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Is this an emergency?
ER now, vet today, or watch at home — the missing middle nobody explains.
01How to use it · 1 point›
Recognition and triage only - never treatment. When you're unsure, the right answer is to call your vet or an ER; phone triage is free at most emergency hospitals and they would rather hear from you early.
02Go now · 2 points›
Label: EMERGENCY - go to an ER now, call from the car
Signs: · Unproductive retching with a hard, swollen, painful belly (bloat/GDV)
· Struggling to breathe, choking, or gums that are pale, white, blue, or brick red
· Collapse, unresponsiveness, or inability to stand
· A seizure lasting more than about 5 minutes, or repeated seizures
· Straining to urinate and producing nothing, especially in males
· Bleeding that won't stop after 5 minutes of direct pressure
· Hit by a car, a significant fall, or a large-dog-attacked-small-dog bite - internal injury can be invisible
· Known ingestion of a toxin or medication - bring the packaging
· Suspected heatstroke
· A distended, hard abdomen
· Eye injury, sudden blindness, or a bulging eye
· A pregnant dog straining more than about 30 minutes without producing a puppy
· Struggling to breathe, choking, or gums that are pale, white, blue, or brick red
· Collapse, unresponsiveness, or inability to stand
· A seizure lasting more than about 5 minutes, or repeated seizures
· Straining to urinate and producing nothing, especially in males
· Bleeding that won't stop after 5 minutes of direct pressure
· Hit by a car, a significant fall, or a large-dog-attacked-small-dog bite - internal injury can be invisible
· Known ingestion of a toxin or medication - bring the packaging
· Suspected heatstroke
· A distended, hard abdomen
· Eye injury, sudden blindness, or a bulging eye
· A pregnant dog straining more than about 30 minutes without producing a puppy
03Today · 2 points›
Label: SAME-DAY - call your vet for an appointment today
Signs: · Vomiting or diarrhea more than a couple of times, or any of it with blood
· Not eating at all for more than about 24 hours (sooner in puppies, toy breeds, and diabetics)
· A noticeable increase or decrease in drinking or urinating
· Limping that won't bear weight, or any suspected fracture
· A painful, hot, or swollen area, or a wound that's opening or discharging
· Head shaking, ear odor or discharge, or squinting and pawing at an eye
· Coughing that's new and persistent, or exercise intolerance
· A hard or rapidly growing lump
· Sudden behavior change, disorientation, or new aggression - often pain
· Anything that feels wrong to you in a dog you know well - that instinct is data
· Not eating at all for more than about 24 hours (sooner in puppies, toy breeds, and diabetics)
· A noticeable increase or decrease in drinking or urinating
· Limping that won't bear weight, or any suspected fracture
· A painful, hot, or swollen area, or a wound that's opening or discharging
· Head shaking, ear odor or discharge, or squinting and pawing at an eye
· Coughing that's new and persistent, or exercise intolerance
· A hard or rapidly growing lump
· Sudden behavior change, disorientation, or new aggression - often pain
· Anything that feels wrong to you in a dog you know well - that instinct is data
04Watch at home · 3 points›
Label: MONITOR - note it, track it, mention it at the next visit
Signs: · One episode of vomiting with a normal, bright dog afterward
· Slightly soft stool for a day with normal appetite and energy
· A mild limp that resolves within a few hours of rest
· A small scrape that's clean and not bothering them
· Occasional reverse sneezing
· A stable lump you've already had checked
· Slightly soft stool for a day with normal appetite and energy
· A mild limp that resolves within a few hours of rest
· A small scrape that's clean and not bothering them
· Occasional reverse sneezing
· A stable lump you've already had checked
How to monitor well: · Write the time and what you saw - memory rewrites fast under stress
· Take a photo or video; a limp or a tremor is far easier for a vet to interpret on video than described
· Track appetite, water, urine, and stool - the boring numbers are the diagnostic ones
· Weigh them if you can
· If it's not clearly improving in 24 hours, escalate
· Take a photo or video; a limp or a tremor is far easier for a vet to interpret on video than described
· Track appetite, water, urine, and stool - the boring numbers are the diagnostic ones
· Weigh them if you can
· If it's not clearly improving in 24 hours, escalate
05The numbers worth knowing · 6 points›
Note: Baselines for a resting, calm dog. Take them when your dog is WELL, so you know their normal.
Temperature: Roughly 101-102.5F. Below ~99 or above ~104 is urgent. Taken rectally; ear thermometers are less reliable.
Heart rate: Roughly 60-140 beats per minute at rest - small dogs run faster, giant breeds and fit dogs slower.
Breathing: Roughly 15-30 breaths per minute at rest. Count the sleeping breathing rate occasionally; a sustained rise above ~35-40 asleep is a genuine warning sign, especially with heart disease.
Gums and capillary refill: Gums should be pink and moist. Press a gum with a fingertip; color should return in under about 2 seconds. Slow refill, or pale/white/blue/brick-red gums, is an emergency finding.
Hydration: Most dogs drink roughly an ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. A sustained change either way is worth a call.
06The two traps · 1 point›
· Dogs hide pain extremely well - especially stoic breeds and especially chronic pain. 'He's eating fine' is not evidence of comfort.
· Waiting overnight to 'see how it goes' is the most common regret in emergency medicine. Overnight is exactly when a stable dog becomes an unstable one, and phone triage costs nothing.
· Waiting overnight to 'see how it goes' is the most common regret in emergency medicine. Overnight is exactly when a stable dog becomes an unstable one, and phone triage costs nothing.
Rosette Dog is educational and is not veterinary advice. In an emergency, contact your veterinarian or the nearest emergency animal hospital.
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