Puppy Health Emergencies
If at any time the pup experiences any life-threatening issues, please follow the protocol below. Still, use your best judgement to keep the puppy safe and healthy.
1. EMAIL your Puppy Advisor.
- Email is always most ideal! Though a cell phone call/text may seem like the right choice, your Puppy Advisor may be traveling, out of office, or unreachable. If you email your Puppy Advisor, in the event they are not readily available, you will receive an automatic reply with directions regarding who to contact for the most efficient support!
2. Call GDF (631-930-9000) if it is a weekend or after 5pm on a weekday, to reach the emergency voicemail system. Calling the emergency line puts you in contact with an on-duty manager or director who will have the ability to support you best.
If you feel the puppy is experiencing a life threatening emergency (examples listed below) that requires immediate attention, call your veterinary hospital first.
If your assigned veterinarian is closed, call the nearest Emergency Veterinary Hospital. This way, they have a heads up that you're coming! Then, reach your Puppy Advisor to get our team up to speed.
3. Bring the puppy to the nearest veterinary hospital or veterinary emergency hospital. (Emergency centers listed below by region.)
4. Payment - The veterinary hospital can bill the Guide Dog Foundation directly (Invoices_GDF@guidedog.org). Some emergency hospitals require payment immediately. Please pay the bill and submit the invoice to your Puppy Advisor. A check will be mailed to you within 2 weeks.
Is it Life-Threatening?
If at any point your pup experiences any of these issues, please take them to the nearest vet. Contact your advisor or area coordinator on the way or once the pup is stable, but do not wait on approval for any of these issues.
- Lost Dog
- Please contact our team immediately if the puppy is lost. We have widespread contacts and resources, to ensure the soonest possible return of the pup, as well as ownership of the pup. If the puppy is ultimately found and held by a shelter, they may only release the puppy to its owner (GDF/AVD).
- Ingestion of foreign body
- Ingestion of poison or potentially toxic substance
- Call poison control first! Majority of veterinarians, even emergency centers, will want you to take this step first, to assess toxicity levels of an item.
- Be prepared to answer questions such as dog weight, substance ingredients, approximate amount of substance ingested.
- Checking and keeping the package of ingested food or medication is most helpful for accuracy and treatment.
- Afterward, the veterinarian will use the reference number from your call to continue managing the case.
- Mention to the poison control hotline that this is a service dog puppy, as the call fee should be waived.
- Lethargy
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- With vomiting, not eating, and/or diarrhea
- Trouble staying awake
- Wound more than an abrasion
- Bite from another animal or dog
- Would require stitches or staples
- Bleeding heavily
- Orthopedic injury
- Painful: dog indicating with vocalization or refusal to move, even with encouragement
- Non-weight bearing with pain
- Hit by car
- Sudden collapse
- Vaccine reaction
- Face or area of body swelling, difficulty breathing, hives, vomiting, or excessive lethargy
- Bloat
- Swollen stomach in conjunction with panting, drooling, vocalization, and/or not settling.