Dog Emgergency !

If your dog is injured or has an unexpected medical emergency, it’s important to act quickly. Knowing how to act in different situations can be the difference between life and death.

Always have a first aid kit ready.

Act cautiously. If your pet has been injured, remember that frightened or hurt Dogs can bite the people they know and love. Small Dogs (who do not have fractured bones) can be wrapped snugly in an old towel.

Slow down external bleeding with manual compression or a compression bandage around the limbs. Tourniquets are generally not advisable because they can inadvertently cut the circulation from the limb.

Do not move your dog unnecessarily. Lift injured Dogs with a board or blanket if they cannot walk.

Keep your dog warm, particularly if unconscious, wet, or in shock from haemorrhage or other trauma.

For Dogs that are clearly not breathing, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may help. Artificial breathing in small Dogs may be accomplished with chest compressions; in larger animals, air can be blown through the nose while the dog’s mouth is manually closed. Heart compressions may be effective while the dog is lying on his side. Remember that vigorous CPR can be dangerous if the dog is breathing or has a beating heart.

Specific medical conditions

Heatstroke or exhaustion: go straight to a vet hospital. In transit, mist your pet’s body with cool water or wrap loosely in a wet towel.

Eye injuries: treat any eye injuries by moistening the exposed eyeball covering it gently and applying gentle compression, if needed, to stop bleeding. Eye injuries require immediate attention.

Diabetes: if your dog has been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and has a hypoglycaemic crisis (but is not unconscious), continually place sugar water or honey on the tongue until you can get to a vet and measure the blood glucose level.

Seizure: in the event of any seizure, however brief, phone your vet, who will advise if you should bring in your dog and run any potential risks of travelling. Seizures lasting longer than a minute, or repeated brief seizures, are a medical emergency and require immediate attention.

If your dog is having a fit

• Keep your distance, as some Dogs can bite if crowded and frightened and you may be just adding to their stress.
• Move any potentially harmful objects out of the way.
• Turn off all stimuli such as the radio, TV and lights – a quiet, calm and dark environment are best.

Phone your vet for advice!

What to do if Your Dog is Hit by a Car

Your dog may be the best-trained dog in the world, understand your commands perfectly, and you may think that your dog understands the roads and can cope with cars well, but there is always a chance your dog could get knocked over by a car and knowing what to do in this situation is vital.

As stated above, you may think your dog is well suited to roads and can avoid cars and know when and where to cross the road, but from a Dogs perspective, this is all guesswork and learnt from previous situations and near misses. Even after many years of crossing roads and viewing cars, Dogs can still get caught up in situations that are dangerous and harmful.

If your dog does become the target of a road accident there are certain rules that should be adhered to when arriving at the scene and these rules can be the basis of how much pain and how healthy your dog will be afterwards.

The first thing to do is not panic, if your dog is conscious and can sense you panicking then they will panic also which won’t help the situation. Common injuries of a dog being run over are cuts and bruises so there is a good chance your dog is fine.

Dogs should not be moved after a car incident and until you know and are sure of the injuries they have, should remain in the same place or moved using a few people and a sheet or blanket as a stretcher if totally necessary.

Always check their breathing, your Dogs breathing may have stopped as a cause of the accident and will need respiration by holding the muzzle closed and breathing air through the nose. If there is any severe bleeding you will need to add pressure to stop the bleeding and then seek urgent medical treatment.

If you are not sure of the seriousness of the damages, then contact your vet and explain the conditions to get advice on how to deal with the situation properly.