We put this guide together the way we try to do everything at Three Yellow Dogs: calmly, honestly, and with real care for the dogs (and the whole household) on the other end of it. Emergencies are frightening, and the middle of one is not the time to be searching for a phone number or trying to remember what you read once. Save this page. Bookmark it. Print the information sheet near the bottom. We hope you never need most of what's here, but if you do, we want it to be easy to find.
Who to Call: Poison Control
If you suspect your pet has eaten, drunk, or touched something poisonous, don't wait to see if symptoms appear. Call one of these lines right away.
| Service | Phone | Availability | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center | (888) 426-4435 | 24 hours a day, 365 days a year | A consultation fee may apply. Confirm the current fee when you call. |
| Pet Poison Helpline | (855) 764-7661 | 24 hours a day, every day | $89 per incident as of August 25, 2026. Confirm the current fee when you call. |
Save both numbers in your phone right now, before you need them.
Signs Your Dog Needs Immediate Veterinary Care
- Difficulty breathing, or breathing that sounds labored, wheezy, or gasping
- Pale, blue, or white gums
- Collapse, or inability to stand or walk
- A seizure that lasts more than a few minutes, or repeated seizures
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- A swollen, hard, or distended abdomen, especially with unproductive retching (this can be a sign of bloat, a life-threatening emergency in dogs)
- Suspected poisoning, or eating something known to be toxic
- A broken bone, severe wound, or major trauma such as being hit by a car
- Heatstroke signs: heavy panting, drooling, vomiting, wobbliness, or collapse after heat exposure
- Inability to urinate, or repeated straining to urinate without producing urine
- Any sudden, severe change in behavior or consciousness
If you're not sure whether something counts as an emergency, call and ask. Veterinary teams would always rather answer a question that turns out to be nothing than have you wait on something serious.
What to Do First in Any Pet Emergency
- Make sure the scene is safe before approaching. Check for traffic, fire or smoke, floodwater, downed power lines, aggressive animals, or broken glass. You cannot help your pet if you become injured too.
- Stay as calm as you can. Dogs pick up on our stress, and a calmer approach makes it safer for both of you.
- An injured or frightened pet may bite, even if they are normally gentle. Keep your face away from the animal's mouth. Use a properly fitting muzzle only when needed for handler safety and only if it can be used safely. Never muzzle an animal who is vomiting, choking, having difficulty breathing, or has a facial injury. When possible, ask the veterinary team how to handle and transport your pet safely.
- Call your vet, the nearest emergency animal hospital, or a poison control line as soon as you can, ideally while someone else is getting the pet ready to go, or while you're on the way.
- Keep your pet quiet and as still as possible. Protect them from becoming chilled, unless they are experiencing heatstroke or your veterinary team directs you otherwise.
- If possible, call the animal hospital before you arrive so their team can be ready for you.
Emergency First Aid, By Situation
These are general first-response steps to help stabilize your dog on the way to veterinary care. They are not a substitute for that care. Tap a topic to expand it.
Bleeding
Do: Apply firm, direct pressure to the wound with a clean cloth or gauze. If blood soaks through, add another layer on top rather than removing the first. Keep pressure steady while you get to a vet.
Don't: Don't remove an embedded object (like glass or a stick). Don't apply a tourniquet unless a veterinary professional has specifically instructed you to, since improper use can cause serious harm.
Choking
If your dog can still cough, gag, or move air: Let them try to cough the object up on their own. Look inside the mouth and remove the object only if it is clearly visible and you can reach it safely. Do not reach blindly into the throat or push the object farther down. Get to a vet immediately either way, since choking can cause complications that show up later.
If your dog cannot breathe at all and the object cannot be removed: Give five rapid abdominal thrusts, pressing inward and upward just behind the ribs, followed by five firm back blows between the shoulder blades. Recheck the mouth for the object and repeat this sequence while you get emergency veterinary help on the way or are en route to one.
If your dog becomes unresponsive: Check for breathing and a heartbeat and follow current Red Cross pet CPR guidance (linked in the Cardiac Emergencies section below) while continuing on to emergency veterinary care.
Your dog should be examined by a veterinarian even after the object comes out, because choking can cause delayed complications such as fluid in the lungs.
Suspected Poisoning
- Contact a veterinarian or animal poison-control professional immediately.
- Do not induce vomiting unless specifically directed by a veterinarian or animal poison-control professional.
- Do not give food, milk, medication, hydrogen peroxide, or another home remedy unless directed by a qualified professional.
- Preserve the packaging or safely photograph the suspected substance.
Bring the packaging, plant, or substance (or a clear photo of it) with you, since it helps the vet or poison-control team identify the exact risk and treatment.
