Accidents do happen. They are usually unpredictable and can be serious. Being prepared can often help to lower the severity of injuries and save your pet’s life.
First Aid is simply the immediate care rendered to your injured or sick pet until it can be examined and treated by a veterinarian. Treatment of first aid is based on (1) preserving life, (2) preventing suffering, (3) preventing the situation from deteriorating. The first rule of dealing with an emergency is to stay calm. Concentrate on what needs to be done to maintain the airway and control bleeding. Contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.
It is very important for pet owners to have a first aid kit readily available, both in your home and in your car. It is always best to consult your veterinarian, but in some emergency situations it is not always possible to do so right away. Be very careful about using human drugs on animals. Some may be harmful, even fatal to pets. Check with your vet to see which medications are safe, and the recommended dosage.
One of the most common accidents is a cut or laceration. For these wounds, it is important to have bandage material, cleaning material, and anticoagulant (styptic) powder. That will take care of most minor wounds.
Another frequent problem, especially with dogs, are bee stings. The most common sign with this injury is a swollen muzzle. Giving the dog diphenhydramine (Benadryl) will help with the allergic reactions. Some dogs do not have a problem with bee stings, but some have respiratory difficulty and all need to be watched carefully for 24 hours.
It is important to distinguish between choking, gagging and coughing. Coughing can occur for a number of reasons. It is often brought on by strenuous exercise and goes away once your pet has settled down. Gagging may occur if your pet swallows incorrectly, getting food caught in the trachea. In this case, a modified heimlich maneuver can be attempted. Bend over your pet, wrap your hands around its chest, and do a quick jerking movement. This may be enough to dislodge something caught in the trachea. Finally, choking can be caused by either an obstruction of or a defect in the trachea. You should get your pet immediately to a veterinarian for this problem.
For a pet that has been hit by a car, you need to get the pet on a firm surface, such as a piece of plywood. If that is not available, put it in a blanket. The goal is to move the animal with a minimal amount of motion. This animal should be transported to your veterinarian or emergency clinic as soon as possible.
Poisonings are another major concern. Three of the more common types of poisonings are anti-freeze, rodenticide and garbage ingestion. In all cases of poisonings, your veterinarian should be contacted immediately, even if you simply suspect a poisoning has occurred, since it can take 24 to 72 hours for clinical signs of a poisoning to manifest.
ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center
888-4 ANI-HELP or 888-426-4435
Heat stroke is another injury that can occur. The treatment for this injury is to soak your pet in cool or luke warm water, provide water (but do not force feed water), take the animal's temperature (normal is between 100 and 102 degrees), and contact your local veterinarian.
The Merck Veterinary Manual
--The single most comprehensive electronic reference for animal care information
--Includes over 12,000 indexed topics and over 1200 illustrations
--Rapidly search by topic, species, specialty, disease, and keyword using advanced search
--Brought to you as a service of Merck & Co., Inc., providing quality medical information on a not-for-profit basis for more than 100 years, and Merial Limited, dedicated to producing a wide range of pharmaceuticals and vaccines to keep livestock and pets healthy and productive.
Now, for a little fun…We all know that our cats and dogs are very different animals. Even the simple task of giving your pet a pill can prove this point.
How to give a cat and dog a pill:
How to give your cat a pill…
1) Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2) Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.
3) Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.
4) Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right fore-finger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.
5) Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.
6) Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.
7) Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.
8) Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.
9) Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.
10) Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.
11) Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus jab. Throw Tee-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.
12) Ring fire brigade to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil-wrap.
13) Tie cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.
14) Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.
15) Arrange for SPCA to collect cat and ring local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.
How to give your dog a pill…
1) Wrap it in bacon.
Just one more thing. The third Sunday in June is Father’s Day, the official day to honor dads and make them feel special. Let your dad know how much he means to you.
WHAT IS A DAD?
A Dad is a person who is loving and kind,
And often he knows what you have on your mind.
He's someone who listens, suggests, and defends.
A dad can be one of your very best friends!
He's proud of your triumphs, but when things go wrong,
A dad can be patient and helpful and strong
In all that you do, a dad's love plays a part.
There's always a place for him deep in your heart.
And each year that passes, you're even more glad,
More grateful and proud just to call him your dad!
A red rose for my daddy.
I love you!
Tux, Mimi's Boston TerrierTux, page 2Tux, page3
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Pets Are GemsJANUARY: Happy New YearFEBRUARY: Happy Valentine's Day
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MAY: The Merry Month of MayJUNE: Basic First AidFirst Aid KitJULY: Have a Fun and Safe 4th of July
AUGUST: Vacationing with Your PetsPets Enjoy Celebrating Their Birthdays, Too
SEPTEMBER: School DaysOCTOBER: Halloween Safety Tips For Your Pets
NOVEMBER: Stuff The Turkey, Not Your Pets, This ThanksgivingDECEMBER: Holiday Hazards
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