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Emergency Red Flags | Species-Specific Red Flag Tables
The emergencies most often misjudged as "we'll look at it tomorrow" in dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs, birds, reptiles, fish and horses: gastric torsion, heatstroke, urethral obstruction and pyometra in dogs; urethral obstruction, arterial thromboembolism, open-mouth breathing and lily exposure in cats; the time-based warning for reduced eating or droppings in rabbits; a bird found on the cage floor; cloacal prolapse in reptiles; a whole tank of fish going wrong at once; colic and laminitis in horses. Each entry states why it is dangerous and what to do before reaching the clinic. Guinea pigs have no evidence-based time figure of their own, so the rabbit figure cannot be carried over to them; the earlier they are seen, the better.
Emergency Red Flags | Species-Specific Red Flag Tables
This content is compiled from the Emergency Red Flags chapter of the veterinary animal encyclopedia. The same sign calls for different handling in different species, and doing what suits another species can be harmful — confirm which animal you are dealing with first.
For each species only the most representative emergencies, entirely absent from the original teaching material, that owners most often misjudge as "we'll look at it tomorrow" are listed; for the full list of diseases see the 12-column knowledge tree for each species (`20-T1-犬.md` to `29-獨立軌-野生動物園工作動物.md`).
Dog (see `20-T1-犬.md` §8)
| Red flag sign | Possible disease | Why it is dangerous | What to do / must not do before reaching the clinic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid abdominal distension + retching without bringing anything up + heavy drooling + restlessness and pacing back and forth (most common in deep-chested large breeds, just after a full meal or strenuous activity) | Gastric torsion, GDV (gastric dilatation-volvulus) | The torsion cuts off blood flow to the stomach wall, causing necrosis of that wall plus shock, and it progresses within minutes | Set off at once and notify the clinic on the way so they can prepare; do not give water, press on the abdomen, or try to "help it release the gas" |
| Non-stop panting in hot weather or after exercise + very high body temperature + collapse + vomiting or bloody stool + seizures (brachycephalic, obese, elderly, thick-coated and working dogs are most at risk) | Heatstroke | Multi-organ failure and coagulation abnormalities; the cooling done on the way to the clinic determines survival | Move to shade + wet the whole body with room-temperature (not iced) water + use a fan or open windows for airflow + go to the clinic at once; do not soak the dog in ice water, wrap it in wet towels so heat is trapped, or wait for the temperature to return to normal before setting off |
| A male dog that keeps posturing to urinate without producing urine, passes small frequent amounts or drips blood, with a swollen and painful abdomen | Urethral obstruction (stones, tumour, prostatic disease) | High blood potassium leading to cardiac arrest, kidney failure, and possible bladder rupture | Go to the clinic at once; do not press hard on the abdomen (the bladder may rupture) and do not restrict water |
| An unspayed bitch that, some weeks after oestrus, becomes dull, loses appetite, drinks and urinates more, with vaginal discharge or with no discharge but a distended abdomen (the closed form without discharge is in fact more dangerous) | Pyometra | Sepsis and kidney failure; emergency surgery is usually required | Go to the clinic at once rather than "waiting until the season is over" |
Cat (see `21-T2-貓.md` column 8)
| Red flag sign | Possible disease | Why it is dangerous | What to do / must not do before reaching the clinic |
|---|---|---|---|
| A male cat repeatedly entering the litter tray, straining without producing urine / passing only a few drops / passing nothing at all | Urethral obstruction | Fatal within hours: bladder rupture and cardiac arrest from high blood potassium; the male cat urethra is especially narrow, long and curved, so the risk is far higher than in females | Go even in the middle of the night; do not wait to "observe tomorrow" |
| Sudden hind limb weakness / screaming in pain / paws that feel cold to the touch | Arterial thromboembolism (ATE), often the first sign of heart disease (such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, HCM) | The clot blocks blood flow to the hind limbs, causing severely painful and possibly irreversible tissue ischaemia; heart disease in cats often gives no advance warning and no cough | Keep warm, move the affected limbs as little as possible, go to the clinic at once |
