PET TALK With Dr Liza Schneider

I love emergencies. They require quick-thinking, elegant action and masterful communication with the animal's owner to succinctly explain the situation, gather enough information to help treat the animal effectively and to delicately handle the owner's emotion, which might be extreme at times.

What constitutes an emergency for animal owners and guardians is often relative. For example, one night I had a phone call from a little old lady very concerned because she had found a knot in her dog Daisy's coat and urgently wanted to have her seen to remove it. The other extreme is the scenario where we get a phone call late at night from someone saying: 'My dog's been vomiting for two weeks and has collapsed this morning, can I bring him in?”

Having a good working knowledge of what signs to look for to determine if your pet's health is at risk is a very helpful investment. Next month's article will outline some handy tips.