Diamond Paws

Emergency First Aid Tips

(Article used with permission from Karen at Kittycatfurballs. All copyrights belong to her. Please see our links page to visit her web site)

In an emergency, you must remain calm! Quickly get your dog to the veterinarian. Call first if you can. If your doctor's office is not open, call the nearest emergency pet clinic. Keep emergency phone numbers near your telephone. Every second can count. How many of you can say you have your vets number at their phone??? Your dogs worth it! Unless you've been trained and are absolutely positive you can administer CPR to your dog, it is safer to seek immediate veterinary care. There are some things you can do to help your dog before you get him to the hospital.

Wrap your dog in a heavy towel or blanket to keep him warm and restrict his movements. Apply a pressure bandage (sterile gauze or a clean handkerchief) to stop the bleeding of a wound.

At any sign of choking (drooling, choking, difficulty swallowing, pawing at the mouth), do not attempt to remove the item. You may cause the object to lodge further down their throat. Do not induce vomiting as you may not know what the dog has swallowed and if you induce vomiting with some substances you can cause more harm.

If your dog suffers heatstroke, take him to a cool spot and sponge him with cold water. Encourage your dog to drink small amounts of water. You should never assume excessive heat won't harm your pet if it's not harming you. With burns you would want to apply cold compresses, not cream, to the area gently and seek immediate medical attention.

If your dog suffers frostbite, place him in a warm room immediately. Thaw out the frostbitten areas slowly by applying warm moist towels. Changing frequently until the area becomes flushed. Severe frostbite can result in damaged paws and ear tips, so you should get immediate medical attention just to be safe. Do not second guess the severity.

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