PET FIRST AID TIPS

Pets are prone to accidents and injuries just like you.  While your family veterinarian should always examine your pet following an injury to make sure it didn't sustain permanent damage, here is some advice from the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association on how to help stabilize your pet until you can get to your regular veterinary hospital.

• BITE WOUNDS  Injured animals are often afraid and may act out of character, biting even their trusted human companions.  Approach your pet cautiously, and consider restraining him by tying a strip of fabric around his muzzle.  Clean the wound with water and wrap to keep clean.  Apply pressure to wounds that haven't stopped bleeding.  Call your veterinarian as bite wounds can become infected if not cleaned and treated professionally.
• BURNS  Flush burn with cold water.  Apply an ice pack wrapped in light cloth.  Call your veterinarian.
• DIARRHEA  Withhold food for 24 hours.  Water may be consumed if there is no vomiting.  Contact your veterinarian for further instructions.
• VOMITING  Withhold food for 24 hours.  Substitute ice cubes for water.  Contact your veterinarian for further instructions and immediately if your pet vomits blood.
• POISONING  Try to determine what and how much your pet may have eaten.  Do not induce vomiting on your own.  In some cases, vomiting the poisonous substance can cause more damage.  Call your veterinarian immediately.  (Or you can call St. Hubert's Pet Poison Hotline at 800-565-5719.
• HEAT STROKE  Wet your pet with cool but not cold water.  Use a fan in the area to help evaporate and make cooling more efficient.  Call your veterinarian immediately.
• BLEEDING  Apply firm, direct pressure over the area until the bleeding stops.  Human Band Aids generally do not work on animals.  Avoid bandages that restrict circulation.  Call your veterinarian immediately.
• CHOKING  If your pet can bark or cry, he is getting air into his windpipe and a hacking noise means a cough.  If your pet is struggling to breathe and can make no noise, open the mouth, pull the tongue forward, check for a foreign object and try to remove it to clear the airway.  Be careful not to push it farther down the throat.  Place the animal on its side and strike the side of the rib cage firmly with the palm of your hand three or four times.  Repeat this procedure until the object is dislodged or you arrive at the veterinarian's office.  If your pet swallowed something that got caught in his esophagus but not his windpipe, he can breathe and make noise, but he may have trouble swallowing and will drool.  In all these scenarios, call your veterinarian, who will determine what else needs to be done.
• PET STOPS BREATHING  Make sure your pet isn't choking due to a foreign object blocking its airway.  If the animal is still not breathing, place it on a firm surface with its left side up.  Place your ear to the chest and listen for a heartbeat.  To locate the heartbeat, gently bend your pet's elbow just until it touches the ribs.  If you find a heartbeat but no breathing, close the animal's mouth and breathe into his nose until you see his chest rise.  Do this about 20 times a minute.  If there is no heartbeat, you can also add chest compression.  If the animal is less that 15 pounds, lay him on his side and press on the chest until you depress it by one-third, then let up.  Place one hand below the heart to support the chest.  Place the other hand over the heart and compress gently.  Cats and tiny pets receive heart massage by compressing the chest with the thumb and forefingers of one hand.  If the animal is larger, place him on his back and do the chest compressions as you would on a a person.  Alternate heart massage with breathing.  Perform 80-100 compressions per minute.  Transport your pet to a veterinary hospital as soon as possible.
• CUTTING PET'S NAILS TOO SHORT  A healthy pet will clot his blood within five minutes if a nail is cut short and will not lose enough blood to be medically significant.  Hold a cloth firmly on the cut surface to avoid a mess until he clots.  If you regularly trim your pet's nails at home, keep a jar of Qwik Stop at home. Applying this powder to the cut nail will help the blood clot faster.
• INSECT BITES/STINGS  If your pet develops hives or can't breathe due to facial swelling, call your veterinarian.  Depending on the severity, your vet may need to see the animal or may recommend an antihistamine.
• EYE INJURIES  If your pet damages his eye and there is bleeding but no foreign object visible to you, hold a cold moist cloth over the eye with some pressure.  If there is a foreign object be careful not to push it farther into the eye.  If you pet is suddenly squinting and tearing, he may have a corneal ulcer.  Call your veterinarian in all these cases.

If you need a veterinarian please call the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association at (973) 379-1100 for a referral or visit its Web site at: www.njvma.org.  The New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association represents the state's 1,400 licensed veterinarians.