Is It a Pet Emergency? 12 Signs Your Dog or Cat Needs Same-Day Care

Every pet parent has faced it: your dog or cat suddenly isn’t acting right, and you’re staring at them wondering — is this an emergency, or can it wait until morning? Guessing wrong in either direction is stressful. This guide lays out the clearest warning signs that your pet needs same-day care, so you can act with confidence.

When it can’t wait: 12 emergency signs

Contact us right away — or head to the nearest open clinic — if your dog or cat shows any of these:

• Trouble breathing, choking, or non-stop coughing
• Heavy bleeding or a deep wound that won’t stop
• Repeated vomiting or diarrhea, especially with blood
• Ate something toxic or dangerous — chocolate, grapes, xylitol, medications, or a foreign object
• A bloated, hard belly or unproductive retching (a true emergency in large-breed dogs)
• Straining or unable to urinate — life-threatening in male cats
• Seizures, tremors, or sudden disorientation
• Collapse, extreme weakness, or pale/blue gums
• A serious eye injury or sudden loss of vision
• Signs of severe pain — crying out, panting, hiding, or aggression when touched
• Overheating / heatstroke — heavy panting, drooling, and lethargy after heat or exertion
• Not eating or drinking for more than 24–48 hours, or a sudden refusal with lethargy

When you’re not sure — call. Always.

You don’t need to diagnose your pet over the phone. If something feels off, call us and describe what you’re seeing — we’ll help you decide whether it’s a “come in now,” a “book for today,” or a “watch and update us.” We’d far rather reassure you than have you wait too long.

What same-day urgent care looks like here

Encino Pet Hospital & Emergency is built for exactly these moments — walk-in urgent care, daytime emergency triage, and same-day sick visits, staffed by experienced veterinarians 7 days a week. Because we run an in-house lab and digital imaging, we often have answers in under an hour, so treatment can start the same visit instead of waiting days for results.

Learn more about our Emergency & Urgent Care →

Our hours — and what to do after we close

We’re open every day, 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM. To be upfront: we are a same-day / daytime urgent care hospital, not a 24-hour overnight ER. If an emergency happens overnight, please go to a 24-hour facility and follow up with us the next morning — we coordinate closely with specialty and after-hours partners across LA.

Serving Encino and the whole Valley

Pet parents reach us quickly from Encino, Sherman Oaks, Tarzana, Studio City, and Woodland Hills — we’re right on Ventura Blvd.