Info Feature: Pet First Aid Preparedness
Would you know what to do for your pet if they
ate something toxic? If they got hit by a car? If
they got stung by a bee and had a reaction?
The majority of pet owners can’t answer yes to
these questions, and that’s tragic, because many
of their loved ones’ lives may have been saved by
just a little knowledge of pet first aid (including
CPR). First aid won’t instantly make everything
all right, but it CAN buy your pet enough time to
make it over to your vet’s office or the nearest
24-hour emergency vet clinic. The key is to be PREPARED.
First of all, pet first aid courses are available
at varying times throughout the state. Check local
adult education course listings, with your vet’s
office, or contact the Red Cross. KNOW WHAT IS NORMAL
for your pet. Observe how they act, how they look,
and run your hands over them daily so that you can
learn what their physiology is like, and you can
detect abnormalities much sooner.
Secondly, keep a first aid kit handy. You can buy
them pre-made, but all the items of course can be
bought at any drug store (and most are compatible
with a human kit), and they won’t contain some of
the things that might come in handy. Here’s what
a kit ought to contain:
Surgical-style gloves, gauze sponges, 2" wide roll
gauze, roll bandages (self-adhesive is an option),
tweezers, splint materials, medical tape, sterile
square pads, scissors, a simple slip-on leash, small
cleaning cloths, towels, muzzle (you can make one
out of rolled bandages in a pinch), thermal blanket,
rectal thermometer, topical antibiotic ointment,
hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, sterile lubricant,
plastic syringe (the type for administering human
baby liquid medications), sterile optical saline
solution, styptic powder or gel (bleed stopper),
flashlight or pen light, ipecac (to induce vomiting;
peroxide and Epsom salt also work for this purpose),
and needle-nose pliers.
Also good things to have in case of different types
of emergencies: some of your pet’s medications,
and a recent photo, in case they’re lost.
Thirdly, have a plan in place for emergencies.
For starters, know where the 24-hour emergency vet
offices are (in greater Portland, there are two:
The Animal
Emergency Clinic in Portland on Warren
Avenue (down the hill next to the Hammond Lumber
at the intersection of Warren and Riverside), and
the Maine
Veterinary Referral Center in Scarborough
(on Technology Drive; turn off Route 1 between Haigis
Parkway and Scarborough Downs). Have your routes to
these places mapped out, and actually drive those
routes so you have an idea of how long it’s going
to take to get there. Have the numbers to these
places handy by your home phone, and program them
into your cell phone.
KEEP THIS NUMBER SOMEWHERE HANDY; it’s for The
National Poison Control Center, which is 800-548-2423.
Finally, REMAIN CALM in an emergency. Letting yourself
panic could further distress your pet, and will
likely impede your ability to think and make decisions.
Anyone who owns a pet should know some basic first
aid, for it can mean the difference between life
and death in an emergency. Also keep in mind, however,
that first aid is NOT a substitute for treatment
from a veterinarian, and that an ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure – most accidents are preventable
with some common sense.
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