| Rapid breathing, open-mouth breathing, laboured abdominal breathing, crouching with the neck stretched out to pant (open-mouth breathing in a cat is almost invariably an emergency) | An asthma attack (feline asthma / acute worsening of chronic lower airway disease), pulmonary oedema, pleural effusion | A cat has far less respiratory reserve than a dog, and open-mouth breathing means that reserve has already failed | Keep the cat quiet and cool, transport with ventilation; do not restrain it forcibly or bathe and provoke it |
| Contact with lilies (any variety, any part, including pollen and the water from a flower arrangement), even when the cat looks completely normal | Acute renal tubular necrosis specific to cats | A tiny exposure can cause kidney failure within days, so do not wait for signs to appear | Go to the clinic on exposure, without waiting for vomiting or other signs; households with cats should keep lilies out and not leave the water from lily bouquets standing |
Rabbit / Guinea Pig (see `25-T6-小型哺乳.md`)
| Red flag sign | Possible disease | Why it is dangerous | What to do / must not do before reaching the clinic |
|---|
| 🚨 Rabbit: reduced appetite or reduced droppings for "more than 4 hours" is already a warning sign — do not wait longer. 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 these 4 hours must not be extrapolated to other species (OP checked the full text word by word on 2026-07-30: guinea / cavy hits = 0). Rabbits and guinea pigs have no vomiting reflex, so gastrointestinal problems cannot be relieved by vomiting; the earlier the better — do not count down against any figure while waiting. 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. The guinea pig is likewise a hindgut fermenter with no vomiting reflex, so the risk mechanism is the same but there is no evidence-based time figure of its own; the earlier it is seen, the better. | Gastrointestinal stasis, GI stasis | Rabbits and guinea pigs have no vomiting reflex, so intestinal problems cannot be relieved by vomiting; stasis rapidly turns into gut flora imbalance, painful gas distension and shock, and it is the number one hidden killer in these two species | Go to the clinic at once; do not wait on the assumption that "it may just not be hungry"; do not syringe-feed anything without veterinary guidance | | Severe abdominal distension, a tight and painful abdomen on touch | Intestinal obstruction / gas distension | In hindgut fermenters, gas distension presses on breathing and circulation | Go to the clinic at once and do not press on the abdomen yourself | | Head and neck tilted to one side (torticollis) | Suspected vestibular disease or middle ear infection | Often accompanied by inability to eat unaided and loss of orientation | Minimise handling, prevent a second fall and injury, and see a vet | | Traumatic fracture (especially when a rabbit struggles) | Rabbit bones are relatively fragile, and struggling in an incorrect hold easily causes spinal fracture and paralysis | A spinal fracture can cause permanent paralysis | Support the whole body steadily, avoid any twisting movement, go to the clinic at once | | Heavy gum bleeding, complete inability to stand (guinea pig) | Complications of severe scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) or another acute critical illness | Guinea pigs cannot synthesise vitamin C themselves, and prolonged deficiency causes systemic deterioration | Go to the clinic at once | | Rapid breathing, open-mouth breathing | Worsening upper respiratory infection, or abdominal distension pressing on breathing | These two species have little respiratory reserve | Keep the animal quiet, reduce stressful stimulation, go to the clinic at once |
Bird (see `24-T5-鳥.md` 8. 🚨急症紅旗)
| Red flag sign | Possible disease / meaning | Why it is dangerous | What to do / must not do before reaching the clinic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Found on the cage floor, unable to stand or perch | A shared end-stage sign of many acute critical conditions | Birds instinctively hide illness until they can no longer cope, so being found on the cage floor usually means the disease is already advanced | Go to the clinic at once, keep the bird warm and reduce handling and stimulation |
