SCwSG is proud to present Dr. Steve our newest team member and our family at the Gypsum Animal Hospital in Gypsum, Colorado. They take good care of Gracie and all her friends. Enjoy!
In the event of an emergency you will be your pet's best friend if you know some first aid! I call first aid 'common sense treatment' because intuition usually tells you what the right and wrong things are to do. Nevertheless, there are some important guidelines you should always follow. We'll discuss those and also how to respond to some specific emergencies. Remember to call your veterinarian immediately; first, you might get some life saving advice, and second, they'll be ready for you when you arrive.
The ABCs
These are first aid priorities and are: Airways, Breathing, and Circulation (including bleeding). These areas require attention before other injuries. Make sure the airway is clear of dirt, debris, mucus, blood and vomit by extending the head and neck, pulling the tongue forward, and sweeping the oral cavity with your fingers. If there are head or neck injuries don't overextend the head and neck. Next check for breathing by feeling for air at the nostrils and observing the chest for motion. Normal respiration should be 15 to 20 breaths per minute; expect it to be fast and shallow if the animal is in pain. Check the color of the mucus membranes (gums are best, followed by lower eyelid and vagina if gums are not accessible), if they are blue it suggests poor respiration. If the animal is not breathing, clear the airway and begin mouth to nose respiration; to do this place the tongue in it's normal position, close the mouth, and blow into the nostrils for 2-3 seconds. If you are doing it correctly the chest will rise and fall. Repeat every 3-5 seconds until the animal is breathing. Circulation is next. Again check the color of the mucus membranes, they should be pink. Check the capillary refill time (CRT) by pressing the gums with your finger; if CRT is normal the gums will go white and return to pink in 1 to 1.5 seconds. Pale or white mucus membranes indicates shock, dehydration, or blood loss (to name a few). Check the heart rate by feeling the animals chest wall or by checking the pulse in the following areas: inside thighs (femoral), under tongue (lingual) or under the toes behind the major foot pad (digital). If there is no pulse start CPR using the following breaths:chest compression ratio: 1:3 for pets less than 20 pounds, 1:5 in medium sized pets and 2:15 in giant breeds. To compress the chest, lay the animal on its side and compress with the palm of your hand over the widest portion of the chest (ie ribcage). If there is any obvious, excessive bleeding control it using direct pressure or by using a pressure bandage. Use a tourniquet only as a last resort and remember to release the pressure every 5 minutes or so to avoid permanent damage to the limb. Now is the time to proceed to your veterinarian.
RESPIRATORY EMERGENCIES
Some of the more common causes of respiratory emergencies are trauma, airway obstruction (choking), laryngeal paralysis, pulmonary edema (heart disease, electric shock, poisons), allergic bronchitis/asthma, and congestive heart failure. If it is an emergency NOT associated with choking first make sure your pet is breathing, if not, perform mouth to nose resuscitation as described above. If it is breathing, make plans to get to a veterinarian ASAP. In the meantime keep your pet as calm and as cool as possible; remember, dogs and cats dissipate heat by panting, if this is compromised they can overheat quickly. Place your cat in a cool, dark, well-ventilated carrier. Carry your dog to the car if possible; DO NOT PUT A LEASH AROUND YOUR DOGS NECK! If your pet is choking and you can't remove the object you'll have to perform the Heimlich maneuver; you can do this one of 2 ways: if you can, lift the animal heads up with its spine against your chest and your arms wrapped under its forearms and around its chest; now push inward and lift upward with short, powerful strokes. If the pet is too heavy. lay it on its side, extend the head and neck into a natural position, and place your hands behind the animal's ribs and give short pushes up towards the diaphragm (ie. chest cavity). Once you have dislodged the object bring both your pet and the object to your veterinarian.
HEAT STROKE
Since it is summer, I wanted to get in a few words about heat related injuries in part 1
(part 2 will be next, duh). There are a lot of factors that contribute to heat injuries but none is as important as our environment. It can just get plain hot here folks. In addition animals with heavy coats, preexisting medical conditions, heart disease, brachycephalic features (ie. bulldogs, pugs) are even more at risk of heat stroke. Animals suffering hypothermia (ie. heat stroke) need immediate attention. Check the pets vital signs, go through your ABCs
In part 2 we'll discuss how to handle some more specific injuries such as toad poisoning (rinse mouth out immediately!), burns (wet compress), insect bites (benadryl and meat tenderizer), poisoning (1-800-2823171), drowning (ABCs), eye injuries (flush and cover), and shock (ABCs). Ok, so I'm a healing professional; I couldn't mention all these maladies without at least giving you a hint how to handle them.
