Vomiting and diarrhea evaluation in Ann Arbor, MI

Vomiting and diarrhea are common reasons dogs and cats require urgent veterinary care. While some cases are mild, others can quickly become serious and lead to dehydration, weakness, abdominal pain, or other complications.

At Animal Urgent Center, we provide evaluation and treatment for pets experiencing:

Vomiting
Diarrhea
Decreased appetite
Abdominal discomfort
Lethargy
Bloody stool or vomit

These symptoms can be caused by many conditions, including dietary indiscretion, infections, parasites, pancreatitis, toxin exposure, gastrointestinal inflammation, or foreign body obstruction.

Our team may recommend diagnostics such as bloodwork, fecal testing, or radiographs (x-rays) depending on your pet’s condition. Treatment may include anti-nausea medications, fluid therapy, gastrointestinal support medications, and hospitalization when needed.

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When to seek urgent care

Pets should be evaluated promptly if they:

Cannot keep food or water down
Have repeated vomiting
Have bloody diarrhea or vomit
Become weak or lethargic
Have abdominal bloating or pain
May have eaten a toxin or foreign object

Does Your Pet Have Parasites?

Fleas

If your pet is scratching at themselves frequently, that could be a sign they have fleas. Push their fur out of the way so you can check their skin for flea droppings, which resemble coffee grounds. As unpleasant as that might sound, droppings are a strong indication of fleas, and treatment should be administered as quickly as possible.

Fleas are extremely tenacious and notoriously hard to eradicate from the home, so be sure to contact us immediately if you think your pet has fleas!

Ticks

Ticks are larger than fleas, but they are not necessarily easy to detect. The best way to find out is to check your pet from head to foot after they’ve been outdoors. You will need to check between the toes and paw pads and inside the ears; these are popular places for ticks to hide. Run your hands through your pet’s fur to check for any strange bumps and inspect your own clothing for good measure! Ticks will bury their mouth parts under the skin when they feed, but their bodies will remain on the surface. Sometimes, pets with ticks may scratch or rub at the area where the tick has embedded itself, but it’s also important to look your pet over just in case.

If you find a tick on your pet, you can choose to remove it yourself if you know how, but we also recommend contacting us so we can advise you on what to do.

Heartworm

Heartworm is more difficult to detect, with clinical signs such as coughing, loss of appetite, and lethargy taking many months, or even years, to occur. The best way to check your pet for heartworms is to run a heartworm test, where we check your pet’s blood for heartworm antigens. Surprisingly, it can take anywhere from 5-7 months post-infection to detect these antigens. This makes continuous heartworm prevention absolutely essential for your pet. Heartworm preventatives kill heartworms in the bloodstream before they can mature and propagate in the heart and lungs.

Intestinal Worms

Intestinal worms are common in pets, especially among puppies and kittens, who can contract intestinal worms while nursing. Common intestinal worms include roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms.

Clinical signs of worms include:

A distended abdomen (“pot-bellied”)
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Lethargy
Dull, unkempt coat

If you see these signs in your pet, contact your vet or reach out to Animal Urgent Center.

What can cause vomiting and diarrhea in pets?

Vomiting and diarrhea can range from mild stomach upset to signs of a more serious underlying illness. Prompt evaluation and treatment are important to help prevent dehydration, discomfort, and worsening disease.

Common causes of vomiting and diarrhea include:

Dietary indiscretion (“eating something they shouldn’t”)
Gastrointestinal infections
Parasites
Pancreatitis
Food intolerance or sudden diet changes
Foreign body obstruction
Toxin exposure
Inflammatory bowel disease

If your pet is having vomiting and or diarrhea,
We are happy to see you during our opening hours to provide urgent medical attention.

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