| Fluffed up, standing still and dull, eyes closed and drowsy | A shared early outward signal of illness (birds are the best at hiding illness) | As above; by the time a bird "looks unwell" it is usually no longer early | Keep it warm (birds have a high metabolic rate and are sensitive to heat loss), handle it less, go to the clinic at once |
| Open-mouth breathing or tail-bobbing respiration | Respiratory distress, possibly aspergillosis, air sac infection, a foreign body or poisoning (including fumes from non-stick coatings, see Section 3) | Once the bird's distinctive air sac respiratory system is damaged, there is very little reserve | Keep it warm, reduce stimulation, go to the clinic at once; if poisoning by non-stick cookware fumes is suspected, move the bird out of the area immediately and open windows for ventilation |
| Egg binding / oviduct obstruction: crouching and straining, abdominal swelling, inability to stand | Egg binding | The obstruction can press on nerves and cause paralysis, and may progress to oviduct rupture and peritonitis | Go to the clinic at once; do not squeeze the abdomen yourself to "help the egg out" |
| Bloody or black droppings, seizures, bleeding from an injury that will not stop, refusing food beyond a certain time [specific number of hours] | Various medical and surgical emergencies | The same shared mechanisms as in Section 1 | Go to the clinic at once; observing and waiting at home is not acceptable |
Reptile (see `23-T4-爬蟲兩棲.md` 各分類 8. 🚨急症紅旗)
| Red flag sign | Possible disease / meaning | Why it is dangerous | What to do / must not do before reaching the clinic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open-mouth breathing, discharge from the nostrils or mouth | Respiratory infection (often triggered by unsuitable temperature or humidity) | Reptiles are ectotherms, so when the ambient temperature is wrong their immunity drops and a respiratory infection can worsen faster than owners expect | Transport while maintaining the temperature gradient suitable for that species, go to the clinic at once |
| Prolapse / cloacal prolapse: tissue protruding from the cloaca | Caused by constipation, difficulty laying eggs, parasites or excessive straining to pass waste | Exposed tissue dries out, becomes necrotic and infected, and it also points to a more serious underlying cause (such as egg binding) | Do not try to push the prolapsed tissue back yourself; protect the exposed tissue with a moist clean dressing and go to the clinic immediately |
| Unable to withdraw / unable to right itself: a chelonian on its back that cannot turn over, a lizard or snake whose limbs or body cannot be withdrawn or supported normally | Possibly nerve damage, an advanced stage of metabolic bone disease, or extreme general debility | A chelonian left on its back too long has its digestive tract and breathing compressed, which can be fatal | Help it right itself, reduce pressure, go to the clinic at once |
| Persistently unable to float, or unable to dive (aquatic turtles) | Suspected lung infection or a gas problem | It affects gas exchange and normal behaviour, indicating a moderate to severe respiratory problem | Keep the water at a suitable level to avoid the risk of drowning, go to the clinic at once |
| Suspected egg binding (repeated attempts to lay or dig without producing eggs) | Egg binding / dystocia | Can lead to fatal abdominal infection or rupture | Provide a laying environment while getting veterinary care as soon as possible, rather than just "waiting a bit longer" |
Fish (see `22-T3-魚水族與T10-無脊椎.md` 4.8)
| Red flag sign | Possible disease / meaning | Why it is dangerous | What to do / must not do before reaching the clinic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasping at the surface: fish gathering at the water surface or the air outlet and breathing hard | Insufficient dissolved oxygen, or ammonia / nitrite poisoning | Fish exchange gases with the water directly through their gills, so when the water quality is abnormal the whole tank is affected at the same time rather than a single fish falling ill | Immediately change a large volume of water (dechlorinated) and increase aeration, stop feeding, and test for ammonia and nitrite with a test kit |
