Emergency vet care
Heatstroke and snake bite put two emergencies on this coast that barely register upcountry, and the ferry means timing matters as much as distance.
- Typical visit
- Seen on arrival
- Home visit
- Clinic only
- Suitable for
- Dogs and cats
Come now if you see
- Heatstroke signs: frantic panting that does not settle in shade, brick-red or pale gums, thick ropey drool, wobbling or collapse. On this coast this is the emergency we see most.
- Snake bite, particularly around Bamburi, the quarry land and compounds backing onto bush
- Laboured, noisy or open-mouthed breathing, especially in a cat
- A hard, swollen, painful belly in a deep-chested dog
- Bleeding that will not stop with pressure
- Seizures, or a first-ever fit
- Suspected poisoning, including rat bait and livestock acaricides
- Straining to pass urine, especially a male cat
- A bitch straining more than an hour without producing a puppy
Heatstroke, in the first five minutes
Out of the sun. Cool water over the whole body, continuously, and not iced water, which closes down surface circulation and traps heat in the core. Get air moving across the wet coat. Then come, even if the animal seems to recover, because the gut, kidney and clotting damage declares itself hours later.
Snake bite
Do not cut, do not suck, do not apply a tourniquet. Keep the animal as still as possible and carry it if you can, because movement speeds venom spread. Describe the snake if you saw it, but do not go back to find it.
The ferry
If you are in Likoni or south of the channel, the crossing governs your timing more than the distance does. Ring us as you join the queue rather than after you land. For some emergencies there is useful advice we can give you while you wait, and for others sending a vet to you is genuinely the faster option.
Cost
The range is wide because emergencies are. We will tell you what we are doing and what it costs as soon as your animal is stable enough for that to be the priority. If money is a real constraint, say so early rather than late, while there are still choices to make.
What is included
- Immediate assessment on arrival, stabilisation before paperwork
- Active cooling for heatstroke, which is the intervention that decides the outcome
- A costed plan once your animal is stable, not before we know what we are dealing with
What this costs in Kenya
| Treatment | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency treatment | KES 5,000–KES 50,000 | Genuinely this wide; depends on what is wrong and how long support is needed |
Indicative market ranges for Kenya, reviewed 2026-08-29. This is not a quotation. Prices vary with your pet’s weight, the brand of vaccine or drug used, and whether the visit is at a clinic or at your home. Ask for a figure before treatment starts, any vet should give you one. We publish the real range rather than a comfortable one.
Common questions
Should I ring first?
Yes, from the road. It lets us prepare and lets us tell you what to do on the way, which for heatstroke genuinely changes the outcome.
We are in Likoni and the ferry is queued.
Ring us as you join the queue rather than after you cross. For some emergencies we can talk you through what to do while you wait, and for others a home visit is the faster answer.
Read the full guide first
Book a vet in Mombasa
Clinic appointments, or a vet at your door across Mombasa and the coast. Tell us what is wrong and we will say how soon your pet needs to be seen.