Emergency

Emergency vet near me:
what to do first.

If your pet is in distress, call a veterinarian or the nearest emergency hospital now. Do not use this page, or any app, to decide whether to go. Use it to move faster once you have decided.

Go now

These signs are widely published as veterinary emergencies. Any one of them means head to an emergency hospital and call on the way.

Laboured breathing, open-mouth breathing in a cat, or blue or grey gums.
Collapse, seizures, or an inability to stand.
A male cat straining to urinate without producing urine.
Bloated, tight abdomen with unproductive retching in a large-breed dog.
Uncontrolled bleeding, a deep wound, or a bite from another animal.
Suspected poisoning, including chocolate, xylitol, grapes, rodenticide, or human medication.
Repeated vomiting with lethargy, or vomiting with no stool passing.
Trauma of any kind: a fall, a vehicle, or being stepped on.
Difficulty giving birth, or straining for more than 30 minutes without a delivery.
Eye injury, a sudden bulging eye, or eye pain with squinting and discharge.

Not sure if it is an emergency?

Answer three questions and get a free urgency read: go now, book within 24 to 48 hours, or monitor at home. No account, nothing stored.

Run the free urgency check

If your pet is in distress - collapse, laboured breathing, seizures, uncontrolled bleeding, suspected poisoning, bloat, or trauma - stop and contact an emergency veterinarian or a poison control line immediately. Do not wait for a scan result.

Call your vet today

Not an after-hours dash, but not a wait-and-see either. Book the earliest appointment.

Not eating for more than 24 hours, or not drinking for 12 hours.
Limping that has not improved in 24 hours, or refusal to bear weight.
Diarrhoea for more than 24 hours, or any blood in stool.
A new lump, a hot swelling, or a wound that looks infected.
Increased drinking and urination that has appeared recently.
Persistent scratching, head shaking, or a foul-smelling ear.

What to bring

Your pet's medication and supplement list, including doses and timing.
Dates: when the change started and what has changed since.
Photos or a short video from before the visit, especially for limping or breathing.
Packaging or a photo of anything your pet may have eaten.
Your vet-ready PDF if you have run a scan, so the ER sees a dated history.

PetSenseAI keeps an offline emergency profile with your pet's weight, medications and conditions, so the information is on your phone even without signal.

Common questions

How do I find an emergency vet near me?: Search for a 24-hour or after-hours veterinary emergency hospital in your metro area and call before you drive, so they can advise you and prepare. Your regular clinic's voicemail usually names the emergency hospital it refers to. PetSenseAI's in-app vet and ER finder maps nearby options using your location.
Should I go to the emergency vet or wait until morning?: Go now for breathing difficulty, collapse, seizures, uncontrolled bleeding, suspected poisoning, trauma, a bloated abdomen with retching, or a male cat straining to urinate. When you are unsure, call the emergency hospital and describe what you see - triage advice over the phone is free at most hospitals.
How much does an emergency vet visit cost?: The after-hours exam or triage fee commonly runs about $120 to $250 in the US before any diagnostics or treatment, and imaging, bloodwork or hospitalisation add substantially. These are general ranges for context, not quotes - ask for a written estimate at intake.
Can an app tell me whether this is an emergency?: No. PetSenseAI ranks urgency from what the camera can see and tells you plainly when the answer is to seek care now, but it does not diagnose and it is not a substitute for a veterinary exam. If you are worried, call a veterinarian.

Symptom guides Emergency vet costs

PetSenseAI is an AI-assisted triage and monitoring tool. It does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition. Always consult a licensed veterinarian for any medical concern about your pet.

Emergency vet access by state

Every US state and the District of Columbia has its own guide covering where after-hours capacity is concentrated, typical local cost context, seasonal risks and what to bring. We do not maintain a clinic directory, so always confirm hours by phone.

Scan your pet in about two minutes.

Point your phone camera, follow the framing guide, and get a plain-language summary plus a vet-ready PDF you can share. AI triage, not a diagnosis.

Start a scan Get the iPhone app - notify me Compare plans

PetSenseAI does not diagnose, treat, or replace a veterinary exam. If your pet is in distress, call your veterinarian or the nearest emergency hospital now.

iPhone app coming soon

Scan today on the web. Get notified when we hit the App Store.

PetSenseAI runs fully in your phone browser right now, camera and all - guided photo scans and behavior video capture, with the same reports you can share with your vet. The native iPhone app is in review, and we will email you the moment it is downloadable.

Photo and video scanning already run in your phone browser today
Native build adds background analysis alerts and Apple sign-in
One account - your pets, scans and reports carry over

Notify me on launch

By submitting, you agree we may store your email address to send one notification when the iPhone app is available. No marketing, no sharing or selling, no account created. We delete your entry within 30 days after that email, and you can ask us to remove it sooner at any time. US only, 16+. How we handle waitlist emails

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Emergency vet near me:what to do first.