance.
- Do not give food or water and no human medication – many are toxic to animals.
First aid until you reach the vet
Poisoning
Do not induce vomiting unless the vet explicitly advises it. Keep the packaging or plant parts and go to the practice immediately.
Bleeding
Place a clean compress on the wound and press it firmly with a bandage. Do not use a tourniquet.
Heatstroke
Move the animal into the shade and cool it slowly with lukewarm, not ice-cold water, starting with the paws and legs. Offer water, do not force it.
Seizure
Remove objects the animal could hurt itself on. Do not hold it and put nothing in its mouth. Note how long the seizure lasts.
Foreign objects and choking
Only carefully remove visible, loose objects. If the animal struggles to breathe, leave immediately.
Broken bones
Move the animal as little as possible and transport it lying flat. Do not try to splint it.
Poison hotlines
Poison information centres are mainly for humans but often also advise on poisoning in animals. Still, your first call should go to the vet.
Germany
- Berlin, BrandenburgGiftnotruf Berlin030 19240
- Nordrhein-WestfalenInformationszentrale gegen Vergiftungen Bonn0228 19240
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, ThüringenGiftinformationszentrum Erfurt0361 730730
- Baden-WürttembergVergiftungs-Informations-Zentrale Freiburg0761 19240
- Bremen, Hamburg, Niedersachsen, Schleswig-HolsteinGiftinformationszentrum-Nord Göttingen0551 19240
- Hessen, Rheinland-PfalzGiftinformationszentrum Mainz06131 19240
- BayernGiftnotruf München089 19240
- SaarlandInformations- und Beratungszentrum für Vergiftungen Homburg06841 19240
Austria
- NationwideVergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ)01 406 43 43
Switzerland
- NationwideTox Info SuisseFrom abroad: +41 44 251 51 51145
France
- Specialised in animalsNationwideCentre National d’Informations Toxicologiques Vétérinaires (CNITV), Lyon04 78 87 10 40
- Île-de-FranceCentre antipoison de Paris01 40 05 48 48
- Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesCentre antipoison de Lyon04 72 11 69 11
- Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, CorseCentre antipoison de Marseille04 91 75 25 25
- Hauts-de-FranceCentre antipoison de Lille0800 59 59 59
- Nouvelle-AquitaineCentre antipoison de Bordeaux05 56 96 40 80
- OccitanieCentre antipoison de Toulouse05 61 77 74 47
- Grand EstCentre antipoison de Nancy03 83 22 50 50
- Grand OuestCentre antipoison d’Angers02 41 48 21 21
Belgium
- NationwideCentre Antipoisons / Antigifcentrum070 245 245
Luxembourg
- NationwideCentre Antipoisons, Bruxelles8002 5500
Be prepared
- Save the number of your vet and the nearest animal clinic in your phone
- Record vaccinations, medication and allergies in the PetConnect app – so you have everything with you in an emergency
- A small first aid kit for your pet: bandages, tick tweezers, disposable gloves, emergency blanket
These tips do not replace a veterinary examination. When in doubt: better to go to the practice once too early than too late.
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