By Denise Fleck, Sunny-dog Ink

Whether you’ve found your own pet hurt and away from home or are playing good Samaritan to someone else’s pet you find, knowing Pet First Aid could be a great comfort as well as a life-saver!  Having been away from the safety of their loving home and family, a lost pet could find himself in unfriendly surroundings and face-to-face with dangers he never dreamed of. 

Knowing what to do at the moment you find a furry one who has been through such an ordeal, can truly make a difference in minimizing pain and further injury.

First carefully perform a HEAD-TO-TAIL check-up to determine what may have gotten bumped, scraped or bitten along the way.  Remember, safety first!  Whether it is your precious pooch who has been injured or an unknown pet, when in pain, animals can bite so carefully, muzzle and restrain to prevent harm to themselves.  Then provide safe and prompt transport to professional veterinary help if needed.

Not sure what can be done at home and what requires a visit with a veterinarian? On-demand telehealth can help you to determine the best next step. The Kinship includes 24/7 unlimited access to veterinary telehealth through chat, over the phone, or email. Check it out today!

1. BANDAGING, SPLINTING & PREVENTING FURTHER BLOOD LOSS

This could be a life-saver or at the very least, ward off infection. Fights with other animals, getting caught in fences, being hit by a car can all result in a plethora of cuts, scrapes, tears and puncture wounds, not to mention broken bones. 

Direct pressure on the wound with clean gauze, followed by elevating the injured area if necessary can control bleeding.  In more serious cases, applying pressure to one of the major arteries (femoral inside thigh; brachial inside front leg and caudal at the base of the tail) can aid in clotting to its respective limb. Here is great first aid kit with all the gauze and tools for this treatment. 

2. RE-HYDRATING & PROVIDING NUTRITION IS VITAL

A pet on the run may have gone days or weeks (we’ve even seen pets find their way home years later thanks to microchips and proper ID) without proper food and water.  It’s possible that what they did eat or drink may have resulted in vomiting or diarrhea, so regardless, rehydrating is of utmost importance. 

Don’t let an overly thirsty pet tank up on the whole bowl at once though as he’ll consume air along with it, bloating his stomach.  Provide water in small amounts every 10-15 minutes and if his gums seem dry or even sticky, see if some electrolytes won’t help.

• 1 Quart Fresh Water (bottled or filtered preferred)
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • Mix and store in refrigerator but serve at room temperature making a fresh batch daily.
  • Throughout the day, dose 3 Tablespoons for puppies/kittens

Measurement Guidelines based on pet weight:

• 5 Tablespoons for pets up to 5 lbs.
• ¾ cups for pets up to 10 lbs.
• ¼ cup per 5 lbs. of body weight for pets 15 lbs. and more

With food too, small bits frequently to ease his stomach back into digestion. If he’s been queasy, a couple ginger snap cookies (the human kind) may settle his stomach as could cooled ginger, peppermint or chamomile tea to drink, but re-hydration is of the utmost importance.

Once ready to eat, something soft and bland like plain rice and boiled chicken, rice and scrambled egg (without butter or oil) or rice with non-fat yogurt might be a good choice to start. 

3. KNOW THE SYMPTOMS OF POISONING

4. KNOW ABOUT CHOKING OR EMBEDDED OBJECTS

5. RESCUE BREATHING & CPR MAY BE REQUIRED

In those worst-case scenarios when the dog or cat is not breathing and does not have a pulse.  Veterinarians are the experts, but if you deliver a pet who is already deceased, all the training, knowledge and skill in the world can bring the animal back to life. 

By knowing how to circulate life-giving blood and oxygen to the pet’s tissues and organs, you can keep his body vital and keep him alive until you reach professional medical help.  Don’t wish you HAD learned Pet First-Aid & CPR for your pet’s sake!

Read more Pet Safety Tips here http://www.sunnydogink.com/animal-care-tips.html and learn about Pet First-Aid classes and products at www.sunnydogink.com .

Denise Fleck is an award winning author and freelance writer.  After extensive training, practice, more training and more practice, she developed her own Pet First-Aid & CPR curriculum and has been teaching animal life-saving skills for 15 years with many success stories to share.  Additionally she developed a 5 month long Animal Care course for high school students in conjunction with the Burbank Unified School District and Animal Shelter.  She has demonstrated animal life-saving skills on CBS –TV’s “The Doctors,” Animal Planet’s “Pit Boss,” “Kirstie Alley’s Big Life” and countless other shows. To complement her teachings, Denise created a line of Pet First-Aid Kits, posters and books for children teaching animal respect and care!  Visit www.sunnydogink.com or call (818) 951-7962