What Counts as a True Emergency
These situations need immediate attention, not a next-available appointment:
- Difficulty breathing, choking, or blue/pale gums
- Collapse, inability to stand, or a seizure that doesn’t stop within a couple of minutes
- Hit by a car or a serious fall
- Heavy bleeding that won’t stop
- A bloated, hard, or visibly distended abdomen, especially in large-breed dogs
- Known or suspected ingestion of something toxic — a medication, chocolate, a household chemical, certain plants
- Straining to urinate with little or nothing coming out, particularly in male cats
- A deep wound, an open fracture, or an eye injury
If you’re seeing any of this, call us immediately. During our hours, come straight in — we’ll have things ready before you arrive if you call ahead. Outside our hours, go directly to the nearest 24-hour emergency animal hospital rather than waiting for us to open.
During Our Hours vs. After Hours
During business hours, Kendall Animal Clinic treats true emergencies as walk-in priority — no appointment needed, and you’ll be seen ahead of the regular schedule.
Outside business hours — nights, and all day Sunday — we’re not staffed for emergencies. Keep the number for your nearest 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital saved in your phone before you need it; looking one up mid-crisis costs time you don’t have. If your pet was seen here and then needs overnight emergency care, that hospital can call us directly for your pet’s history.