Emergency guides

Use these to stabilize your animal while you contact a veterinarian. They do not replace an exam.

Is This an Emergency?

Difficulty breathing
Unresponsiveness
Repeated seizures
Severe bleeding
Major trauma
Suspected poisoning
Severe burns
Extreme temperature exposure
Prolapse
Can't stand, perch, or swim normally
Severe weakness
Rapid deterioration

Seek immediate veterinary help or contact an animal poison-control service. Do not delay emergency veterinary treatment while waiting for an answer from this website, the AI, or the community.

Find emergency vet Poisoning steps

Emergency

Difficulty breathing

All species

Open-mouth breathing, tail bobbing, gasping, wheezing, or bubbles from the nose are emergencies in almost every exotic species.

Emergency

Seizure / neurologic signs

All species

Seizures, head tilt, circling, star-gazing, rolling, paralysis, or sudden loss of coordination need same-day or emergency care.

Emergency

Bleeding & trauma

All species

Small animals have very little blood volume. Even modest bleeding can be life-threatening in birds, reptiles, and rodents.

Urgent

Burns & thermal injury

Reptiles, birds, small mammals

Burns from heat lamps, rocks, mats, or cooking surfaces are often deeper than they look and can take days to fully appear.

Emergency

Suspected poisoning

All species

Exotic species are highly sensitive to fumes, pesticides, metals, plants, and many human and pet products.

Emergency

Egg binding / dystocia warning signs

Reptiles, birds, amphibians

Females that can't pass eggs can deteriorate quickly. Know the warning signs and get help early.

Emergency

Prolapse

All species

Any tissue protruding from the vent, cloaca, or rectum needs veterinary care the same day — it can dry out and die quickly.

Urgent

Reptile temperature emergency

Reptiles

Reptiles depend on outside heat. Overheating can kill in minutes; chilling slows immunity and digestion.

Emergency

Bird collision / trauma

Birds

Window strikes, ceiling fan injuries, and falls can cause concussion, internal bleeding, and fractures.

Emergency

Fish gasping / oxygen crisis

Fish & aquariums

Fish crowding the surface or gasping usually means low oxygen, toxic water, or gill damage.

Urgent

Aquarium ammonia spike / nitrite poisoning

Fish, amphibians, aquatic invertebrates

Any detectable ammonia or nitrite is harmful. Spikes happen with new tanks, overfeeding, filter cleaning, or deaths in the tank.

Urgent

Fish buoyancy distress

Fish & aquariums

Floating upside down, sinking, or swimming sideways can come from swim bladder issues, constipation, infection, or poor water.

Urgent

Sudden fish distress

Fish & aquariums

Darting, flashing, rubbing, sudden lethargy, or several fish acting strangely at once usually points to a water or environmental problem.