It’s incredibly stressful when your pet seems unwell, especially late at night or when you are away from home. In those moments, it can be hard to know whether to rush straight to the vet or whether it is safe to wait until morning. We wrote this guide to help you feel a little calmer, recognise the signs that need urgent attention, and understand what happens next with our team at Tamar Vets.
If you are ever unsure, call us. A quick conversation with our vet or nurse can make all the difference and help you act with confidence. Out-of-hours, you will always speak to our team at Tamar Vets, not a call centre or a distant provider. Our in-house team provides continuity of care, with 24/7 inpatient nursing if your pet needs to stay.
Keep our emergency number handy: 01288 354796. Please call, rather than email, message, or use PetsApp for urgent problems.
What is classed as a vet emergency?
An emergency is anything that could be life-threatening, cause rapid deterioration, or lead to significant pain or organ damage if delayed. Signs that need urgent veterinary attention include:
- Trouble breathing, severe coughing, blue or pale gums, or collapse
- Seizures that last more than a couple of minutes, repeat within 24 hours, or first-time seizures
- Major trauma such as a road traffic accident, a fall from height, or a suspected broken bone
- Uncontrolled bleeding, deep wounds, or a wound to the chest or abdomen
- Severe abdominal pain, a bloated tight belly, retching without bringing anything up, or repeated vomiting
- Toxin ingestion, such as chocolate, raisins, xylitol, some human medicines, rat bait, lilies, or permethrin flea products in cats
- Heatstroke signs such as overheating, excessive panting, drooling, vomiting, wobbliness, or collapse
- Struggling to pass urine, especially a male cat who is in the litter tray repeatedly producing little or nothing
- Difficult whelping or queening
- In rabbits, not eating or passing droppings for 8 to 12 hours, a swollen painful abdomen, or sudden weakness
If your pet shows any of the above, call us immediately on 01288 354796.
Common urgent problems we see
Some emergencies are more common than others, and a few are especially important for pet owners to recognise quickly.
For dogs, we are often concerned about bloat, heatstroke, seizures, trauma, and toxin exposure. For cats, one of the most urgent problems is a blocked bladder in a male cat, as well as breathing difficulty, trauma, and toxic substances such as lilies. For rabbits, gut stasis, flystrike risk in warm weather, and pain-related reduction in eating can all become serious very quickly.
Whether you are one of our local clients or visiting the area on holiday with your pet, the key thing is not to wait too long if something feels seriously wrong. Trust your instincts and phone for advice.
Local summer and holiday hazards to watch
We live in a beautiful area, and that brings a few seasonal risks for both local pets and pets enjoying a break here with their families.
- Beaches and surf: saltwater ingestion, jellyfish stings, fish hooks, burnt paw pads on hot sand, and overheating during long play sessions
- Cliff paths: falls, adder bites in warm months, and grass seeds lodging in paws and ears
- Hot weather at home or in holiday accommodation: greenhouses, conservatories, parked cars, and poorly ventilated hutches for rabbits
If in doubt, phone us for advice. Our website tools can also help you decide when to act. Try our interactive symptom checker and our poisons guide for quick, practical steps before you call.
What to do before you set off
- Call us first on 01288 354796. We will triage your pet, prepare the team, and advise on safe transport.
- If your pet has eaten or touched a toxin, bring the packaging if you can.
- Keep your pet warm, quiet, and secure. Use a carrier for cats and rabbits, and a lead for dogs.
- Do not give human medicines.
- For heatstroke, start gentle cooling immediately with tepid water and airflow, then travel once you have spoken to us.
- For bleeding, apply firm pressure with a clean cloth or bandage.
- For seizures, keep the room dark and quiet, move hazards away, and time the episode. Do not put anything in the mouth.
Please avoid email, social media, or PetsApp for emergencies. These channels are helpful for non-urgent chat and updates, but they are not monitored in real time overnight.
Why call Tamar Vets first?
In an emergency, call us first so we can guide you and be ready on arrival. Out-of-hours emergencies are seen at our Bude surgery. As a Tamar Vets client, you will see our own vets and nurses who know your pet’s history, medications, and quirks. That continuity can speed decisions and reduce stress. We provide our own out-of-hours cover and 24/7 inpatient nursing, so if your pet needs hospital care overnight, they stay with our team rather than being transferred.
If you are on holiday in the area and your pet becomes unwell, we can still help with emergency care. Once your pet is stable, we can make sure you have the information you need to continue treatment with your usual vet when you return home.
Planning ahead: insurance, pet health plans, and peace of mind
No one wants to think about their pet needing urgent treatment, but a little planning can make a stressful situation feel more manageable.
Pet insurance can be a valuable safety net if your pet ever needs emergency tests, treatment, or ongoing care. Cover varies between policies, so it is always worth checking what is included and keeping your details somewhere easy to find.
Alongside insurance, many owners also find a pet health plan helpful for budgeting for routine preventative care throughout the year. Preventative support and regular check-ins can play an important part in keeping your pet well and spotting problems earlier.
If you are considering year-round support and easier budgeting, it is worth reading about our Pet Health Plans and the benefits of Tamar Active Plus, including unlimited consultations.
Not sure if it’s urgent? Use our quick checklist
Work through this brief triage:
- Breathing hard, choking sounds, blue or very pale gums, or collapse, call now.
- Seizure lasting more than two minutes, repeated seizures, or first-time seizure, call now.
- Bloated, painful belly with unproductive retching, call now.
- Male cat straining to urinate with little or nothing produced, call now.
- Rabbit not eating or passing droppings for 8 to 12 hours, call now.
- Known or suspected toxin, call now, bring the packet.
Still uncertain? Use our symptom checker, look up the substance in our poisons guide, then phone for tailored advice.
Summary and next steps
If your pet is struggling to breathe, has collapsed, is seizing, has a bloated, painful abdomen, has uncontrolled bleeding, may have eaten a toxin, is a blocked male cat, or is a rabbit that has stopped eating, treat it as urgent and call us right away. In an emergency, you do not have to work it all out on your own. Our Tamar Vets team is here to guide you, care for your pet, and help you through a very worrying moment.
Save our emergency number in your phone now: 01288 354796.
For non-urgent questions or daytime updates, you can also message us on PetsApp. But in an emergency, please call. We are here for you and your pet, day and night.
