Why You Should Seek An Emergency Vet Following An Attack On Your Pet
Posted on: 7 June 2021
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As a pet owner, one of the worst things that you encounter is having another animal attack your pet. Unfortunately, such events often occur. If another animal has attacked your pet at your local dog park, a walking trail, or even in your yard, it's important to know what you should do next. While you might be tempted to monitor your pet or even try to treat its injuries yourself, a better option is to visit an emergency veterinary clinic. Many of these clinics are open late, so you can visit even outside of regular business hours. Here's why it's important to seek this care right away.
Internal Injuries
After another animal attacks your pet, you might not see noticeable signs of injury. It's incorrect, however, to assume that your pet went unscathed in the incident. In violent attacks, there's a serious risk of internal injuries. For example, a dog might have suffered a broken rib upon a run-in with a larger animal. While you can't see this injury, it's a serious one. Your local emergency veterinarian will physically assess the animal and run any necessary tests to determine if an internal injury is present.
Infection
There's a high risk of infection after one animal attacks another. If your pet has bite or claw wounds, they are likely laden with bacteria from the other animal. This bacteria can cause an infection in a short amount of time, and infections can lead to a wide variety of serious consequences. When you take your injured animal to a veterinarian, they will meticulously treat each of the pet's wounds to prevent infection, as well as send you home with products that you can apply to continue to keep infection at bay.
Risk Of Injury To You
Pets can often act aggressively when they're in pain. If you don't take action after the attack on your pet, its pain may develop to a point at which it acts lashed out at a member of your family and potentially injures someone. This is the last thing that you want, especially if you have children. An emergency vet will assess the degree to which your pet is in pain, and then prescribe medication that will reduce the discomfort. The result can be that your pet feels more comfortable, resulting in a lower risk of acting aggressively toward someone in your family.
For more information, contact an emergency vet clinic, like South Seattle Veterinary Hospital.