Should I take my pet to the ER?
Written by Dr. Cassie Knapp, DVM
Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer, UrgentPaws
Published August 11, 2026
The short version
- Not every emergency requires the 24-hour ER
- Go to an Urgent Care for non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries including vomiting, limping, itching, ear pain, and small cuts.
- Go to a 24-hour ER for troubled breathing, uncontrolled bleeding, seizures, collapse, or major trauma
- Go to your nearest urgent care or 24-hour ER for a male cat straining in the litter box, or a bloated, retching dog
- If you're unsure, give us a call
Not every pet emergency requires a 24-hour ER. We are an after hours veterinary urgent care and treat emergencies that are not life-threatening: vomiting, limping, cuts, ear and eye trouble, skin and urinary problems, and more. For life-threatening emergencies, go to your nearest 24-hour ER.
What urgent care is built for
Urgent care exists for the large middle ground between a routine wellness visit and a life-threatening emergency: problems that genuinely should be seen today, but that do not need a surgical suite or an overnight ICU. That is most of what worries people after hours.
- Vomiting or diarrhea in a pet who is still alert and drinking
- Limping, a sore leg, or a soft-tissue injury with no obvious broken bone
- Cuts, scrapes, torn nails, and bite wounds that are not bleeding heavily
- Ear infections, head shaking, and painful or goopy eyes
- Itching, hot spots, rashes, and allergic reactions without breathing trouble
- Urinary changes in female dogs and cats, and in male dogs who are still passing urine
- Coughing, sneezing, and congestion in a pet who is breathing comfortably
- "Just not themselves": low energy, hiding, or off their food
Go to a 24-hour ER for any of these
These signs suggest a condition that can worsen quickly and may need surgery, oxygen, transfusion, or overnight intensive care. Do not drive to urgent care first, and call the 24-hour ER on the way so their team is ready for you. The exception is a blocked male cat: we can start stabilizing treatment and coordinate the transfer, so come to whichever is closer.
- Difficulty breathing: open-mouth breathing in a cat, stretched-out neck, belly heaving, or gums that look blue, gray, or white
- Bleeding that does not slow after five minutes of steady pressure
- A seizure, or several seizures close together
- Collapse, unresponsiveness, or inability to stand
- Major trauma: hit by a car, a fall from height, or an attack by a larger animal
- A male cat straining in the litter box and producing little or no urine
- A distended, hard belly with unproductive retching, especially in a deep-chested dog
- Suspected poisoning: rodenticide, antifreeze, xylitol, grapes, lilies (cats), or human medication
- Signs of heatstroke after time in the heat: heavy panting, stumbling, vomiting, or bright red gums
Urgent Care vs. 24-Hour ER
Urgent care
- Best for illness or injury that needs care today
- Costs significantly less, with pricing shown before treatment
- Availability is shown online before you leave home
- Bloodwork, X-ray, ultrasound and urinalysis are done in the clinic
- Open after hours, 365 days a year
- You stay with your pet, in your own room, always your choice
24-hour ER
- Best for life-threatening conditions and around-the-clock monitoring
- Costs more, reflecting 24-hour specialist staffing
- Often several hours of waiting, because the sickest patients are seen first
- Everything urgent care has, plus surgery and intensive care
- Open 24 hours a day, every day
- Staying with your pet varies by hospital, and is often not possible
The reason the cost differs is staffing, not quality of care. A 24-hour ER keeps surgeons, specialists, and overnight nursing staff on the clock at all hours, and that is exactly what you are paying for when your pet genuinely needs it. For an ear infection at 7 PM, you are paying for capacity your pet will never use.
What to do in the next five minutes
Check the red-flag list above
If anything on it matches what you are seeing, stop reading and head to the nearest 24-hour ER.
Write down when it started
Time of onset, whether your pet has eaten or vomited, and anything unusual they may have swallowed. This shapes the first decisions your veterinarian makes.
Photograph anything you cannot bring
A picture of the wound, the rash, the limp, or the packaging of whatever they got into is genuinely useful, especially if the sign comes and goes.
Call, or save your spot
If you are unsure which door you need, call and ask. If urgent care is right, saving your spot online means you wait at home instead of in a lobby.
Dr. Cassie Knapp, DVM
Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Cassie Knapp is a veterinarian with 17 years of clinical experience and extensive emergency room and urgent care experience. See full bio
Pet Parents Love UrgentPaws!
raquel R.
Highly recommend this place staff Kloe and all nurses and doctor were very caring, informative and most of all patient with my shihtzu he amazed me how well he let them care for him he was treated for an ear infection which today is doing very well.
sabrina
W experience
Courtney E.
Dr. Martinez and his staff are angels are earth. We had experiences with both of our cats about a month apart, where in each instance, Dr. Martinez quickly identified significant health issues, walked us through all of the options, answered every question clearly, and ultimately helped us with "making the decision" (when the time came). Dr. Martinez quite literally held our hand through it all and took as much time with us as we needed in every decision. Everyone we interacted with was extremely knowledgeable, treated our cats as if they were their own, and had amazing sympathy and compassion. My gratitude far exceeds any rating system, and I will recommend Urgent Paws to anyone that will listen.
david P.
I recommend without hesitation Urgent Paws for your pet’s urgent care needs. It’s wonderful to have a facility that’s a step down in care from a full-on pet hospital - and it’s staffed by extremely dedicated people. I had returned from work to find my cat limping and Urgent Paws quickly got to the source of the injury. @grateful
Virginia A.
