First aid emergency for Dogs
First aid for dogs
Having a dog means not just knowing what to do and how to look after them on a day-to-day basis but you should also know what to do and how to act in an emergency and by knowing the first aid it may just save your dog’s life if he/she has an accident. Be careful when approaching an injured dog as they will be scared and may lash out, if the dog is small it’s a good idea to wrap them up in a blanket or towel.
The most common accidents that need first aid treatment are listed below;
Eye injuries tend to be serious and so it is important to get them to the vets, initial it is advised to dampen the exposed eyeball and then cover it gently whilst gently applying compression.
Compression needs to be applied onto the wound to slow down the bleeding, this can be done by putting a compression bandage around the wound, be careful not to cut off the circulation from the injured limb.
Diabetes causes blood sugar levels to become low, if this happened to your dog but they are still conscious then put some honey or sugar water on their tongue at repeated regular intervals. Then take your dog to the vet for them to measure their glucose level.
Dogs tend to end up swallowing things that they shouldn’t this can range from stones to balls, in the majority of cases the object will pass straight through them. However if they are bigger objects you will need ask your vet for advice, don’t try to make your dog vomit the object up unless your vet tells you to do so.
The first thing to do to a dog that had a drowning experience is to clear their airways of anything blocking them, then hold the dog upside dog by its back legs to get any water out, if the dog isn’t breathing you will need to apply artificial respiration, after any accidents of drowning it s important to seek your vets advice.
This can easily happen and depending on the size of the ball you should be able to press on the outside of your dog’s throat push the ball up and back out, however if you aren’t able to do this you will need to go immediately to your vets. If your dog is starting to turn blue from choking then you will need to take action yourself, you will need someone to help you do so, one of you will need to hold the dog’s mouth open while the other reaches inside to try and pull the ball out, if this fails to work then lay the dog on their side and push down quickly and firmly just behind the bottom of the rib cage making sure the other person is ready to catch the ball.
You dog could suffer from either two fractures, these are closed fractures, which are intact skin and open fractures which are broken skin. Obvious signs of fractures are swelling, deformity, a grating sound or feeling and a loss of function of the fractured limb. If you dog suffers from an open facture be sure to try and minimise the bleeding, in all fractures it is important to minimise the movement of the fracture body part and give them support by using a splint (this can be made of wood, metal or even a rolled up newspaper).
Dogs love to roam about and investigate everything and sometimes end up eating something extremely bad for them. There are a number of poisons that can harm a dog that include medicines, chemicals, deadly plants, pesticides and insect stings, if your dog gets poison it is important to stop the absorption of the poison immediately. Firstly remove where the poison is coming from if you are able to, an example would be if it was on your dogs fur to wash them. Only if the poison swallowed is not a corrosive or a sedative, or if your dog is not having a fit you can induce vomiting by giving the ordinary household salt or putting washing soda in the mouth of on the back of the tongue or give them a laxative to prevent the poison absorbing further into the stomach.
If you aren’t what poison your dog has come into contact with or don’t know what to do then get them to the vets where they will look at the symptoms and treat the accordingly.
In either case you will need to get your dog immediately to the vets, whilst taking him/her you should either wrap them losing in a cold towel or sponge them down with cold water.
If your dog is having a fit or seizure you will need to ring your vet in order to find out whether you should travel with them or if the vet will need to come to you. Fits and seizures can be the result of a number of things such as illness or injury, either way your dog will need the immediate attention of a vet. Before this there are a few things you can do, one keep a distance from your dog when they are having a fit or seizure as they might bite, clear the area of anything that could harm them and make the environment as calm as possible, if the room is crowded then get people to leave, turn off anything that creates noise such as the television, making the room darker will also help to calm your dog.
If your dog has stopped breathing you can use CPR in order to help them, on a large dog lay them on their side and blow gently up their nose whilst you hold their mouth shut firmly, one smaller dog’s you can create artificial breathing by doing chest compressions. However CPR can be dangerous to a dog that is still breathing and with a beating heart.
If you are moving an injured dog only do so if completely necessary, if they can’t walk slide them onto a blanket or cardboard in order to carry them, make sure that you keep them warm by wrapping them up.
Burns can be the result of electricity, dry heat, cold or steam in the case of scalding, either way the best way to treat them is by cooling the area followed by dressing the wound with a sterile pad or if you don’t have any of them cling film will do the job. Try not to let your dog walk around too much, and keep them warm by wrapping them up, this will also help to prevent them from moving. It is advised to not put any lotions or cream on the wounds and get them to the vets to stop further problems such as infections.
Dogs tend to get into the odd fight now and then and in some cases can get hurt, if you notice our dog has become distressed or is shocked then it would be a good idea to contact your vet, look over any injuries they have gotten and if they have any on their head or body it would be best to get in touch with your vet, however if they are just their limbs they may not need to go to the vets.