Daily acute slots — weekdays 7:45–17
We reserve daily acute appointment slots every weekday for urgent cases. Call (06) 321 7300 — even when the regular schedule looks full, an acute slot may still be available. We assess the situation by phone, give first-aid guidance for the journey, and prepare the clinic for your arrival.
When is it an emergency?
- Severe breathing difficulty — laboured breathing, bluish or very pale gums, cats breathing through the mouth (rare in cats and always a danger sign). Normal panting in a hot or stressed dog is not the same thing.
- Unconsciousness or seizures
- Heavy bleeding or a large wound
- Traffic accident, fall, or other serious trauma
- Difficulty or inability to urinate — most urgent in male cats: urethral blockage is life-threatening within hours, call the same day, do not wait until morning. Also a true emergency in dogs (urethral stones, prostate disease). Any pet straining repeatedly without producing urine needs to be seen immediately.
- A dog with a swollen abdomen attempting to vomit unsuccessfully — gastric torsion (GDV) is life-threatening
- Ingestion of toxic substances — chocolate, xylitol, antifreeze (ethylene glycol), grapes, onion, human medications
- Adder bite — Finland's only wild venomous snake. Carry your pet; do not let it walk. Always requires veterinary assessment.
- Severe vomiting or diarrhoea lasting over 24 hours — or sooner for puppies, kittens, small breeds, and chronically ill pets. Blood in vomit or stool requires immediate assessment.
- Eye injury or sudden blindness
- Uncontrolled pain
- A pregnant female actively straining for over 30 minutes without producing a puppy, or over 2 hours between puppies, or greenish/bloody discharge before the first puppy
What to do in an emergency
- Call first. During business hours: (06) 321 7300. Outside business hours: the regional hotline 0600 399 299 (see next section). We can prepare and give first-aid advice for the journey.
- Keep your pet warm and calm. When transporting trauma patients, use a flat surface — a board, the boot floor, or a stiff cardboard box for large dogs; a carrier for cats and small dogs. Support head and rear together. Lifting in your arms can worsen spinal or joint injuries.
- With suspected poisoning, bring the packaging or a sample of any vomit. Do not attempt to induce vomiting at home before consulting us — in some poisonings (corrosive substances, sharp objects) it is dangerous. Never use salt to induce vomiting — it is life-threatening, especially for cats.
- Do not give human medications. Paracetamol is fatal to cats and toxic to dogs at the wrong dose. Ibuprofen, diclofenac and aspirin damage the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys in both species.
- Recognise shock: cold ears and paws, pale gums, rapid shallow breathing, sudden weakness. Keep your pet warm, do not give water, leave for the clinic immediately and call en route — shock requires immediate fluid therapy under veterinary care.
Evenings and weekends — Northern Emergency Area
Saari Animal Clinic is closed evenings and weekends, and our office number rings unanswered outside business hours. For the Vaasa region — covering Vaasa, Mustasaari, Laihia, Vähäkyrö and Vöyri — there is a regional after-hours veterinary emergency hotline.
A veterinarian on duty assesses your case by phone and refers you to the right place. Standard regional after-hours call charges apply (around 1.53 €/min daytime, 3.55 €/min nights from 22:00–08:00); emergency consultation fees are 50–100 % higher per regional rules — the exact amount is confirmed during the call.
Common emergencies — read more
We have collected detailed information about some of the most common emergencies on our site: adder bite — treatment and first aid, pyometra (uterine infection) and acute diarrhoea in dogs and cats. Recognising these conditions early significantly improves treatment outcomes.