Preparing for Animal Emergencies: The First Aid Kit
Hopefully your pet will never have cause for emergency medical treatment but it is important for all pet owners to be prepared just in case.
Here are some ways you can be prepared for potential emergency situations:
1. Know what is normal for your pet and monitor your pets' health on a regular basis to check for and identify any deviations from the norm.
2. Keep your veterinarians' phone number and the number of the emergency clinic in your area in a location that all family members can access easily.
3. Assemble a pet first aid kit suitable for home and travel. Be sure to learn how to use the individual components.
4. Learn how to handle and transport a sick or injured pet.
5. Learn basic facts about conditions that might affect your pet. For example, if you have a pregnant pet expecting a litter at home, learn about normal birth versus difficult birth [dystocia].
6. Do not administer any home remedies without first checking with your veterinary health care team. Some common over-the-counter drugs such as aspirin (ASA) and acetaminophen can be toxic to pets.
7. Do not panic.
How to assemble a basic first aid kit:
A first aid kit for a large dog will differ from a cat kit in the sizes of the bandages and other items, but the basic components are the same. Your veterinary healthcare team may have a sample kit to show you, or a kit list they recommend so be sure to check with them first.
Your pharmacy and veterinarian have all of the supplies you will need. Select a storage container that allows you to organize your supplies neatly. A fisherman's tackle box or tool organizer will do. Keep the kit out of reach of children and check it regularly for expired or depleted supplies.
Contents:
* Muzzle
* Protective gloves
* Digital / rectal thermometer
* Rubbing alcohol
* Lubricating jelly
* Hydrogen peroxide (3% strength)
* Antibacterial soap
* Sterile rinse solution (saline, used as wound flush or eyewash)
* Clean syringes (1 cc and 5 cc)
* Pen light
* Blanket for pet transport
* Q-tips
* Adhesive tape
* Gauze squares
* Gauze roll
* Stretchy bandage
* No-stick sterile wound dressing
* Cotton roll
* Splinting item (e.g., a coffee stir stick or tongue depressor for small pets)
* Bandage scissors
* Tweezers
* First Aid ointment or cream
* Corn syrup
Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca
Identifying Pain in Your Pet
While most people know what pain is, few understand it, especially pain in animals.
There are many misconceptions about pain and animals. For example, because a pet is not moaning or crying out does not mean it is free of pain. Most animals (unlike humans) are quite long-suffering and less vocal about their pain. From a survival point of view, it is more to their advantage to suffer quietly so as not to draw the attention of predators to themselves. Similarly, because a cat is purring does not mean that it is content. On the contrary, cats may purr if upset, afraid or in pain. It is also wrong to assume that pets do not feel pain the same way we do. Based on physiological and neurological studies, it has been shown that animals feel pain in very much the same way that we do.
Identifying Pain
For these and other reasons, the veterinarian and the pet owner must look carefully to determine whether or not an animal is in pain. There are certain indications or signs that one can look for. For example, certain behavioral responses may suggest pain. Vocalization (crying out, whimpering, growling, etc.) can be an indication of existing pain. Commonly a pet will retreat from the family or try to hide and be left alone. The pet may appear uncomfortable, which manifests itself in the form of pacing, restlessness, and repeatedly assuming different positions (e.g. arched back, forelegs held out from chest wall, in a prayer position). Often, an animal in pain will pant excessively. Some may growl or snap if handled, while others may simply grunt or try to get away. There may be a reluctance to move. Frequently, there may be a decrease or lack of appetite, listlessness or lethargy, and decreased personal hygiene (especially in cats).
Body language can be very important. For example, if there is localized pain, the animal may lick or bite at the area that is painful. If it has a broken leg or paw, it will try to hide the leg by tucking it underneath itself. These animals will also limp or not bear any weight on the affected limb. If there is abdominal pain, some dogs will stretch out and assume a praying position (called a "posture of relief").
There are also clinical signs that veterinarians look for that tell them that an animal is in pain. Dilated pupils, increased heart and respiratory rate and increased blood pressure indicate the presence of pain. Sometimes signs are not well correlated with pain since like people, cats and dogs have different thresholds for pain tolerance.
Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca
CPR Can Save a Pets' Life
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, can be used to treat an animal that has stopped breathing or has no heartbeat. It involves mouth-to-nose resuscitation and chest compressions. If you have confirmed that your pet has o heartbeat or breathing has stopped, have someone call your veterinarian or the local emergency clinic for guidance while you begin rescue efforts. Do not attempt to drive and do CPR too! At the veterinary clinic, they have important aids for resuscitation such as adrenalin oxygen, fluids, breathing stimulants, and windpipe intubation to maximize effectiveness of CPR, but until you get there, the basic First Aid techniques described below may save a pets' life!
CPR can be broken down into three steps, which are called the ABC'' of CPR: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. It is very important that CPR be performed in this order.
If an animal appears unconscious and motionless, the first step is to establish whether the animal has an open airway. Open the mouth, pull out the tongue, and examine the throat. In long nosed breeds of dogs, a small flashlight may be needed to visualize the throat area. Use your finger to check for and remove any foreign material from the mouth. To protect your fingers in case the pet starts to arouse as you examine and treat the pet, make sure our fingers are never placed in the path of the large teeth at all times. If the animal is conscious, do not examine the mouth as you may get bitten.
The next step is to check for breathing. If the animal is not breathing, you must perform resuscitation. For medium-to-large-sized animals, holding the muzzle closed with your hands should seal the mouth, providing mouth-to-nose resuscitation. For cats and very small dogs, your mouth will seal the pet's mouth when you perform CPR, though commonly, mouth-to-nose resuscitation is used for this size of pet also.
Placing your mouth over the animal's nose and exhaling directly into the nostrils begins resuscitation. After four to five quick breaths, the breathing should be checked again. If the animal does not start breathing after 15 minutes, it is not likely to revive. Small dogs and cats require 20 to 30 breaths per minute, and medium-to-large dogs require 20 breaths per minute. To check whether enough air is being provided (or too much), watch the movement of the chest wall as you provide air. The chest wall should move up and out as if a large normal deep breath is occurring. If the wall moves very high, you are over-inflating the lungs, and a smaller, less vigorous breath should be used. If the chest wall does not move at all, it is possible that a blockage of the windpipe is present.
If there is no heartbeat present, chest compressions should be performed as well. For small dogs, the pet should be lying on its right side. The palm of one hand should be placed over the ribs at the point where the elbows would touch the chest if he was standing, while the other hand is placed beneath the right chest wall.
The chest should be compressed at the rate of five compressions followed by one breath. If there are two people present, one person can perform the breathing, while the other compresses the chest at a rate of three compressions for each breath, then checks for a pulse.
For medium-to-large dogs, the hands must be cupped over each other and the arms kept straight and elbows locked and you need to place your body squarely over the hands in order to get sufficient power to compress the chest properly. The hands should be placed at the point where the left elbow meets the chest. The chest must be compressed at the rate of five compressions followed by one breath. If there are two people present, one person can perform the breathing, while the other compresses the chest at a rate of two to three compressions for each breath, then checks for a pulse. A folded towel placed under the chest will help to keep the pet from shifting during the application of pressure.
Cats should be placed on their side, and one hand should be placed over the backbone near the shoulder blades, while the other hand is cupped around the underside of the chest where, if the cat was standing, the elbows would be. Flat fingers on the underside, and flat thumb applied on the upper side are applied over this region of the heart.
Pulses can be checked by placing a finger over the mid portion of the inside rear limb about half way between the body wall and the stifle, or knee joint. The femoral artery lies within a trough in the muscles here. Ask your veterinarian to teach you this during a routine examination, and practice on a healthy, awake pet.
If done correctly, CPR can save a pets' life. However, pet owners should be aware that even if performed by an experienced veterinarian, CPR is not always successful. However, this should not deter anyone from trying it in an emergency situation. To learn more about CPR, ask your veterinarian.
Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca
