First Aid Tips
Have you ever suspected your pet may be suffering from an injury and you weren't sure what to do? Bleeding skin, broken bone, eye injury, convulsion, obstruction, choking and not sure what to do. Here's a few tips on how you can make your pet more comfortable whilst you are on the way to the vet.
Bleeding skin and broken bones
Convulsions (seizures or fitting)
Temperature changes (too hot or cold)
Bleeding skin..a broken bone?
Control the bleeding by applying pressure to the wound with your hands for 3 minutes or with a bandage
Check the chest area - if the injury is near the chest it may indicate broken ribs, these can be very painful and may penetrate into the lungs. Apply a dressing if necessary.
Is there an obvious fracture? - if you find a bone poking through - do not delay your visit to the vet. If a bone is below the elbow or knees it is a good idea to temporarily splint or dress it. Use rolled up newspapers or cardboard as a splint (be careful not to get bitten). If there is an open wound, and you can't get to the vet immediately, apply a bandage to the wound area.
Motor vehicle accident - many small animals fracture their pelvis when they are in a motor vehicle accident - this can be extremely painful so take care when moving them. Try to use a sling to move the animal.
Burns
Burn damage to the surface &/or deeper layers of the skin will occur immediately regardless of the source of burn. Visible signs can be seen immediately or it can take up to 12-24 hours after the accident depending on the cause or type of burn. Burns can be caused by a dry heat, such as, flame, corrosive chemicals, radiation, electricity or cold. A scald is caused by a moist heat, such as hot oil, wax or water.
First aid for a burn
- Cool the area immediately with cool running water or a cool compress
- Immerse in or flush with water or apply a cool pack to the effected area for a minimum of 5 minutes
- Apply a moist, cool compress to the effected area
- Keep the pet warm by wrapping in a blanket
- Transport the pet to a vet
Choking or airway obstruction
This is an EMERGENCY. Transport your pet to a vet immediately. On the way check that the tongue is not causing the obstruction and if you can see an object which is causing the obstruction, try and remove it gently if possible. You can also attempt the Heimlich manoeuvre but follow these instructions with great caution and care.
Heimlich Manoeuvre – used for when your pet is choking
- Raise your pet onto its hind legs, the hind feet can rest on the floor or you can lift the pet off the ground, depending on their body weight
- Place the dogs backline against your front, for larger dogs you may have to lower your body position, the pet’s spine should be supported against your front at all times
- Your arms are placed around the pet just under the ribs, where the ribs finish & the abdomen starts
- Squeeze the pet firmly up & forward
- Repeat 4 times
OR
- Hold the pet upside down by its back legs, suspend in the air
- Firmly deliver a blow using your hand to the abdomen of the pet, in the area of where the ribs finish & the abdomen starts
- Repeat 4 times
Convulsions (also known as seizures or fitting)
First aid for convulsions
- Clear any danger away from the pet, make the room quiet & dark, wait until the convulsion has stopped before touching or moving the pet
- If unconscious, check the pet is breathing & there is no airway obstruction
- Do not place your fingers into the pet’s mouth or try to restrain the pet while convulsing
- Do not attempt to give food or water while the pet is convulsing
- Reassure the pet when it comes out of the convulsion
- After the convulsion has stopped, see a vet promptly
Eye injury or problem?
Eye injuries or problems should be considered emergencies. They can be extremely painful and if they are left untreated can quickly result in blindness. The most common causes of eye problems are trauma, corneal ulceration, eye prolapse and foreign bodies (such as grass seeds).
Any redness, swelling, increased tear production, squinting, closing of the eye/s, cloudiness or blueness of the eye ball, discharge, change in the size of the eye ball, uneven pupil size, a membrane (third eye lid) has come across the eye, pawing or rubbing the eye are all signs of an eye problem
Eye injuries or problems should be seen by a vet immediately at the time they are noticed - changes to the eye & its associated structures can occur quickly after an accident, even over a few hours.
Please - do not put any medications in your pet's eye unless advised by your vet.
Penetrating objects
First aid care for penetrating objects
- Do not attempt to remove the item
- If possible & without causing any damage to the pet, reduce the size of the protruding part of the foreign body to 3-4 centimeters above the skin level
- If it is a penetrating wound to the chest, do not attempt to move the object, restrict your pet’s movement and if at all possible wrap the chest, covering the wound with a plastic wrap such as glad wrap, without putting any pressure on the impaled object.