Heatstroke
Do: Move your dog out of the heat immediately, into shade or air conditioning. Begin cooling right away with cool (not ice-cold) water: wet towels placed on the head, neck, feet, chest, and belly, combined with a fan or moving air, work well. Continue cooling during transport unless a veterinary professional directs you to stop. Do not delay transportation to take your dog's temperature. Seek veterinary care even if your dog appears to improve, since heatstroke complications can be delayed.
Don't: Don't use ice or ice water, and don't immerse your dog in ice water. Sudden extreme cold constricts blood vessels near the skin and can trap heat inside the body, making things worse. Don't wrap your dog in towels, since that can trap heat rather than release it. Don't force water into a dog who isn't alert enough to drink safely.
Seizures
Do: Move nearby objects out of the way so your dog can't injure themselves, and time how long the seizure lasts. Keep your voice calm. Once it ends, keep them warm and quiet and call your vet.
Don't: Don't put your hands or any objects near your dog's mouth. Dogs cannot swallow their tongues, and you risk being bitten. Don't restrain them during the seizure.
Call your veterinarian after any first seizure. A seizure lasting four minutes or longer, repeated seizures, or failure to recover normally afterward is an emergency. Go to an emergency veterinary hospital immediately.
Burns
Do: Run cool (not cold) water over the burn, or apply a cool compress. Place a clean, moist cloth loosely over the area. If only one area is burned, cooling it in cool water can help; avoid immersing your dog if multiple areas are burned, since cooling too much of the body at once can contribute to shock. Take your dog to a veterinary hospital immediately.
Don't: Don't apply ice, butter, ointments, petroleum jelly, or any other home remedy to the burn.
Major Trauma (such as being hit by a car, or a fall)
Do: Handle your dog as little as possible and keep them still and warm. If you need to move them, support the whole body and get to an emergency vet immediately, even if they seem okay, since internal injuries aren't always visible right away. See "Moving an Injured Animal Safely" below for how to do this.
Don't: Don't try to straighten a limb that looks broken or dislocated. Don't let your dog walk on an injured leg if you can avoid it.
Breathing Emergencies
Do: Check for an open airway and remove any visible obstruction you can safely reach. Keep your dog as calm and still as possible and get to an emergency vet immediately. This is one of the most time-sensitive emergencies there is.
Don't: Don't delay to observe "and see if it passes." Go straight to veterinary care.
Cardiac Emergencies (no heartbeat, unresponsive)
Do: CPR is only appropriate for a dog who is unresponsive, not breathing, and has no detectable heartbeat. Proper technique varies by the size of the dog and is best learned in advance through a certified pet first aid course, not attempted for the first time from a written description. If you find yourself in this situation, call an emergency vet immediately, and if a second person is available, have them call while you check your dog. You can review the American Red Cross's dog CPR instructions here: redcross.org: How to Perform CPR on a Dog. We strongly encourage anyone who cares for dogs regularly, owners, foster families, sitters, and rescue volunteers alike, to take a Red Cross or veterinarian-supported pet first aid course before an emergency happens.
Don't: Don't attempt CPR on a dog who is breathing or conscious.
Bloat / Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV)
A distended abdomen, restlessness, pacing, heavy drooling, repeated unproductive retching, or signs of shock can indicate bloat or gastric dilatation-volvulus. This is a life-threatening emergency. There is no safe home treatment. Go to an emergency veterinary hospital immediately.
Don't: Don't offer food, water, or exercise, and don't give any medication or home remedy. Every minute matters with this condition.
Moving an Injured Animal Safely
Do: Support the head, neck, and body together as one unit, minimizing twisting of the spine. A rigid board, a flattened sturdy piece of cardboard, a carrier, or a securely held blanket can work as an improvised stretcher for a larger dog. For a small dog or cat, a towel-lined box or carrier is often safest.
Don't: Don't pick up an injured animal by grabbing a single limb. See "What to Do First" above for guidance on muzzling if handler safety requires it.
Pet First Aid Kit Checklist
- Gauze pads and rolls
- Adhesive tape (not human bandage strips, which can stick painfully to fur)
- Clean towels or cloths
- Blunt-tipped scissors
- Tweezers
- Digital thermometer
- Disposable gloves
- Sterile saline eye wash or wound-irrigation saline, if recommended by your veterinarian
- A properly fitting muzzle (see the muzzle guidance above for when it is and isn't appropriate to use)
- A pet first aid reference card or booklet
- Your vet's phone number, and the nearest emergency animal hospital's phone number and address
- Both poison control numbers listed above
Ask your veterinarian to review your kit for your individual pet. Do not administer human medication, pet medication, disinfectant, ointment, or any other treatment unless a veterinarian or poison-control professional directs you to.
