My Pet Is Sick, Help me PAWS (2024)

PLEASE TAKE YOUR PET/RESCUE TO THE VET AT THE FIRST SIGN OF ILLNESS OR INJURY.

If you feel they are not acting normally or are ill or they have an injury/major wound, the 1st and most important step is to take your pet to a licensed vet ASAP.

Posting online or on Facebook is not the right forum for an emergency or if your pet is ill and needs treatment. Go online only to find a vet near your area. If you have time to go online, you should have time to bring your pet to a vet.

Do not post on Facebook or send an email and wait for a response, especially if it is an emergency.

PAWS often receives emails and calls from pet owners whose pets are sick or injured. When asked what their vet had to say about their pet's condition, the answers we often get are: 1) that they have not yet taken their pet to the vet, and 2) it's too expensive - and yet that they have not yet taken their pet to the vet or even asked the vet how much the check-up will cost.

PAWS does not give out medical advice online and does not encourage pet owners to self-medicate their pets. Many people ask, why not? A responsible, ethical, licensed vet will not diagnose or treat a pet online without physically examining the pet and/or running some tests. What more, an individual who is not a vet. Self-medicating could bring more harm to your pet as one can easily overdose, underdose, or give the wrong medicine.

Advice given online by people based on their experience with their pets should not replace a visit to the vet.

OPTION 1

Take your pet/rescue to a vet ASAP, especially for emergencies (i.e., pet not eating for days, pet not walking for days, pet vomiting or has diarrhea for days, has a bone sticking out, was run-over, etc).
If not to the nearest vet, then to your city vet who is usually already cheaper than private vet clinics. Some if not most of the city vets give free consultation. For those in Metro Manila, some low-cost vet clinics are UP Veterinary Teaching Hospital (UP Diliman, QC), CARA Clinic (Mandaluyong) and PSPCA (Recto, Manila).

If the budget is tight (which is usually the case), you can always appeal to the vet if it would be possible to give you a charity rate / give a discount or if you can be allowed to pay through installment.

If you are not within Metro Manila, you may send PAWS the name and contact # of the private vet that you brought your pet to, and how much he is charging you for your pet's treatment - and we can try to call him and appeal if you can be given a charity rate, discount or if you can be allowed to pay through installment. (Please send info TO: [emailprotected]). Note: There is no guarantee that the vet will agree to the request.

You know your pet better than anyone -- if he/she is lethargic (matamlay) and/or is not acting normal and/or has not eaten for days - please do not delay and take your pet to a vet. As responsible pet owners, we should be prepared to take our pets to the vet when they are sick or injured.****AS OF MAY 2019: CURRENTLY NO CONSULTATIONS AT THE PAWS CLINIC****
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Spay/Neuter at the PAWS Clinic: By appointment only.

Note:

There is NO PICK-UP OR HOME SERVICE. No clinic confinement.
There is only 1 full time shelter vet attending to 300+ shelter animals as well as patients who come in for consults and spay/neuter.
No 24-hour hotline or ambulance for emergencies.

From http://www.wisegeek.com/what-should-i-consider-before-taking-my-pet-to-the-vet.htm:

"Don't neglect taking your pet to the vet if you suspect something serious. Not only is it unfair to the animal to have him suffer through illness, but the more you wait, the more likely that the treatment will be expensive and lengthy."

Remember, we should all take our pets to the vet AT LEAST once a year for a checkup to keep them in good health. We encourage everyone to find a trusted vet for their loved pets and exert extra effort in taking them to a vet when they are ill. Our pets rely on us to take care of them.

Part of responsible pet ownership is allotting a budget for our pets when they get sick or injured, aside from yearly vaccinations and check-up.

Let us do our part as responsible pet owners.