Often we do not think about emergency care for our pets until the crisis strikes! Who will you call? It is important to know where to take your pet and not lose time trying to find help, which can affect the outcome of your pet.
Ask your veterinarian what to do if you have an after-hours emergency. There is no local emergency facility in the Joplin area. Many veterinarians send after-hour emergencies to Springfield, Northwest Arkansas, or Tulsa. This is a 60 to 90-mile drive with an emergency crisis! Plan ahead by knowing what your options are so you are prepared. Place the emergency numbers in your phone to make contact quickly.
If your pet has ingested a household plant, human medicine, or other potentially harmful substances, first call the Animal Poison Control Center 1-800-213-6680. Stop! Put this number in your phone now! Animal Poison Control Center has specialists and toxicologists on staff that are able to answer questions about the severity of an accidental exposure/ ingestion. They will provide a case number and recommend that you seek emergency care or provide options for at-home care. Providing your emergency facility with the case number will allow the veterinarian preparation time for your visit.
Five First-aid tips
- For severely bleeding wounds use non-stick bandages and adhesive tape to banda Wounds that are oozing small amount of blood or none should not be bandaged.
- Cover large wounds with a wet towel if possible to keep the tissue moist. Do not spray with large animal products such as Gentian violet 1% solution. Do not use antibiotic ointments, vasoline, or other topical creams without steroids. These products make proper wound cleaning by us often more difficult. Water is your friend.
- Muzzle any dog that has been injured or hurt before transportation, because even your pet may bite you if it is hurt. I have seen tremendous bite wounds on people from their pets when injured.
- Do not make your pet vomit with hydrogen peroxide even if you read it on the internet. It often requires large volumes to work and in some cases does not work at all. In addition, some animals will breathe in the hydrogen peroxide to their lungs creating further problems. The loss of time trying this poor home remedy may result in the inability to use more effective products to produce
- Do not use Tylenol, aspirin, or other human products even if you read it on the internet. They often interact with common pain medications we need to use and prohibit effective pain control.
For your information: Cornerstone Animal provides emergency care for their active clients (clients seen within the last 18 months).** As a courtesy, we provide emergency care for other clinics when possible. We do not see patients from other clinics from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM.
** In 2019 there were two weekends we were not avaliable. We notified our clients in advance by email so they could plan accordingly. We will continue to notify our clients of by email any time we are not available.
