Pet First Aid: Tips every dog owner should know

Do you really know what to do if your pet is hurt? Knowing what to do or how to handle the situation, is something that every pet owner should know.

With this in mind, we want to share the top 10 first aid tips that can save your pet.

1.  Stay calm

The most important thing is, you should always stay calm. If something happened, be calm and try to think with a clear mind what you should do next. Stay calm for your pet, try to talk in a soothing voice, avoiding confrontational body language and direct eye contact.

2.  Try to reduce the risk

You can avoid incidents by reducing risks. Always start by safety checking your pet’s surroundings like you would with a child.

3.  Broken bones

After an incident, try to avoid further injury by preventing your pet from running off. If you suspect a break, everyday objects can be used to splint the injury, like toilet roll tubes, bubble wrap and tape to secure it.

4.  Poisoning

If you suspect your pet to be poisoned, do not attempt mouth to snout resuscitation as you may become contaminated yourself. Rather try to take them to a vet ASAP.

5.  Vomiting

If your pet has been vomiting for an alarming amount of time, take a t sample with you to the vet, it may help them identify any poisons and treat the pet more effectively. This can also apply to their feces.

6.  Burn wounds

If your pet received burns somehow, it is important to cool those area with water for at least 10 minutes. Do not apply bandages that may get stuck to the wound. It is known that with human burns cling film is recommended to minimize infection, but your pet is unlikely to tolerate this.

7.  Bleeding claws

Bleeding claws can happen because of a lot of reasons, but if you have accidentally clipped your pet’s claw too far up and it begins to bleed, place an absorbent dressing over the paw. Bandage it securely but not too tight as far up the leg as possible to prevent it sliding down. If the bleeding won’t stop, seek veterinary assistance.

8.  Bleeding ears

Bleeding ears can be a bug nuisance, especially if your pet has upwards pointing ears. If this becomes a problem, it may help to secure the ear downwards with a bandage until you can seek help.

9.  CPR for pets

Something can happen and CPR may be needed. You can start by placing your pet on its right side. This may be more effective, as their heart is slightly to the left.  Tilting its head slightly upwards (but not overextended) will help prevent its tongue blocking the airway. Start with five breaths - for small animals you may be able to cover their snout with your mouth, with larger animals hold the tongue outside of the mouth and breath into its nose. After the initial five breaths, switch from 15 compressions to two breaths. You should make sure that you do not breathe in too much air.  The air should be just enough so their chest rises and allow the compression to rise fully before beginning another.

10.  Choking or struggling to breathe

If your pet is choking, leave them to it, if they are able to cough then they are still able to breathe. Animals are very effective at clearing their airways. You should only intervene if the animal stops choking and becomes limp or unconscious.