Dog Emergency Care
Do veterinarians normally offer "24 hour" or emergency care?
Depending on where you live in the United States, your veterinarian may or may not have 24/7 availability to you, so before that emergency happens, it's always important to know whether or not your veterinarian is going to be there in the middle of the night to see your dog and if they're not, where they recommend you to go. Keep those numbers next to your phone, as well as numbers for the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, too. They're good numbers to have right on hand.
What medical supplies should I keep at home for my dog?
Since dogs have really become a part of the family, you can use the same first aid kit that you have for the family on your dog or cat. There are things that you need to add to it to make it a bit more pet-friendly too. You may want to have something like a styptic pencil to stop some bleeding, and muzzle material. Your pet would never think of biting you, but when it's hurt you may need to put a muzzle on it. It's a great idea to go to your local chapter of the American Red Cross and take a pet first aid course.
What is "rabies"?
Rabies is a viral disease and it's often spread to a dog through a bite, either from another dog, or from a wild animal depending on where you live in the United States. It can be from a bat, as a dog thinks it's a little bird that it can play with but can end up being exposed to rabies by it. Raccoons and foxes are all sources of Rabies as well. Rabies is also a somatic disease, which is a disease that can be spread to people. Therefore it is very important that you make sure your dogs and cats are vaccinated for rabies.
What is "parvovirus disease"?
Parvovirus is an intestinal viral disease. It oftentimes affects the very young animals, the older debilitated animals, or a pet that's never been vaccinated for it. It's usually spread through an oral-faecal transmission; an animal being exposed to some infected faeces. It will usually manifest itself by having some vomiting, some very bloody and nasty diarrhoea, and a very weak debilitated animal in general. If you see any of these signs, no matter what the cause, get your pet to the veterinarian.
What is "kennel cough"?
Kennel cough is a disease that is not going to kill your dog, but in the middle of the night when it has this dry, hacking, croupy cough, you just kind of go crazy. There are vaccines that can help protect your dog. Oftentimes your dog can get kennel cough when it's in a kennel, in a shelter situation, or even just in your local dog park where all these dogs are put together. It is transmitted through the air, and your dog gets a croupy little dry cough. It's something that can be prevented, many times with vaccinations.
