Emergency Red Flags | Species-Specific Red Flag Tables | Evidence chain

FAQ

My cat touched a lily but looks completely normal — does it need to see a vet?

Yes. Go to the clinic on exposure, without waiting for vomiting or other signs. Any variety of lily and any part of it, including the pollen and the water from a flower arrangement, carries a risk, and a tiny exposure can cause the acute renal tubular necrosis specific to cats within days. Households with cats should keep lilies out and should not leave the water from lily bouquets standing.

猫がユリに触れましたが、まったく正常に見えます。受診は必要ですか？ — 必要です。接触した時点で受診し、嘔吐などの症状が出るのを待たないでください。ユリは品種を問わず、どの部位でも、花粉と生け花の水を含めてリスクがあり、ごく微量の接触でも数日以内に猫に特有の急性尿細管壊死を起こしうるためです。猫のいる家ではユリを飾らず、ユリの花束の生け花の水も残さないでください。

My cat touched a lily but looks completely normal — does it need to see a vet? — Yes. Go to the clinic on exposure, without waiting for vomiting or other signs. Any variety of lily and any part of it, including the pollen and the water from a flower arrangement, carries a risk, and a tiny exposure can cause the acute renal tubular necrosis specific to cats within days. Households with cats should keep lilies out and should not leave the water from lily bouquets standing.

My rabbit is eating little and passing fewer droppings — how long should I wait before going to the vet?

The earlier the better; do not count down against any figure while waiting. A named source (University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine) states, for rabbits, that a rabbit eating or passing droppings less for more than 4 hours should be treated as a warning sign of gastrointestinal stasis (GI stasis) and taken to a vet; the full text of that source makes no mention of guinea pigs, so this figure must not be extrapolated to other species. Rabbits and guinea pigs have no vomiting reflex, so if reduced appetite is accompanied by smaller, fewer or absent droppings, dullness, teeth grinding or a hunched posture, contact a vet experienced with rabbits or small mammals immediately.

ウサギがあまり食べず、糞が減っています。どのくらい待ってから受診すべきですか？ — 早いほどよく、どんな数字を数えながら待つこともしないでください。記名のある出典（University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine）はウサギについて、採食や排便の減少が 4 時間を超えたら消化管うっ滞（GI stasis）の警告サインとみなして受診すべきと述べています。その出典の全文にモルモットへの言及はなく、この数値を他の動物種に外挿してはいけません。ウサギとモルモットには嘔吐反射がないため、食欲の低下に加えて糞が小さくなる・減る・出なくなる、元気がない、歯ぎしり、背中を丸めた姿勢が見られたら、ウサギや小型哺乳類に詳しい獣医師へ直ちに連絡してください。

My rabbit is eating little and passing fewer droppings — how long should I wait before going to the vet? — The earlier the better; do not count down against any figure while waiting. A named source (University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine) states, for rabbits, that a rabbit eating or passing droppings less for more than 4 hours should be treated as a warning sign of gastrointestinal stasis (GI stasis) and taken to a vet; the full text of that source makes no mention of guinea pigs, so this figure must not be extrapolated to other species. Rabbits and guinea pigs have no vomiting reflex, so if reduced appetite is accompanied by smaller, fewer or absent droppings, dullness, teeth grinding or a hunched posture, contact a vet experienced with rabbits or small mammals immediately.

My horse keeps lying down and rolling and looking round at its belly — can I lead it out for a walk first?

Contact a vet at once first. This is the typical presentation of colic, and a horse cannot vomit to relieve intestinal pressure, so once the gut twists or becomes obstructed it progresses within minutes to hours. Where it is safe to do so, the horse may be led at a slow walk to stop it rolling and injuring itself, but if the vet instructs you to wait, the vet's judgement at the time takes precedence; do not give any medication on your own.

馬が横になって転がり、しきりに腹のほうを振り返ります。まず外へ引き出して歩かせてよいですか？ — まず直ちに獣医師に連絡してください。これは疝痛（Colic）の典型的な現れ方で、馬は嘔吐して腸内の圧を逃がせないため、腸がねじれたり詰まったりすると分単位から時間単位で進行します。安全が確保できる範囲で、転がって自分を傷つけるのを防ぐためにゆっくり引き運動をしてもよいものの、獣医師から待つよう指示された場合はその場の獣医師の判断が優先されます。自己判断で薬を与えないでください。

My horse keeps lying down and rolling and looking round at its belly — can I lead it out for a walk first? — Contact a vet at once first. This is the typical presentation of colic, and a horse cannot vomit to relieve intestinal pressure, so once the gut twists or becomes obstructed it progresses within minutes to hours. Where it is safe to do so, the horse may be led at a slow walk to stop it rolling and injuring itself, but if the vet instructs you to wait, the vet's judgement at the time takes precedence; do not give any medication on your own.