3 First Aid Tricks To Know When You Have A Pet

When you have a pet, you need to know how to respond to minor medical emergencies that your pet may encounter. When your pet experiences a medical emergency, your knowledge of pet first air could dictate if your pet makes it through the experience without any complications.

#1 How to Address Bleeding

If your pet sustains a cut, puncture, or bite wound that is bleeding, your first priority is to minimize the blood loss. When your pet is bleeding extensively, you are going to want to apply pressure. Use bandages or clean rags to apply pressure to your pet's wound. Hopefully, by applying pressure, you will be able to stop the bleed.

To further assist with stopping the bleeding, elevate the wound. If the bleeding stops, clean the wound with some hydrogen peroxide and wrap the wound up.

If that does not stop the bleed, you are going to want to take your pet to an emergency clinic. If you have someone else with you, have them maintain pressure on your pet's wound while you drive to the emergency clinic. If you are by yourself, wrap the wound up tightly to keep the pressure on the wound, and then take your pet to an emergency clinic.

#2 How to Address Chocking

If your pet is choking, there are a few things that you can do. The first thing that you can do is a finger swipe. Open up your pet's mouth, and take a finger, and swipe it along the back of your pet's throat. As you swipe, hook your finger in a j-shape so that you can grab onto and remove anything that is lodged in your pet's throat. Make sure that you put your pet's tongue between their teeth and your finger.

If that does not look, you can perform a modified Heimlich maneuver on your pet to force out the object that they are choking in. If your pet is standing up, wrap your arms around their belly region and using a fist, push up and forward on your pet's rib cage. If your dog is lying down, brace your dog's back and push forward and upwards on their abdomen. You may need to swipe your dog's throat after you do the Heimlich.

#3 How to Address Poisoning

If your dog east something that they shouldn't, make sure that you have activated charcoal on hand. Feed your pet activated charcoal. It can help absorb the poisonous substance inside of your pet's body.

To learn more about how to take care of your pet in an emergency, see if your local animal hospital offers pet first aid classes. Taking a pet first aid class can greatly help you acquire the skills to take care of your pet in an emergency situation. You can also purchase a pet first aid kit at your local pet store. The key is to stabilize your pet and then get the medical care that they need. 

For more information, contact a vet office like Spring Hill Veterinary Clinic.


Share