Dog Owner's First Aid Cheat Sheet

Are you a caring dog owner? Certainly you are, otherwise you wouldn't be here reading this article. But sometimes, owning a dog takes more than just care. Unfortunately, we cannot fully control the lives of our beloved pets which results in various accidents that can be hazardous to their well-being and health. Of course, you know that a vet is your best friend when it comes to health issues, but some situations require immediate action on your part. So we decided to collect the most common cases and provide useful tips that will help you treat your dog better and significantly hasten its recovery.

First Aid Kit

We are positive that you have a first aid kit for yourself, kids and relatives at home. Well, your dog is a part of the family as well, but it cannot go out and buy the supplies in the nearest drug store for a kit of its own. So this is on you to take care of such stuff. As a dog owner you should have a separate first aid kit dedicated to your dog available at all times. As for the contents, we are here to help. So this is the list of things you need:

• Bandages
  
• Blunt-ended scissors
  
• Wound wash
  
• Cotton wool
  
• Tweezers
  
• Tick tweezers
  
• Wound dressing
  
• Self-adhesive tape
  
• Dressings
  
• Vinyl gloves
  
• Foil blanket
  
• Antiseptic wipes
  
• A blanket to use as a stretcher
  
  

Poisoning and contact with toxic substances

The most common source of the trouble of such kind is various cleaning products, which a typical household is full of. Dogs are as curious as little kids, so when a package says to store it in a place kids can't reach, keep it somewhere your dog has absolutely no access to. That would be the main precaution, but if some cleaning product or other harmful powder or liquid comes in contact with your dog's skin or eyes, be prepared to act quickly.

First of all, check the product label for instructions. Depending on the product, it will be required either to flush eyes and skin with water or to use soap. Afterwards, immediately get your dog to a veterinarian for further treatment. In case your dog eats, drinks or licks something toxic, your best bet would be to get it to a vet straight away.

How to treat bleeding wounds

If your dog ever happens to get in a fight with another dog or get a bleeding wound some other way, the first thing you need to do is apply pressure to the wound. It is better to use a folded gauze pad and keep pressure for several minutes until the blood starts clogging. Once the active bleeding is stopped, contact your vet. Such wounds can be life-threatening if not treated professionally. It will also be required to get infection-preventing shots.

How to deal with burns

Depending on the severity of burns, different treatment techniques are applied. If it's a small or chemical burn, just flush the area with large quantities of cold water. In case of severe burns, it is better to use an ice compress.

What to do if your dog is choking

Inherent curiosity often leads dogs to choking on small objects. 9 out of 10 times they can handle it by themselves via gagging reflex, but if your dog keeps choking, intensely pawing at the mouth and panicking, it's time to intervene. Be careful when helping a choking dog as it can get extra bitey.

Try to take a glimpse inside your pet's mouth and check if you can see any foreign objects. If you can, then attempt to retrieve it using pliers or tweezers. The key precaution here is to be extremely careful and not to push the object down further. If it takes a lot of time, it would probably be better to get your dog to a vet.

In case your dog collapses and you have no time to seek professional help, there is another technique that might help. Lay your pet on its side and apply firm quick pressure to the ribcage with both hands. This way, you create an additional air pressure from the lungs, which will likely push out the object obstructing the dog's breathing. You might be required to repeat this procedure several times.

If your dog's size allows it, you can also grab it by the hind legs and gently shake it upside down so that gravity would do its thing.

How to handle a heatstroke

Overheating is something everyone can experience on a particularly hot day, and dogs are prone to it as well. Generally, to avoid heatstroke, you must never leave your dog in a closed car as it becomes basically a pressure pot when left without air conditioning. It takes minutes for a dog left in a car to get a heatstroke.

If it so happens that your pet gets a heatstroke and there is no veterinarian assistance available immediately, try at least to get to a shaded area. Then, place a wet towel over your dog's neck and head not covering the nose or mouth. Rewet and reapply the towel every 5-10 minutes. You can also absorb heat by using a garden hose with water running over the animal's abdomen. Afterwards, you will need to transport your dog to a veterinarian.

What to do if your dog is not breathing

In that kind of situation panic is your worst enemy. Try to keep it together and act quickly. If you can, ask someone to call a vet while you help your dog. The first thing you need to do is gently pull out the dog's tongue to open the airway. Check if there are any foreign objects in the throat and if there are, try to remove them as described in the section about choking.

You may be forced to resort to a special rescue breathing technique that involves closing your dog's mouth with your hand and breathing right into the nose. Once you see that your pet's chest is expanded, continue to breathe once every 4-5 seconds.

How to check for a pulse

I The upper third of the thigh is the best place to find a pulse. Put your hand around it and you should feel a pulse. If you need to time it, do not use your thumb, as it has a strong pulse of its own and can affect the result.

How to perform CPR if there's no heartbeat

Open the dog's airway by pulling its tongue out before administering CPR. Lay your dog on its right side because the heart is located on the left side in the lower half of the chest. Now, in order to massage a heart, use one hand as a support and push with the other one. Depending on the size of your dog, you may require more force. You need to perform 80-120 chest compressions per minute for larger dogs and 100-150 for smaller ones.

It is also a good idea to alter chest compressions with rescue breathing, but never perform those at the same time.

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