Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in companion animals follows the RECOVER initiative guidelines, a veterinary-specific evidence base developed to standardise CPR the way human protocols have been standardised.

By Dr Aisha Bello, BVetMed · 4 min read

Toxicology

Lily Toxicity in Cats: One Petal Is Enough

True lilies and daylilies, genera Lilium and Hemerocallis, are uniquely and severely nephrotoxic to cats, with even small exposures such as chewing a leaf, drinking vase water or grooming pollen off fur capable of causing fatal kidney failure.

By Dr Noor Haddad, DVM, DACVD · 4 min read

$Grapes and Raisins: The Unpredictable Kidney Toxin$

Toxicology

Grapes and Raisins: The Unpredictable Kidney Toxin

Grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants can cause acute kidney failure in dogs, but unlike most toxins the dangerous dose is unpredictable, with some dogs unaffected by large amounts and others developing kidney injury after just a few grapes.

By Dr Aisha Bello, BVetMed · 4 min read

Surgery

Foreign Body Ingestion: String, Socks and Surgery

Foreign body ingestion ranges from a single swallowed sock causing a straightforward obstruction to linear foreign bodies like string or tinsel that can saw through the intestinal wall from the inside.

By Dr Aisha Bello, BVetMed · 4 min read

$Wound Care Before You Reach the Clinic$

First Aid

Wound Care Before You Reach the Clinic

How a wound is handled in the first few minutes at home can influence infection risk, blood loss and healing time just as much as the eventual veterinary repair.

By Dr Eleanor Murphy, BVSc · 4 min read

First Aid

Seizure First Aid at Home

Witnessing a seizure in a dog or cat is alarming, but most seizures are brief and self-limiting, and the owner's role is to keep the animal safe and time the episode rather than intervene physically.

By Dr Thomas Nakamura, DVM · 4 min read

$Antifreeze Poisoning: The Countdown$

Toxicology

Antifreeze Poisoning: The Countdown

Ethylene glycol antifreeze is one of the most lethal common household toxins for dogs and cats, with a genuinely narrow treatment window; a cat can ingest a fatal dose from as little as a teaspoon, and effective treatment must begin within hours, not days, of exposure.

By Dr Eleanor Murphy, BVSc · 4 min read

Critical Care

Hit by Car: Stabilisation and Hidden Injuries

A dog or cat hit by a car can appear stable at the roadside while harbouring internal bleeding, a ruptured bladder or a diaphragmatic hernia that will not become obvious for hours.

By Dr Eleanor Murphy, BVSc · 4 min read

$Eye Emergencies: Proptosis, Ulcers and Glaucoma$

Ophthalmology

Eye Emergencies: Proptosis, Ulcers and Glaucoma

Ocular emergencies move fast because the eye has little reserve capacity to tolerate pressure, infection or displacement before permanent vision loss occurs.

By Dr Ingrid Sorensen, BVSc, DipACVB · 4 min read

Toxicology

Rat Bait Ingestion: Which Generation Matters

Not all rat bait works the same way, and knowing which generation of anticoagulant, or whether the product is a non-anticoagulant type like bromethalin or cholecalciferol, changes both the urgency and the treatment entirely.

By Dr Eleanor Murphy, BVSc · 4 min read

$Allergic Reactions and Facial Swelling$

First Aid

Allergic Reactions and Facial Swelling

Acute allergic reactions in dogs and cats range from mild hives after a bee sting to full anaphylaxis with airway swelling and cardiovascular collapse within minutes.

By Dr Thomas Nakamura, DVM · 4 min read

Reproduction

Dystocia: When Whelping Goes Wrong

Dystocia, difficulty giving birth, can turn a normal whelping or queening into a genuine emergency for both mother and offspring within a couple of hours of stalled labour.

By Dr Priya Raghunathan, BVMS · 4 min read

$Paraphimosis, Urinary Blocks and Other Plumbing Crises$

Urology

Paraphimosis, Urinary Blocks and Other Plumbing Crises

Urogenital emergencies share a common thread: tissue trapped, swollen or obstructed can rapidly lose blood supply or back pressure builds to a life-threatening degree within hours.

By Dr Mariana Oliveira, DVM, DACVN · 4 min read

First Aid

Burns, Scalds and Paw Pad Injuries

Thermal injuries in pets range from hot pavement burning paw pads on a summer walk to more severe scalds from spilled liquids or contact burns from house fires, and the true depth of a burn is often not apparent for 24 to 48 hours after the initial injury.

By Dr Aisha Bello, BVetMed · 4 min read

$Triage at Home: What Counts as an Emergency$

First Aid

Triage at Home: What Counts as an Emergency

Deciding whether a symptom warrants an immediate emergency visit, a same-day appointment, or overnight monitoring is one of the hardest calls an owner makes, and getting it wrong in either direction carries real cost.

By Dr Thomas Nakamura, DVM · 4 min read