Who decides to welcome a dog into their home ends up realizing very clearly the enormous emotional bond that is created with the pet and also conceives the dog as one more member of the family, hence the phrase that many times we use to refer to our dogs "he just needs to talk".
Therefore, it is important to know that our pet is susceptible to a sudden accident either inside or outside the home and it is just as important that we know how to give an immediate response to this situation.
In this AnimalWised article we tell you everything you need to know about first aid for dogs.
Assess the situation
First aid should be used as an immediate response and under no circumstances replace veterinary assistance, therefore, first of all we must collect information about the he alth status of our dog. This information will be useful to apply first aid and to facilitate veterinary care.
We must prioritize the following aspects:
- Degree of awareness, does the dog see, respond to touch, hear?
- Breathing
- Pulse
It is also important to note whether or not there is sphincter control, if there is any bleeding, if the mucous membranes are cyanotic (blue) and if there are signs of food poisoning or poisoning.
CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)
CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a technique that should be used when the dog is not breathing or has no pulse.
To assess breathing we must place our hands on the chest and observe if there is movement and entry of air, on the other hand, to assess the pulse it is enough to place our index finger (never the thumb because it has its own pulse) on the inside of the dog's thighs.
In the absence of pulse and breathing we must start the following maneuver:
- Make sure the airway is open, clear the throat and remove any foreign bodies that might be in the mouth or throat
- In small dogs we must insufflate air by placing our mouth on its mouth and snout
- In large dogs we must insufflate air by placing our mouth only on its snout
- With the dog lying on its side on the right side, we move on to chest compressions, we compress using our two hands (one over the other) and putting pressure on the dog's ribs
- We perform 5 compressions for each breath of air, for giant dogs (over 40 kg.) there will be 10 compressions for each breath of air
You should check the pulse a minute later, if it doesn't respond, continue and check again, only stop when the dog He has recovered his pulse and breathing. After 20 minutes, cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be terminated and considered failed if the dog still has not regained vital signs.
Heatstroke
During the hottest season of the year our pet is exposed to heat stroke, a disorder that also requires a very rapid response.
In this case we will observe that breathing is difficult and the heart rate has increased,we can also observe muscle tremors, excessive salivation and color bluish on mucous membranes.
We must proceed quickly:
- The dog should be moistened with water at room temperature, through a spray bottle or a damp towel, but we should not wrap it or cover it under any circumstances. We will especially refresh the neck and head.
- Moisten his mouth but don't force him to drink.
- When he is recovering, offer him water.
Poisoning
The symptoms of poisoning in dogs are various: diarrhea, vomiting, excessive salivation, muscle tremor, lack of coordination, convulsions, nervousness, weakness, lethargy or labored breathing, among others.
In this case it will be very important to be able to collect a sample of the toxic (even more so if there is a container that indicates its composition) in order to do so show to the vet later.
First aid in case of poisoning is very limited, we can only assess the dog's consciousness and breathing, locate the poison and immediately go to the vet. We should not induce vomiting, even less so if we do not know what the poison was or if the dog is unconscious, nor should we offer any type of drink or food.
Hemorrhages
Hemorrhages can be internal or external, if they are internal we will notice it in a more subtle way, with lethargy, weakness, bluish color mucous membranes, signs of pain and staggering, in this case all we can do is safely transfer the dog to the vet.
When it is external we must act as follows:
- If it is a superficial hemorrhage, we will wash it with physiological serum and hydrophilic cotton gauzes, then we will apply an iodine or chlorhexidine solution.
- When the wound causing the bleeding is deeper, we must press it to cut off the flow of blood as soon as possible.
- After pressing for a few minutes we will apply a compressive bandage, firm enough to stop the bleeding, but not oppressing the circulation.
- Under no circumstances should we make a tourniquet.
Insect bites
When an insect bite has left the affected area very inflamed, apply a cold water compress or an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel. Later we can apply aloe vera to reduce itching and discomfort.
If we know that you have been stung by a wasp, we will wash the area with vinegar diluted in water and then apply cold to reduce inflammation, On the other hand, if this insect has left its stinger in the snout, eye or mouth, we should avoid giving it water and go to the vet as soon as possible.
Burns
If our dog has suffered a burn, be it solar, chemical, electrical or thermal, we must proceed as follows:
- Wash with cold water
- Apply a specific cream for burns, or alternatively, Vaseline
- Cover the affected area with a bandage, but without applying pressure to avoid infection
Later we can periodically uncover the area to perform the cure, apply aloe vera and use a new bandage until the damaged skin begins to heal. to retrieve.
