ACCIDENTS WILL HAPPEN!

BASIC FIRST AID FOR CATS AND DOGS

Helping and knowing what to do for your pet when there is an emergency can be very beneficial to both you, as the owner, and your pet. Here are a few pointers to help you care for your pet if there is an emergency, until veterinary treatment is obtained.

Bleeding from a wound

Best to seek immediate veterinary advice and attention but in the meantime it is vital to stop any more blood loss. This can be done by applying a clean cloth, cotton wool or lint and ensuring it stays in place with a little bit of pressure. This can be done with a bandage (but never use an elastic band or constricting material as this may cut off the blood supply). This is ideal until veterinary advice is sought.

Collapse, fainting and fits

Try to keep as calm and quiet as possible to prevent stressing the animal out any more. It the animal is fitting then it is vital to ensure that any furniture that is in the way can be moved e.g. chair, bin, etc. if it is likely that these might cause further injury. It is also important to turn off any lights and other stimuli e.g. Televisions etc. Take note of the event, duration of fit/collapse and make any other observations you can e.g. twitching, stiff legs. These observations should be reported to the vet. Avoid touching the animal especially if it is fitting.

Poisoning

Do not attempt to make your animal sick unless advised to do so by the vet. Seek advice as soon as possible from a vet and if advised to go down to the surgery then take any suspect packaging with you. 

Stings

Seek veterinary advice if the animal has been stung around the head, neck or mouth. They may have a fatal shock reaction to the sting. Remove the sting if you are able to and apply a cold compress. 

Ear problems

If the animal develops violent and sudden head shaking then seek veterinary advice as there may be a foreign body in the ear canal. Do not attempt to put anything down the ear canal as this may do more damage than good.

Eye problems

Seek veterinary advice if your animal has swollen or discharging eyes. It is important to keep the eye ball lubricated to prevent further damage if it dries out. This can be done with cooled boiled water on a clean cotton cloth until veterinary advice is sought.