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- Attend the Nebraska Rescue Council’s monthly meeting this Saturday
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- Paws in Pink to Benefit Breast Cancer Foundation
- VCA, Inc. Acquires MidWest Vet Specialists from Kansas State University
First-Aid Every Pet Owner Should Know
Your pet can have a medical emergency at any time. Have you ever thought about that? It’s not only us humans that experience such. So, in the event this emergency occurs, do you know how to administer any kind of first-aid if needed? If not, don’t worry because you happen to be exactly where you need to be right now. To be able to medically treat pets, both thoroughly and correctly takes extensive medical training. But, there are still a couple of things you can learn and teach yourself that could potentially help you save your pet’s life. Besides, there really is no downside to learn simple first-aid techniques for pets, especially if you’re a pet owner.
Knowing what to do in case your pet gets unwell or hurt is something every responsible owner needs to know. Anyway, let’s take a look below at a few first-aid tips and tricks for pets all owners should know about.
1. Choking And Respiratory Distress
If your cat or dog is gagging or gasping for air, it could be that it’s experiencing some respiratory emergency or it’s choking. If you can, try to carefully open the animal’s mouth and then look if something is obstructing the air passage. If you spot something you can try to carefully remove it. If it can’t be removed, try lifting the animal upside down, with its head facing the ground. If it still doesn’t come out then you may want to seek the assistance of emergency veterinarians to help with such situations. They’ll know exactly what to do in these scenarios.
2. CPR
If your pet happens to be completely unconscious and is not breathing at all, there’s a high chance it doesn’t have a heartbeat. The first thing you’ll need to do in this situation is to try and get the animal’s attention and ensure there’s no response. Next, place your ear on its underside and listen for a heartbeat. If you can’t detect a heartbeat, then its heart might have stopped. You may have to perform CPR if you want to save your pet’s life. Unfortunately, though, not many pets that experience cardiac arrest or respiratory complications recover and continue to lead healthy lives.
3. Wounds
If your pet has a wound that’s not bleeding profusely, or if it has stopped bleeding completely, the most ideal thing to do here is to rush it to the vet for medical assistance. If that can’t be done immediately, you can try cleaning the wound using betadine-based antiseptic wipes or a sterile saline rinse. Next, use non-stick padding to cover the wound, wrap it using gauze and then use bandage tape to secure it until you can make the trip to the vet. Keep in mind that this bandage only has a twenty-four-hour lifespan and should be removed or changed after a day. The better for your pet the sooner you can get him/her to its vet.
4. Bleeding
Trauma may result in internal and/or external injuries. If your pet is bleeding from the mouth, nose or other orifice, there’s not really much you can do here but rush them to your vet doctor immediately. If an external wound is what’s causing the bleeding, gently place a clean cloth or gauze on the affected area and then apply consistent, moderate pressure to the wound. In the event of excessive bleeding, try and elevate the affected region if possible. Avoid lifting the cloth or gauze because you’ll end up disturbing the clot. It the cloth or gauze gets soaked in blood, simply add another layer on top of the previous one.
5. Broken Bones
If your pet has suffered some kind of trauma, you might not be able to fully tell if it’s got any broken bones or not. If you think it might have a few broken bones or so, try to keep the movement of that area at a minimum. If you notice any open wounds or bleeding, proceed with the recommendations for wounds and bleeding highlighted above in this article. Remember, that’s after you’ve ensured minimal movement of the affected area. Visit your vet immediately after so they can stabilize the fracture.
Any illness or injury experienced by your pet will almost always require your attention, even though it may mean just to see and watch what happens. Just like us, they do get sick and just like us, they do get hurt from time to time. Understanding a few first-aid techniques here and there is literally what could lead you to be able to save your pet’s life in potential medical emergencies. So, knowing all this, why then would you not want to learn first-aid for your pet?
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