Preparing for Disasters
Every household's risks are a little different, but a few basics apply everywhere: keep your pet's ID and medical records current, have a plan for evacuating together, and never plan to leave a pet behind if it isn't safe for you to stay. If it's not safe for you, it's not safe for them.
Wildfires
Know your evacuation routes in advance and practice them with your whole household, pets included. Keep windows and doors closed to limit smoke exposure, and bring pets indoors as air quality worsens. If evacuation orders come, leave early rather than waiting, since roads can become difficult to travel and pets add time to a departure.
Floods
Identify higher ground you can reach quickly, and know that floodwater can rise faster than expected. Keep leashes and carriers accessible year-round during flood season, not stored away, so you're not searching for them during a fast-moving evacuation.
Severe Weather (Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Storms)
Include your pets explicitly in any household emergency plan. Not all emergency shelters accept household pets. Confirm pet accommodations and identify backup lodging before an emergency. Build extra lead time into hurricane evacuation plans specifically to account for pets.
House Fires
Consider a pet rescue alert window sticker near your front entrance so firefighters know pets are inside and how many to look for. If you evacuate safely with your pets before firefighters arrive, and time allows, write "EVACUATED" across the sticker so responders don't search for pets who are already safe.
Never enter or re-enter a burning or smoke-filled building to try to rescue an animal. Tell firefighters how many animals are inside and where they are likely to hide, so they can search for them safely. A pet who was exposed to smoke or is showing any change in breathing needs immediate veterinary evaluation, even if they seem fine at first, since smoke inhalation injuries can worsen over the following one to two days.
Power Outages
Ask your veterinarian how much medication can be safely and legally kept in your pet's evacuation kit. Store it as directed, monitor expiration dates, and include current prescription and dosing information. If your pet takes a medication that requires refrigeration, contact your veterinarian before or as soon as possible after an outage begins, since how long different medications stay effective at room temperature varies.
Pet Evacuation Kit Checklist
- Sturdy leash, collar with ID tag, and a backup leash or collar
- A carrier or crate, sized for comfort, ideally one your pet is already used to
- At least a few days' supply of food and water, plus bowls
- Any medications, in a waterproof container, with dosing instructions
- Waterproof copies of vaccination records, medical history, and proof of ownership
- A recent photo of your pet (helps with identification if you're separated)
- Waste bags, litter and a small litter box for cats, and basic cleanup supplies
- A comfort item, like a blanket or toy, to help reduce stress
- Your pet first aid kit (see above)
Evacuation Planning
Identification and microchipping. A collar tag can fall off, but a microchip generally can't, and it may be the only way your pet can be identified if you're separated during a disaster. Make sure the chip's registered contact information is current.
Carriers and crates. A pet who is already comfortable in a carrier will be far less stressed during an actual evacuation. If your pet isn't used to one, short, low-pressure practice sessions well before any emergency can make a real difference.
Medications and veterinary records. Keep a current list of medications, dosages, and your vet's contact information with your kit, along with copies of vaccination records, since some shelters and boarding facilities require proof of vaccination.
Pet-friendly lodging. Research pet-friendly hotels, boarding facilities, or willing friends and family outside your immediate area before you need them. Not all emergency shelters accept household pets, so knowing your options in advance matters.
An evacuation buddy. Arrange with a nearby neighbor, friend, or relative to help evacuate your pets if you're not home when disaster strikes. Make sure they know where your pets and their supplies are kept.
Printable Pet Emergency Information Sheet
Fill this in and keep a printed copy somewhere easy to grab, with another copy in your evacuation kit.
Pet name: Photo attached: ☐
Species: Breed:
Age: Weight: Identifying features:
Microchip number: Registry:
Veterinarian name: Phone:
Emergency veterinary hospital:
Hospital phone: Address:
Medications and dosing instructions:
Allergies and medical conditions:
Feeding and care instructions:
Owner contact: Backup caregiver contact:
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 Pet Poison Helpline: (855) 764-7661
Related Pet Safety Resources
Preparedness does not stop with an emergency kit. Explore these additional Three Yellow Dogs resources to help you protect your dog before, during, and after an emergency.
Trusted Sources
A Note From Us
We started Three Yellow Dogs because Riley, Penny, and Winston taught us what it means to truly take care of a dog, in the easy seasons and the hard ones. We hope you never need most of what's on this page. But if you ever do, we wanted it to be here, calm and ready, the way we'd want it to be for our own dogs. Keep your vet's number close, keep this page bookmarked, and give your dog an extra scratch behind the ears today.