In the event of an emergency you will be your pet's best friend if you know some first aid! I call first aid 'common sense treatment' because intuition usually tells you what the right and wrong things are to do. Nevertheless, there are some important guidelines you should always follow. We'll discuss those and also how to respond to some specific emergencies. Remember to call your veterinarian immediately; first, you might get some life saving advice, and second, they'll be ready for you when you arrive.
The ABCs
These are first aid priorities and are: Airways, Breathing, and Circulation (including bleeding). These areas require attention before other injuries. Make sure the airway is clear of dirt, debris, mucus, blood and vomit by extending the head and neck, pulling the tongue forward, and sweeping the oral cavity with your fingers. If there are head or neck injuries don't overextend the head and neck. Next check for breathing by feeling for air at the nostrils and observing the chest for motion. Normal respiration should be 15 to 20 breaths per minute; expect it to be fast and shallow if the animal is in pain. Check the color of the mucus membranes (gums are best, followed by lower eyelid and vagina if gums are not accessible), if they are blue it suggests poor respiration. If the animal is not breathing, clear the airway and begin mouth to nose respiration; to do this place the tongue in it's normal position, close the mouth, and blow into the nostrils for 2-3 seconds. If you are doing it correctly the chest will rise and fall. Repeat every 3-5 seconds until the animal is breathing. Circulation is next. Again check the color of the mucus membranes, they should be pink. Check the capillary refill time (CRT) by pressing the gums with your finger; if CRT is normal the gums will go white and return to pink in 1 to 1.5 seconds. Pale or white mucus membranes indicates shock, dehydration, or blood loss (to name a few). Check the heart rate by feeling the animals chest wall or by checking the pulse in the following areas: inside thighs (femoral), under tongue (lingual) or under the toes behind the major foot pad (digital). If there is no pulse start CPR using the following breaths:chest compression ratio: 1:3 for pets less than 20 pounds, 1:5 in medium sized pets and 2:15 in giant breeds. To compress the chest, lay the animal on its side and compress with the palm of your hand over the widest portion of the chest (ie ribcage). If there is any obvious, excessive bleeding control it using direct pressure or by using a pressure bandage. Use a tourniquet only as a last resort and remember to release the pressure every 5 minutes or so to avoid permanent damage to the limb. Now is the time to proceed to your veterinarian.
RESPIRATORY EMERGENCIES
Some of the more common causes of respiratory emergencies are trauma, airway obstruction (choking), laryngeal paralysis, pulmonary edema (heart disease, electric shock, poisons), allergic bronchitis/asthma, and congestive heart failure. If it is an emergency NOT associated with choking first make sure your pet is breathing, if not, perform mouth to nose resuscitation as described above. If it is breathing, make plans to get to a veterinarian ASAP. In the meantime keep your pet as calm and as cool as possible; remember, dogs and cats dissipate heat by panting, if this is compromised they can overheat quickly. Place your cat in a cool, dark, well-ventilated carrier. Carry your dog to the car if possible; DO NOT PUT A LEASH AROUND YOUR DOGS NECK! If your pet is choking and you can't remove the object you'll have to perform the Heimlich maneuver; you can do this one of 2 ways: if you can, lift the animal heads up with its spine against your chest and your arms wrapped under its forearms and around its chest; now push inward and lift upward with short, powerful strokes. If the pet is too heavy. lay it on its side, extend the head and neck into a natural position, and place your hands behind the animal's ribs and give short pushes up towards the diaphragm (ie. chest cavity). Once you have dislodged the object bring both your pet and the object to your veterinarian.
HEAT STROKE
Since it is summer, I wanted to get in a few words about heat related injuries in part 1
(part 2 will be next, duh). There are a lot of factors that contribute to heat injuries but none is as important as our environment. It can just get plain hot here folks. In addition animals with heavy coats, preexisting medical conditions, heart disease, brachycephalic features (ie. bulldogs, pugs) are even more at risk of heat stroke. Animals suffering hypothermia (ie. heat stroke) need immediate attention. Check the pets vital signs, go through your ABCs
In part 2 we'll discuss how to handle some more specific injuries such as toad poisoning (rinse mouth out immediately!), burns (wet compress), insect bites (benadryl and meat tenderizer), poisoning (1-800-2823171), drowning (ABCs), eye injuries (flush and cover), and shock (ABCs). Ok, so I'm a healing professional; I couldn't mention all these maladies without at least giving you a hint how to handle them.
In sickness & in health: Helping people & pets take great care of each other.
970-524-3647 ph
970-524-1082 fax
www.gypsumah.com
970-524-3647 ph
970-524-1082 fax
www.gypsumah.com
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