- Control bleeding, but without applying pressure to the penetrating object
- Keep the pet warm
- See a vet immediately
Puncture & fight wounds
First aid for puncture or fight wounds if you know your pet has been in a fight
- See a vet promptly, a course of antibiotics will stop a deep infection from developing, but this must be done within 6-12 hours from when the fight happened
In the case of your pet sustaining severe attack wounds
- Control bleeding
- Keep your pet warm by wrapping them in a blanket
- Avoid being bitten or scratched as most pets are in shock & in pain
- See a vet immediately
Resuscitation
Resuscitation may consist of artificial respiration and/or cardiac massage. If your pet does not have a heart beat you should undertake cardiac massage. If your pet is not breathing but has a heart beat then perform artificial respiration. CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) is required if the animal is not breathing and does not have a heart beat. This involves a combination of massaging the heart and breathing for the animal (artificial respiration) usually five heart massages followed by one breath. It is important to do them in this sequence to prevent damage to the lungs.
Artificial Respiration
If a pet stops breathing for 3-5 minutes there is a very poor chance of survival, massive brain damaged has occurred
- For small pets, cover the pet’s mouth & nose with your mouth & blow
- For larger pets, cover the pet’s nose with your mouth while holding their mouth closed to reduce air escaping & blow
- Lay the pet on their right hand side
- Check firstly for any obstructions in the mouth or throat
- Gently pull the tongue out of the mouth as far as it will comfortably go
- Gently hold the pet’s mouth closed without hurting the tongue
- Cup your hands around the nose
- Gently blow into the nostrils &/or mouth until the chest rises, adjust the strength & volume of your blowing for the size of the pet
- Blow every 3-5 seconds for the first minute, check the pet after a minute to see if breathing has restarted & if there is a heart beat
- Continue a breath every 5 seconds, regularly check the pet for breathing & a heart beat
- Transport to a vet immediately, if you have a driver continue artificial respiration while in transit
Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation
For Small Pets
- Lay the pet on their right hand side
- The head & neck should be gently extended straight
- Place your left hand on the pet’s backline above the shoulder area, this is for support & to stop them from sliding away
- With the fingers of your right hand, these are placed under the pet with your palm resting on the pet’s sternum, your thumb is placed over where the heart is situated
- The thumb is use to squeeze the chest wall over the heart to stimulate cardiac activity
- Squeeze the chest wall rapidly 6 times, stop compressing for 5 seconds, repeat once & then do one squeeze every second
- Regularly check the pet for a heart beat
For Large Pets
- Lay the pet on their right hand side
- The head & neck should be gently extended straight
- Place your left hand fully under the chest of the pet, placed under where the heart would be situated
- Your right hand is place on the left side of the pet where the heart is situated
- With the heel of your hand, press in firmly to squeeze the chest wall over the heart to stimulate cardiac activity
- Compress the chest wall rapidly 6 times, stop compressing for 5 seconds, repeat once & then do one compress every second
- Regularly check the pet for a heart beat
Transport to a vet immediately, if you have a driver continue CPR while in transit
Temperature changes
Warming your pet
- Wrap your pet in a thick blanket, jumper or layer of bubble wrap to stop the loss of body heat
- Place a heat pack close to the pet’s body, check the temperature of the heat pack & the pet regularly to avoid the pet getting over heated
- Warm the pet slowly
- Wet pets loose body heat rapidly, so dry the pet as quickly as possible
Cooling your pet
- Soak a towel in cool water, drizzle the water over pet, concentrating on the head, stomach, under the neck, inner thighs & the pads of the feet
- Wrap the pet in a cool, wet towel
- For larger pets, gentle hosing or bathing with cool water is recommended followed by damp towels applied to the head and stomach
- Cool the pet slowly
- Do NOT apply ice packs to the pet
- Once the pet’s temperature comes down to 39 degrees C, stop cooling the pet & wrap in a dry towel or blanket
Wounds and grazes
Any break in the skin, such as an abrasion, cut, puncture or penetrating wound is susceptible to bacteria which can cause an infection. Damage to muscles, tendons and other vital structures of the body can also occur with deep wounds.
Most wounds require a thorough flushing using sterile saline, removal of contaminating matter and devitalized (dead) tissue, surgical repair of the wound, specialised wound dressings depending on the type of wound and medication. This must be performed by a veterinarian.
Graze type wound
A graze affects the surface layer of the skin and doesn’t usually go through the full thickness of the skin. Depending on the cause it can be a large or small wound, it can be either fairly clean or contaminated with road gravel, dirt, fur & grass.
First Aid for grazes
- Flush wound gently with saline / clean tepid water
- Apply a sterile / clean dressing
- See a vet promptly