First Aid Techniques for Your Pets

Pet parents must be ready for the routine wear and tear of their furry children. Just like kids pets also go through falls, accidents, traumas and other normal and not so normal health problems. As a result of these ‘accidents’ your pet may suffer from wounds, cuts, bruises, cramps, seizures and many other physical as well as emotional problems. Your quick fix to all these situations is an immediate first aid. Knowledge about first aid for pets is a must for owners as it helps their pet before he reaches the vet.

First aid can be a life saver in extreme conditions. You need a first aid kit for pets always ready as you never know which moment would become an emergency. The kit must include the contact details of your veterinarian, the helpline number of nearest poison control center, bandages, wound cleansing lotion, hydrogen peroxide, milk of magnesia, digital thermometer, eye dropper, muzzle, leash, towel etc. These are the bare minimum things in your pet first aid kit.

Basic first aid procedures for pets:

You must know these basic procedures that would give immediate medical care to your pet before he gets proper veterinary care. They may vary as per the situation and health condition of the pet. Make sure that you call up your vet to get his advice on what you are going to do before taking the pet to his clinic. Some of these techniques are:

External bleeding: If your pet has cuts, lesions or wounds then the first thing would be to stop the bleeding. If it is a minor cut then clean up the skin with wound cleaning solution, apply a thin layer of antiseptic wound healing cream and bandage if necessary. If your four legged friend is bleeding profusely then muzzle him first. After this put a clean gauge over the wound and press it until the blood starts clotting. Use elastic band for wounds over the joint area. Now take her to the vet.

Seizures: If your pet is going through seizure then stay away from him until the tremor stops. Remove any furniture in her vicinity to prevent any injuries. If the seizure lasts more than 2-3 minutes then it is a severe case. Once the seizure stops try to keep your pet warm and silent. After all this, your first call should be to the vet. Follow his advice bit by bit to recover your pet’s normal health.

Poisoning: Avoid any food that is toxic for your pet. If the stuff has entered your pet’s eyes or mouth, follow the label instructions. In severe cases, call the nearest poison control center. While doing so be ready with the name of the product, the symptoms and the basic details of your pet. Carry the packet as well as any material vomited by your pet for quicker diagnosis of the toxicity of poison.

Burns: This is again something that shows lack of alertness on the part of the pet parent. You should keep an eye that your pets are not barging in the kitchen or near the fire place. In an incidence of burns, muzzle the pet and flush the burned part with lots of water. In severe cases, apply ice water compresses to the burned area. Rush to the vet at the earliest.

Choking: If Fido or your kitty is choking and showing signs of difficulty in breathing, coughing or blue tongue then carefully try to remove any foreign object with tweezers. If the pet has collapsed then lay her on the surface. Now apply pressure on his ribs with your palms for at least 3-4 times. This will help in pushing the object out from his system. You cannot delay the vet treatment and so cannot waste much of your time in doing these techniques. If it doesn’t work in the first shot then rush to your vet.