Pro Tips for Dog First Aid
1. Emergency Contacts
Keep a short list of emergency contacts easily accesible in case of an emergency with your dog. You can post these on the fridge, in your phone, or anywhere you can access them quickly in an emergency.
Suggested contacts:
After hours emergency line for your veterinarian
Closest emergency animal hospital (number and directions)
Emergency contact if you are out of town
2. Know Your ABCs - Airway, Breathing, and Circulation.
The below information was obtained from VCA Animal Hospitals.
Airway: You may need to carefully remove a foreign object from their throat if you can see an obstruction in their airway.
Breath: Check to see if your dog is still breathing. If your dog is unable to breathe on their own, you may need to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
Circulation: If you are unable to detect a heartbeat or pulse, try pressing on the chest with your palm and elevate the lower half of the body to promote blood flow to the brain. See the video below for a detailed how-to.
Here you'll find an excellent video on how to perform CPR on your dog, as well as an additional video on how to properly perform the Heimlich maneuver on your dog.
3. Prepare Your Dog First Aid Kit
Ask your vet if they stock pet first aid kits, or what they would suggest you have on hand.
Add some extras to your kit with quick stop powder for nail trimming incidents, and bandages from PAWSitively Natural Pet Food & Supplies.
