An emergency is and situation that requires immediate
action in order to prevent irreversible damage to or the death of your cat.
Each of the signs indicates an emergency.
1. Uncontrollable Bleeding|
| 2. Extreme Difficulty Breathing (including choking)
3. Continuous or recurrent convulsions|
| 4. Unconsciousness
5. Shock|
| 6. Sudden paralysis
7. Inability to urinate|
| 8. Repeated or continuous attempts to vomit, repeated unproductive vomiting, and/or diarrhea
| | | | | | | |
Conditions such as injury to the eyeball or snakebite are
usually emergencies; others, such as certain leg injuries, are
not so clear-cut. Therefore, in many cases you will use your
intuition to judge the best action to take.
Most emergencies are the result of trama (hit by a car, bitten by a dog) or poisoning. Most of have been easily prevented if the owner had confined his or her pet when unable to provide supervision. Medical emergencies due to failure of a vital organ could often of been prevented by consulting a veterinarian soon after the earlier signs appeared. Look ahead. If a weekend or holiday is coming up, it might be a good idea to take your cat in for an examination even if the signs seem minor. An emergency could could follow directly. It is a good idea to make up a first-aid kit to have on hand and to take with you on trips during which your pet will be far away from veterinary care. It should include the following:
INSTRUMENTS:
Rectal thermometor
Penlight Flashlight
Scissors
Fine-toothed tweezers
Nontoothed tweezers
Magnifying glass
Needlenose pliers
Small wire snips
Sewing needle
ANTIINFECTIVES:
Povidone-iodine solution and scrub (shampoo) and/or
Chlorhexidine solution and scrub.
Neomycin/polymixin B/bacitracin topical cream
(or ointment)
Rubbing alcohol (70% ethyl or isopropyl alcohol)
3% hydrogen peroxide (poor disinfectant but good
for removal of blood)
POISONING ANTIDOTES:
Syrup of ipecac
Activated charcoal liquid
BANDAGING MATERIALS:
Nonstick wound pads (2" X 2", 3" X 3", 4" X 4")
Gauze squares (2" X 2", 3" X 3", 4" X 4")
Roller gauze (1", 2" wide)
Roll cotton (disposable diaper or sanitary pad
pieces can often substituted in an emergency)
Adhesive tape (1/2", 1", 2" wide)
Elastic bandage (2", 3" wide)
MISCELLANEOUS:
Cat muzzle
Cotton-tipped swabs
Styptic powder (or pencil)
Toenail trimmer
Medical-grade cyanoacrylate glue (rarely needed)
All of the materials above should be easy to obtain in
any well-stocked drugstore except for the cat muzzle
and the needlenose pliers and metal snips, which can be purchased in hardware stores. Commercial first-aid kits intended for people can be easily expanded to make them appropriate for use with pets.
|
External bleeding and how to stop it
A pressure bandage is the best method of hemostasis or stopping bleeding. If a gauze pad is available, place this directly over the wound, then apply the bandage over it. Any clear strip of material can be used as a bandage. Gauze roller bandage, a strip of clean sheet, or an elastic bandage are best since persistant bleeding causes seepage that you can see through such bandages. If the wound is on the trunk or you plan to bandage a limb only temporarily, apply several wraps of bandage firmly (not tightly) and directly over the wound. If the bandage is to be left on the limb for several hours or more, it should be applied over the wound and down the leg to cover the foot as well. This will prevent swelling and ischemia (lack of blood and oxygen) of the part of the limb below the bandage. This rule applies to bandaging the tail as well. If you cannot apply a pressure bandage, firm, direct pressure (with your bare hand, if necessary) over the wound for several minutes will often stop bleeding.
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