When you're sick, do you jump in your car and just show up at your doctor's office? No. So why would you do that with your pet?
Today I received a phone call from a worried mom - she came home from work and noticed a 120mg Inderal (propanolol) partially chewed up on the floor. She has 2 dogs and a cat and didn't know which one had ingested it, if any. She called us and asked what to do. We advised her to induce vomiting immediately with hydrogen peroxide. Propanolol is a beta-blocker used in humans and dogs to control cardiac arrythmias and lower blood pressure. A safe dose for her dogs would have been 2-3mg, and it possibly ingested 60mg! We told her if she noticed signs of lethargy, seizures or slowed breathing and heartbeat to take the dogs/cat to the ER immediately.
This owner did the right thing. She called us, asked what to do, and heeded our advice.
Some people in this situation would have panicked, grabbed their pets, and showed up at our office. That's exactly what NOT to do. More than likely, your veterinarian runs by scheduled appointments only. When you show up at the office, unscheduled, you put us in a difficult situation. There are people that have standing appointments and when you show up, you're asking us to push other people's pets aside to take care of yours. We hate to be the bad guy and say, "sorry, we can't see your pet. You'll have to take him to another vet or the ER." Very rarely, there may be some extra time in the schedule where we can fit you in, but it's not often. Besides, if your pet is truly having an emergency, most general vet practices don't have all the tools to handle an emergent situation, such as specialized diagnostic equipment or technicians available to closely monitor the pet.
So please call your veterinarian first and let them guide you through your emergency. We will always tell you what is best for your pet, whether you think so at the time or not.
Guide to pet emergencies: http://www.petplace.com/dogs/your-guide-to-dog-emergencies/page1.aspx
