First Aid

Dear Dr. Jody: Last weekend we were snowshoeing in Kananaskis with our dogs. Our five year old border collie, “Zipper”, was running through the brush and cut her paw quite badly. Unfortunately we were a bit unprepared for this emergency, so we had to bandage her paw up with a scarf on the way to the vet. She is fine now, but it got us thinking about how quickly emergencies can happen. Where can we learn more about first aid for pets? 

Knowledge of first aid procedures is an invaluable tool for pet owners. Because animals do not necessarily have the same sense of danger and potential for injury that humans do, they can be accident prone. Some emergencies, such as the one with Zipper, can look quite scary. If you have been trained in first aid, whether for people or pets, it can give you the extra knowledge and confidence you need to stay calm in a critical situation and to better ensure a happy outcome for your pet. 

The first important point of pet first aid is to ensure your own safety at all times. Even the nicest injured animal can become dangerous if it is in pain or frightened. You may need to place a muzzle around your pet’s face in order to protect yourself. A makeshift dog muzzle can be fashioned from a nylon stocking or a belt. Simply place the stocking around the dog’s muzzle and tie a secure knot over the bridge of the nose. Loop the ends of the stocking behind the head and tie another knot. Alternatively, a blanket can be held over the animal’s face to protect yourself from an inadvertent bite. 

Non life-threatening emergencies such as lacerations are quite common in pets. Although it does help to have a first aid kit on hand to assist in bandaging bleeding wounds, we can often make do with common household items the way you did with Zipper’s scarf-bandage. When you are faced with a laceration, it is important to apply pressure to the wound using clean soft material. Towels and clothing make excellent temporary bandages. If the laceration is on a limb, you may be able to secure the padding firmly in place with a tensor bandage or similar product. If no such bandage is available, ensure that you hold the padding firmly on the wound, applying pressure, until you arrive at the veterinary clinic. Resist the urge to remove the padding to see if the bleeding has stopped, as this can disrupt the blood clot that is (hopefully) starting to form. If the wound is bleeding through the padding, apply new padding on top of the old padding, rather than removing the padding that is in direct contact with the wound. 

If there is a foreign object lodged in a bleeding wound, it is critical that you do not remove it. Oddly enough, the foreign object that originally caused the wound may be putting pressure on important blood vessels and thereby minimizing their bleeding. If you remove the foreign object, you will not only disrupt the blood clot, but you may also be removing the “dam” that is holding back the blood flow from the damaged vessels. It is important to bandage around the foreign object and apply pressure to the wound. 

Knowledge of first aid can help you to stay calm in an otherwise frightening situation. The more composed you can be, the more effectively you will be able to care for the injured animal. If you would like more detailed instruction on how handle pet emergencies such as cardiac arrest, poisoning, burns, anaphylaxis and fractures, please visit this website frequently as the Cochrane Animal Clinic will be hosting another Pet First Aid seminar within a few months.