We learned the hard way this week that you always have to be ready for a dog emergency. We spent New Year’s Eve in the waiting room at the veterinary ophthalmology clinic. Torque, Hope’s French Bulldog, needed emergency surgery to remove his right eye. We’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say a fairly innocuous corneal ulcer went bad very fast. He’d been seeing his regular vet, who referred us to the specialist when it worsened over four days. And on the sixth day it ruptured. 

We were at home, relaxing after watching the Rose Bowl Parade. He was just lying on the couch, relaxing too. Then he shrieked in pain and life went into high gear. There were calls to the eye clinic emergency line (leave a message, call back, confirm, call back). One of the details flying by was the hideous expense of the worst possible outcome. Which happened. And had to be paid in full at the time of pick-up.

Don’t be scared. Prepare

We’re not telling you all this so you can feel sorry for Torque, or us. The reason for the post is so that you’re not caught unawares if and when an emergency happens with your dog. When your much-loved dog is in pain, chances are you’re not going to be thinking clearly. If you’ve thought about “what if” ahead of time, you’ll be able to act fast.

The first thing to do is gather the phone numbers and addresses of every place you might need. Call your regular vet if you don’t know their preferred emergency providers and get their list. Enter each and every one as a contact in your phone – including the address and phone number. In a state of panic, you may not remember the exact name of the hospitals, clinics or doctors. So we recommend you start each entry with “Vet – Emergency” or “Vet – Eye” or whatever will mean you can find it. 

Include the address so you can get instant directions as you run out the door. There’s never a time when having a smartphone is more valuable than in an emergency. 

If your not sure what constitutes an animal emergency, check out this list from the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Figure out the funding

If you’ve opted for pet medical insurance, that’s another call you may be required to make. Some require even emergency visits to be authorized prior to treatment. Be very familiar with your policy and provider’s requirements. If you don’t have pet insurance, it might be a good idea to look into it. Compare the options for coverage and pricing while you don’t particularly need it. Most will have a waiting period before coverage begins. Prior conditions may not be covered for a significant amount of time, if at all.

Another choice, if you don’t have pet insurance, is to set aside some amount for an emergency fund of your own. Hopefully, you’ll never have to use it and it will accrue to a nice healthy savings nest egg. Just be sure it’s readily accessible. Emergencies always seem to happen on weekends or holidays. 

If you truly want to be prepared, call the emergency veterinary clinic you might use and ask them what it will cost just to walk in the door. These days just showing up can cost quite a bit. We understand it varies widely by location, but it can be hundreds of dollars, even without surgery or complicated procedures. The bill can easily run into thousands, quickly. 

Knowledge is power

Just taking these steps to be prepared will help. It’s a good thing to be able to concentrate on the important things – getting your dog where they need to be, seeing the professional most qualified to help you in an emergency. We hope you never, ever need to use your emergency preparations. But, as our mother used to say: “It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.”

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