Your pet may be involved in many types of accidents around the house or when you are out on a walk, including road accidents, or be poisoned, choke on a foreign object or suddenly suffer from seizures. What do you do?
What to do first
The most important thing to remember is to ring your vet for advice first.
You may be able to do something for your pet at home to lessen the extent of the injury or problem before you arrive at the clinic. On the other hand you don’t want to do anything that may make your pet’s condition worse. Having a first aid manual on hand and a basic first aid kit mean you can act quickly on your vet’s instructions.Poisoning
Unfortunately, poisoning is a common emergency in pets and the list of culprits is long; insecticides (over-applying rinses or chewing flea collars), snail bait, rat bait, weed killers, fertilizers, paint, chocolate, medications and so on. Signs are variable and may include vomiting, twitching, lethargy, convulsions and difficulty breathing. The first steps to take if you suspect poisoning are:
- Keep your pet quiet and warm
- Try to determine the brand name and active ingredient of the poison
- Determine how much of the poison was eaten and when you think it happened
- Contact your vet immediately with this information and act on it
Wounds and bleeding
Wounds can be sharp incisions, jagged lacerations, punctures or abrasions. If your pet is bleeding:
- Apply pressure with your fingers to the intact skin either side of the wound
- Release slowly to apply sterile gauze over the wound, followed by a large pad of cotton wool
- Apply a firm bandage over the cotton wool
- If bleeding continues, a second pad may be bandaged into place but don’t remove the first
- If the wound is high up on a limb then the whole leg should be bandaged to prevent swelling
- Transport your pet immediately to your vet (a blanket can be used as a stretcher)
If chest wounds are present do not remove any protruding objects, apply a light dressing only, without pressure, keep the wound uppermost, keep the animal still and warm and make sure the head and neck are kept extended.