It’s a scary thing when your pet is sick or injured. The best course of action is to contact your regular vet clinic or a 24-hour facility if your clinic is closed. But is there anything you can do at home in the meantime? Here are some common scenarios and what you can do to help your pet. First off, try to remain calm. Pets sense fear and will react by becoming more fearful themselves. Any pet that is conscious may bite out of pain or fear. Please be careful and muzzle the pet if needed.
Hit by Car
Control any external bleeding by putting pressure on the wound. In the case of life-threatening bleeding on a limb, you can use a tourniquet, being careful to loosen it every 15 seconds and then re-tying it.
There may be internal bleeding or broken bones, so try to keep the pet as still as possible when moving out of the road and into a car. Use a board or tarp, being careful to keep the neck steady.
Even if your pet shows no signs of broken bones or external bleeding, shock can result from internal bleeding. Be sure to get to a veterinarian immediately
Heatstroke
Do not leave your pet in a parked vehicle, even with a window cracked as the vehicle’s temperature can climb to dangerous levels very quickly.
A pet suffering from heatstroke will pant heavily, drool (and then have dry gums as the heatstroke progresses), weakness, confusion, and vomiting or diarrhea. Bathe your dog in cool (not cold) water until you can get to a veterinarian. At the clinic, your vet can continue cool water baths, as well as monitor for symptoms of shock and use medications to help bring the temperature down.
Poisoning
If you suspect that your pet has ingested something dangerous, do not attempt to make it vomit. Some toxins should be neutralized in the stomach, because they can cause more damage to the esophagus during vomiting.
Bring the packaging of any chemicals to the clinic with you.
Christina Holland is an animal health technologist in Airdrie. To have your pet questions answered, contact [email protected]
*This article is not intended to replace the medical opinion of your veterinarian.*