| The whole tank going wrong at once (floating at the surface together, turning belly-up together, mass deaths within a short time) | New tank syndrome / ammonia poisoning, a sharp change in water temperature, chemical contamination | This is the biggest difference between fish emergencies and those of dogs and cats: a single sick fish is usually an individual disease, whereas the whole tank going wrong at once is almost certainly a water quality or environmental event, and it worsens within hours or even minutes | Immediately change a large volume of water to dilute the toxins, test the water quality, and if necessary contact an aquarium professional or an experienced aquatic veterinarian |
| Belly-up for a long time, unable to right itself | Swim bladder disorder or a more serious systemic disease | Staying belly-up affects normal feeding and the angle of respiration | Rule out overfeeding as a cause, and seek professional assessment if necessary |
| Large, rapidly expanding ulcers or bleeding on the body surface | Rapidly progressing diseases such as bacterial septicaemia | Mortality is high and early intervention is needed | Isolate the affected fish immediately and seek help from an aquatic veterinarian |
Horse (see `27-T8-農場與T9-馬.md` (A) 8. 🚨急症紅旗)
| Red flag sign | Possible disease / meaning | Why it is dangerous | What to do / must not do before reaching the clinic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abdominal pain and rolling: repeatedly lying down and rolling, frequently looking round at the flank, pawing the ground, sweating, reduced or absent droppings | Colic | A horse cannot vomit to relieve intestinal pressure, so once the gut twists or becomes obstructed, loss of blood flow and tissue necrosis progress within minutes to hours; it is the number one minute-scale emergency in equids | Contact a vet at once; 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 |
| Unable to stand (down horse), or abnormally warm hooves with a markedly stronger pulse and the "sawhorse stance" shifting weight forward off the hind limbs | Laminitis / systemic collapse | The hoof is living tissue suspended from the dermal layer, so inflammation means continuous severe pain that may be irreversible; a horse that is down and cannot stand is itself an emergency and not simply a sign of ageing or tiredness | Contact a vet at once; do not force the horse to stand or walk; keep the surroundings safe to prevent further injury |
Limits of this content
This content comes from the Emergency Red Flags chapter of the veterinary encyclopedia (the original location and the content hash are in the evidence chain). The sources at the end are the authoritative materials cited by that chapter; the mapping is at chapter level, which does not mean every single sentence is traced back to a specific source. This content is for educational use and cannot replace diagnosis and prescription by a practising veterinarian; in an emergency, see a vet immediately. This text has not been clinically reviewed by a named veterinarian.
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.
Source anchors
- Merck 獸醫手冊｜急症紅旗章引用 · https://www.merckvetmanual.com/toxicology/insecticide-and-acaricide-organic-toxicity/plant-derived-insecticide-toxicosis-in-animals · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
- PMC 全文｜急症紅旗章引用 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10385239/ · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
- PMC 全文｜急症紅旗章引用 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10705156/ · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
- PMC 全文｜急症紅旗章引用 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10911291/ · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
- icatcare.org｜急症紅旗章引用 · https://icatcare.org/articles/lily-poisoning-in-cats · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
- rabbit.org｜急症紅旗章引用 · https://rabbit.org/care/gi-stasis/ · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
- vcahospitals.com｜急症紅旗章引用 · https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/chinchillas-diseases · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
- vetmed.illinois.edu｜急症紅旗章引用 · https://vetmed.illinois.edu/2024/06/04/rabbit-gi-stasis/ · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
- vetmed.tamu.edu｜急症紅旗章引用 · https://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk/colic-in-horses/ · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
- 本文證據鏈：原始章節位置與內容雜湊 · https://km.idaeo.ai/reports/vet-species-specific-red-flags-evidence · 在 IDAEO 的其他引用
Cite this article
獸醫百科編輯部・《Emergency Red Flags | Species-Specific Red Flag Tables》・IDAEO 知識庫・2026-08-13・https://km.idaeo.ai/post/vet/species-specific-red-flagsUpdated 2026-08-14