Introduction
If you have a dog, chances are that at some point in their lives, they will be injured or become sick. In order to help your pet, it's important to know what to do and how to respond if your dog is in distress. Here are some tips for handling the most common types of canine emergencies:
Prepare yourself.
Before you can help your pet, you need to be prepared. That means having a first aid kit and knowing how to use it, as well as having the phone number for your vet on hand at all times. If an emergency does arise, make sure someone else knows how to contact them in case you are unavailable. You should also consider taking pet first aid classes so that you can be better prepared for any situation that may arise with your dog or cat!
Check the ABCs.
- Airway: Check the dog's airway to see if it is blocked. If the dog has something stuck in its throat, use a tongue depressor or other instrument to remove it. If you cannot remove whatever is blocking the airway and your canine friend cannot breathe on its own, perform mouth-to-snout resuscitation (see below).
- Breathing: If there is no pulse present and no chest rise/falling, begin chest compressions as described below.
- Circulation: If there is no pulse present but breathing still occurs at a labored rate (less than 10 breaths per minute), start mouth-to-snout resuscitation immediately!
Keep your dog still and comfortable.
- Keep your dog calm and still. If they are bleeding, apply pressure to the wound with a clean cloth or bandage. If they are injured, keep them still and comfortable until help arrives.
- Call your veterinarian right away--tell them how your pet is injured and when it happened, including any actions you've taken so far for your pet's care (such as applying icepacks). Ask if there's anything else that should be done before bringing the animal in for examination or treatment.
- You may want to get a first aid kit for dogs at home so that if another emergency arises again in the future, you'll be ready!
Assess your dog's condition.
Assess your dog's condition. If you aren't sure if your dog needs emergency treatment, call your veterinarian or local animal emergency clinic and let them know what happened to him or her. If the dog is unconscious, check for breathing and pulse:
- If there is no breathing (no chest movement), start CPR immediately by giving two quick breaths into the nose, then 30 chest compressions--five per second--and then two more breaths into the nose again before starting another cycle of 30 compressions/5 seconds each time until help arrives or until you feel confident that resuscitation efforts are not going to be successful (this could take anywhere from five minutes to an hour).
- If there is still no pulse after 30 chest compressions have been performed on a conscious patient who has stopped breathing normally due to injury rather than respiratory arrest (a situation where oxygen levels are dangerously low), begin rescue breathing immediately by placing one hand over their muzzle with lips slightly apart while using another hand beneath abdomen area just above hind legs while holding mouth shut tightly so air doesn't leak out during exhalation cycle which lasts 4 seconds long followed by 2 second rest period between cycles lasting 7 seconds long each time until help arrives or until CPR becomes ineffective due either because prolonged duration has exhausted rescuer(s) physically/mentally OR because the patient has suffered too much brain damage from lack of oxygenated blood flow causing irreversible brain damage beyond the salvageable level required for survival
Administer first aid care.
- If your dog is bleeding, stop the bleeding and then clean the wound with soap and water.
- If your dog is choking, use a finger to open their mouth, remove any object stuck in their throat or mouth, then check for breathing. If there's no breathing, perform CPR by giving 5 chest compressions (using 2 fingers on top of each other) followed by 1 breath into the nose until you see signs of life return--or call your veterinarian immediately!
- Check ABCs: airway; breathing; circulation (and look for signs of life). Assess pupillary light reflex: Shine a light into pupillary areas at rest; constrictions indicate consciousness while dilations indicate unconsciousness/brain damage/death...
You can help your pet if they injure themselves or become sick or injured, but you need to be prepared and know what to do!
Here's what you need to know:
- You can help your pet if they injure themselves or become sick or injured, but you need to be prepared and know what to do!
- You need to know what kind of first aid supplies you will need. For example, if your dog gets into something toxic that makes him sick or hurt, it's important that you have some way of cleaning him up so that he doesn't get any more toxic substances on his skin.
- You'll also want a way of keeping him quiet while he heals from whatever injury he sustained. If he's bleeding heavily from a wound on his paw (or any other part), then putting pressure on that area may help stop the bleeding until medical attention can be given by an expert at an animal hospital near where both humans live together comfortably without fear whatsoever while enjoying each other's company regularly throughout every single day without exception until death do us part when we meet again after death has ended life completely once and for all time forevermore Amen Hallelujah Amen Amen Halleluja
Conclusion
Remember, if your dog is injured or sick, there are many things that you can do to help them. The key is to stay calm and assess the situation quickly so that you can administer first aid care in a timely manner.