Medical emergencies

When your dog is bitten by a snake* on the Sunday after thanksgiving - that’s not the time to be frantically searching for an emergency vet. So put these numbers in your phone right now. Include the address so you can use your GPS to get there. If you’re leaving town with your dog, find yourself an emergency vet where you’ll be staying and add info that to your phone.

• Your veterinarian
• Local emergency vet (24/7)
• ASPCA poison hot line - 888.426.4435. There is a consultation fee that's worth every penny. 

While you're at it, go ahead and upload your dog’s vet records to the cloud for easy access when you’re seeing a vet other than your own. Learn about health insurance for your pup here.

*My writing is based on my own dogs and the dogs of friends and clients. So the snake bite thing ... that was Cody. She stuck her nose where it didn't belong and was bitten on the side of her muzzle. Her face and neck started swelling almost immediately, so I tossed her in the car and broke every speed limit getting her to the vet. They treated her, the swelling stopped and was completely gone in a few days. This is a really good example of when immediate treatment is required.