I took my dog, Dior, to Urgent Paws yesterday, and I’m so glad I did! The staff took great care of her and treated her with so much kindness and attention. One of the nurses was especially attentive to Dior, which made me feel reassured throughout the visit. They regularly checked in with us to see how everything was going, and I really appreciated that they even followed up the next day to see how Dior was doing. It’s clear that the team genuinely cares about their patients and their owners. I’m very grateful for the care Dior received and would absolutely recommend Urgent Paws to anyone who needs urgent veterinary care for their dogs or cats. Thank you to the entire team for taking such good care of my girl! ❤️🐾
Erin W.
We took our cat, Dante, here after he went potty outside of his litter box where I discovered he had a parasite. We made an appointment for 10:00 pm. Sam helped us get settled into the exam room. She was so good with Dante. Dr. Wells saw Dante, and provided us with some treatment options and testing. (I did call my friend who is also a vet and explained to her the situation and she said everything that the Dr. Wells suggested is what she would she would suggest for treatment.) We ended up taking Dante back the next day after my boyfriend and I could not get Dante to take his pill. Dante was seen by a vet tech, Victoria, and she got him to take that pill in under 10 seconds. Dr. Wells, Sam, and Victoria all had an excellent bedside manner. All of them were so professional and caring. Dante is doing much better now. I would take my pets here anytime. 10/10.
Shelley R.
I truly enjoyed our experience here this evening. I wasn't quite sure how it worked and never heard of this place but we gave it a go because our vet was closed until Monday. We signed in online before we got there. When we arrived there was only one other family ahead of us. We were greeted and we signed into the kiosks and began to fill out our forms. Before we could start we were directed to a room. All the rooms were very clean and mostly windows so you can see everywhere. Kelsie was our RVT and was so sweet. She took vitals and was very gentle with our dachshund. She explained how everything would go and shortly after she saw us the vet came and examined our baby. He had a double ear infection and they help clean and show us how to administer medication at home. They even allowed me to hold him and participate when we were called into the main examination room for cleansing his ears. We felt so comfortable and my weiner dog did so well. I've never been able to be with our pet when they get taken into the back for a procedure. It was a wonderful experience. I would definitely recommend and go back to. It was also not overly priced for it being urgent.
Karinatiscareno K.
The nurses Jasmine and Christine were so nice, caring and attentive with my cat. The entire staff went about and beyond to make sure my cat was comfortable during his exam and hospital stay.
Carmen G.
They are absolutely amazing. They educate on what they would like to provide and why. I didn’t feel rushed or pressured into anything. Thank you Dr. Ramirez and Lauren for your kindness!
Elsa T.
The veterinarian and staff were so compassionate and patient with my dog. They truly listened to my concerns and took the time to help ease my dog’s nerves, which meant so much to me. Their kindness made a stressful visit feel much more comfortable for both of us. I’m grateful for the care we received and highly recommend this wonderful team!
Brooke L.
The veterinarian and vet staff were wonderful, kind, and practical with their recommendations and treatment plan. They took very good care of our pet!
Lily N.
Staff was super quick and everyone we got to work with was super knowledgeable! Chloe was amazing, we always knew what was happening and she was really attentive! I would definitely recommend urgentpaws if your pet needs help right away, thanks to their help, our kitten Noodle feels a lot better 😌
Jordyn S.
This vet is amazing! We came in here last min needing to get stitches removed and we were met with Jasmine, Sydney, Christine, Chloe and dr. Franco. These veterinarians/ Dr were so sweet and they all cared so much!! They made us so comfortable! Great Place I definitely recommend taking your dog here !
Alicia R.
Chloe & Jasmin and all the staff here was amazing. I will definitely be recommending this place to friends and family.
Nicole S.
Great service from start to finish. The communication and timeliness of our visit was outstanding. Highly recommend bringing your pet here!
Ron C.
This place is really good! Yesterday was my first time there. Here are some highlights: 1) Scheduling - I got in the same day, no waiting - the website let me choose an available appointment time, down to the half hour. 2) Modern and clean facility - I got a feline specific room with bird noises playing to help distract my new cat. The treatment area was open for me to see, not hidden behind a wall. 3) Very friendly and incredible attention to the customer - I just lost another cat of 16 years and dreaded having to go back to a vet. So much of this was made easier and painless because I wasn't waiting for hours. That's Rex, my newly adopted cat, in their cat room. The plant is not real, and just like the rest of the room, was made safe in case he was scared and ran.
Paige R.
I made an appointment for UrgentPaws but arrived 15 minutes early. I was helped right away and was brought into a private room. The environment was very calm and the whole staff was very knowledgeable and caring towards my dog. I was helped by an RVT named Jasmine who was kind, personable, and professional. While I hope my dogs will not need urgent care visits soon, I am so happy to be near such a wonderful clinic.
Danica V.
Christine was amazing and the doctor was amazing. Made me feel very comfortable and my baby Teddy highly recommend this place.
Jessica F.
This place was AMAZING! Everyone was so kind. Jasmine was the best!!!!!
Alexandria S.
Very nice facility, prompt evaluation, kind and personable staff. Happy to know such a wonderful urgent care is in our community with hours that accommodate many.