Both dogs and cats can suffer from illness or accidents which may result in them having breathing difficulties. These cases are always an emergency and the animal should be brought straight to the vet.
Here are four top tips to remember during transportation down to the clinic:
Know where you are going
Out of hours calls may be diverted to the emergency clinic rather than your usual practice. Ensure that you know the name and address of the clinic that you are going to in order to prevent any delay in getting treatment for your pet,
Give them space
As difficult as this may be, try not to hug your pet close to you when they are having a hard time breathing as this can reduce their ability to take in air. Instead, give them plenty of space to take the deepest breaths that they can, but do reassure them gently from a distance.
Give them fresh air
Even if it is very cold outside, drive with the windows down to enable your pet to take in oxygen-rich fresh air.
Try not to panic
Easier said than done, but increased stress levels around your pet combined with breathing difficulties can worsen the problem for your pet. Try and keep stress to an absolute minimum by reducing noise levels.