Published: November 14, 2007 09:10 pm            

Save your four-legged friend

JOPLIN, Mo. — Being prepared for a medical emergency can sometimes make all the difference in the world.

However, in preparing for an emergency, family pets are often overlooked.

Dr. Ben Leavens, a veterinarian at Main Street Pet Care in Joplin, Mo., said the majority of accidents he sees with animals are things that could have been prevented.

“Being hit by a car is the one thing we see most often, and also a lot of injuries from dog fights,” Leavens said. “Also, we see a lot of ingestions of medicines and other things they shouldn’t eat.”

There are simple and easy steps pet owners can take that can save the life of a family dog or cat when an accident happens, he said.



Protect yourself

One of the most important things to keep in mind when dealing with an injured animal is to know how to protect yourself while helping the animal.

Leavens said that when animals are injured, they can sometimes unintentionally hurt someone who is trying to help them.

“Animals have claws, and they can bite and scratch,” Leavens said.

The best way to avoid getting an injury from a large animal like a dog, he said, is to wrap gauze around the animal’s nose — making sure it’s snug, but not too tight. Then, wrap the same piece of gauze under the dog’s nose and back behind its ears, where it should be tied.

Leavens also said it is a good idea to wrap a cat or a dog in a blanket or towel to avoid being scratched.



Stop the bleeding

The next thing to do, according to Leavens, is to assess your pet to find out what is wrong.

“If they are still eating and drinking, then it isn’t too terribly bad and it can wait till later,” he said. “If they are bleeding, the bleeding needs to be stopped.”

Gauze and bandages are a useful tool in wrapping an injured area. Again, the bandage should fit snugly, but not too tight.

A small cut or a scrape can be cleaned with hydrogen peroxide, Leavens said. However, it should be avoided with large cuts or puncture wounds.



Poisoning

If you believe your pet has ingested something that might be poisonous, try to find out as much as you can about the product, as well as how much they swallowed.

“In most cases, you want to get whatever they swallowed out of them as soon as possible, but there are some exceptions to that rule,” Leavens said. “Some poisons are toxic going down and toxic coming up.

“If an animal drinks motor oil or gasoline, it is toxic going down but if they throw it up and inhale just a small amount then that can be fatal.”

Hydrogen peroxide is a good tool to induce vomiting in an animal, he said, but not too much is needed. Pet owners should contact the poison control center at (800) 222-1222 or their local vet before it is used.



Extreme temperatures

With winter weather on its way, it is important to keep the family pet in mind on those cold nights.

“In the summertime, we have overheating cases, and in the winter, we see some hypothermia cases, but dogs are usually more sensitive to the heat than the cold,” Leavens said. “An important thing to remember is that once a dog overheats, you can’t cool them down too fast because they have lost their ability to thermal regulate.”

Leavens said that rubbing alcohol will help cool a dog when applied to the pads of its feet. Also, cool towels can be used. A good tip for warming an animal is to use a towel that has been in a clothes dryer for about 10 to 15 minutes. Hot water or ice water should never be used.



CPR steps

If a pet is choking or has stopped breathing, CPR can be performed, according to Healthypet.com, though the success of resuscitation is very low. Place your pet on a firm surface, with its left side up. Check for a heartbeat, then close the animal’s mouth and breathe directly into its nose — not the mouth — until the chest expands. Repeat 12 to 15 times per minute. If there is no pulse, apply heart massage at the same time.



Dustin Shipman writes for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.

        

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