Where there is no vet doctor (2)

In a case of external blood loss, muzzle your pet, then press clean, thick gauze bandage over the wound, and keep pressure over the wound with your hand for about 3-5 minutes. Do not release the pressure in a bid to be checking it every few seconds to see if it has clotted. Instead, hold pressure on it for a minimum of three minutes before you check it.

If bleeding is severe on the leg, apply a tourniquet (using an elastic band, gauze bandage, or thin cloth material) between the wound and the body. You should also apply a bandage and pressure over the wound. Loosen the tourniquet for 20 seconds every 15-20 minutes. Severe bleeding can quickly become life-threatening. So, you will need to get your pet to a veterinarian immediately if this occurs.

Internal bleeding

Internal bleeding, as the name implies, is blood loss that is occurring inside the body. It can be a serious medical emergency, depending on where it occurs. It is more life-threatening if it occurs in the brain, stomach and lungs. It is usually caused by blunt trauma such as in an automobile accident or by penetrating trauma such as a stab wound. Signs of internal bleeding include bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum, coughing up blood, blood in urine, pale gums, collapsed, weak and rapid pulse.

If you notice any of these signs, keep animal as warm and quiet as possible and transport immediately to a veterinarian.

Burns

In cases of burns, muzzle the pet, place affected area beneath a running tap and flush burn immediately with large quantity of water. In severe cases, you may need to apply ice water compress to the burns.

Foreign object

Symptoms of foreign objects in the mouth include difficulty in breathing, excessive pawing at the mouth, choking sounds when breathing or coughing, blue-tinged lips/tongue.

If your dog is choking on a foreign object such as a bone, toy, etc., carefully open its mouth wide to see if the object is visible.

If you see an object, gently try to remove it with pliers or tweezers, but be careful not to push the object further down the throat. Do not spend a lot of time trying to remove it if it is not easy to reach. Instead, take your pet to a veterinarian immediately.

If your pet stops breathing

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a combination of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions that deliver oxygen and artificial circulation to an individual whose heart has stopped beating. If your pet stops breathing, place him on his side and perform artificial respiration by extending his head and neck, holding his jaws closed and blowing into his nostrils once every three seconds. (Ensure no air escapes between your mouth and the pet’s nose.) If you don’t feel a heartbeat, incorporate cardiac massage while administering artificial respiration —three quick, firm chest compressions for every respiration — until your pet resumes breathing on his own.

Stay calm. If possible, have another person call the veterinarian while you help your pet.

If your pet has no heartbeat

Do not begin chest compressions until you’ve secured an airway and started rescue breathing (see previous explanation on what to do if your pet is not breathing).

Gently lay your pet on its right side on a firm surface. The heart is located in the lower half of the chest on the left side, just behind the elbow of the front left leg. Place one hand underneath the pet’s chest for support and place the other hand over the heart.

For dogs, press down gently on your pet’s heart about one inch for medium-sized dogs; press harder for larger animals and with less force for smaller animals.

To massage the hearts of cats and other tiny pets, cradle your hand around the animal’s chest so your thumb is on the left side of the chest and your fingers are on the right side of the chest, and compress the chest by squeezing it between your thumb and fingers.

Press down 80-120 times per minute for larger animals and 100-150 times per minute for smaller ones.

Do not perform rescue breathing and chest compressions at the same time; alternate the chest compressions with the rescue breaths, or work as a team with another person so one person performs chest compressions for 4-5 seconds and stops long enough to allow the other person to give one rescue breath.

Continue until you can hear a heartbeat and your pet is breathing regularly, or you have arrived at the veterinary clinic and they can take over the resuscitation attempts.

Please, remember that your pet’s likelihood of surviving with resuscitation is very low. However, in an emergency, it may give your pet its only chance.

If your pet is unconscious

Open your pet’s airway by gently grasping its tongue and pulling it forward (out of the mouth) until it is flat. Check the animal’s throat to see if there are any foreign objects blocking the airway (see the section above on choking)

Perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by closing your pet’s mouth (hold it closed with your hand) and breathing with your mouth directly into its nose until you see the animal’s chest expand. Once the chest expands, continue the rescue breathing once every four or five seconds.

Have an exciting weekend.