First Aid Kits For Pets: What You Need To Know About Pet First Aid

Having a pet is fun and all, but the responsibilities that come with being a good pet owner can be daunting. For instance, knowing how first aid works in pets and keeping pet first aid kits is very important. Here is everything you need to know about pet first aid and how to deal with these emergency situations.

Why You Should Know Pet First Aid?

It might seem pretty easy to take care of a pet, but there can be a lot of situations where your pet’s life might be in danger. These are the situations where you should be ready to medically look after your pet if help is on the way or taking time to reach you. This is why follow this pet first aid online course.

Time is of the essence in these types of situations where every reaction can lead to a specific consequence. In order to keep your pet safe from deadly situations, you must have first-hand knowledge of things like first aid and several life-saving maneuvers, which can lead to fruitful outcomes.

Emergency Situations And How To Deal With Them?

Here are some emergency situations, where the pet can clearly be in eminent danger, and how to deal with them using first aid kits for pets and useful techniques.

1. A Poisoned Pet And Remedial Actions

There are plenty of times when the pet can consume something which is poisonous. This can be spoiled food, exposure to toxins, cleaning products, bleach, etc.

If the exposure is external and the skin is starting to turn red and patchy and the pet is constantly scratching it, then you need to check the product label and see what are the remedial actions for it. You will most probably need to clean the surface thoroughly with soap where the toxic product has made contact. This will make things a lot better and the effect of the toxin or poison will diminish.

If the pet has ingested or consumed a toxic product, you will need to contact the vet or emergency services right away, because this is the best you can do from here. Make sure that help is on the way and try to calm the pet down and perform chest compressions and try to resuscitate it if the breathing and heartbeat is declining. Find a pet first aid kit checklist and keep useful items in your house.

2. Pet Injuries

Pets play outside a lot and they are bound to be injured and you should have pet first aid kits for immediate care. Sometimes, the injuries can be in weird places and if you don’t notice them right away, they can turn into serious infections and can be life-threatening for the pet. It's best to try to clean the wound right away and see if there are any maggots forming in the wound or not. If there are maggots in the wound, then you need to kill them, because the maggots will hollow out the wound and make things worse for the pet.

Once the wound is cleaned with saline solution and there is no trace of maggots in the wound, you will need to apply some sort of antibiotic cream which will treat any infection that might be on the surface and is starting to form.

Injecting antibiotics is also a good idea to make sure that all spectrums are covered and your pet is safe from danger.

After that, if you can, try to dress the wound and make sure that the pet doesn’t mess with the bandage. For that, you can put a muzzle or protective cone around the pet, so that the area of the injury is localized and cannot be touched.

3. Pets Suffering From Heat Stroke

Summertime is not just hard for humans. Pets can also be affected by the scorching heat. If you see that your pet is severely dehydrated and is acting lethargic and weak, then it's probably suffering from a heat stroke.

The first course of action would be to take the pet away from the heat and put it in a cool place. If your house is not cool enough, then you can turn on air conditioning in the room to drop the temperature a bit for your pet to feel comfortable.

Next, you will need a cold and wet washcloth and apply it to the neck without covering the nose or eyes. Change it out regularly and see if the temperature drops. You can call the vet during this time to take the pet for a checkup, just in case, the pet needs to be rehydrated again through IV drips. And use pet first aid kit checklist to keep essential items for injuries and such.

4. A Choking Pet

This is common in cats as well as dogs. Pets can easily choke on things, especially non-food items because they like to put things into their mouths and chew on them and they can ultimately or accidentally try to swallow them down their throats.

If you see your pet struggling to cough or breathe, then you can try to open its mouth and see if the object is visible. If it is, you can pry it out with your hands. If the object is lodged further down, then you can try to put pressure on the rib cage and strike the area with your palm until the object is dislodged from the airway or you reach the vet’s office.

As a precaution, keep first aid kits for pets. Furthermore, try to keep small toys and objects out of reach from the pet and whenever you see the pet trying to munch on a small object which can cause potential choking, take it away immediately, otherwise, it could turn into a medical emergency, if you don’t act quickly.

5. Pets And Seizures

Seizures can also affect pets. They are more common in older pets which are past the age of 10. If you see your pet starting to violently shake and you are certain that it's experiencing a seizure, then it's best to contact your vet and have an emergency doctor on call with you.

The best thing you can do in this situation is to take the pet to the clinic as soon as you can if you want to give it proper medical attention and save its life. Moreover, keeping pet first aid kits is also a lifesaver.

Time matters the most in seizures and one small delay in the course of action can lead to detrimental results and ultimately, the death of the pet if the seizure is too severe. 

6. Pet Is Not Breathing

There can be times when the pet can stop breathing. This is common if your pet is suffering from some sort of disease or has gone through some surgery and is unconscious most of the time.

It’s suggested in pet first aid online course that you should check for breathing by putting your hand to its snout or you can check the stomach for rising and fall of the diaphragm. If the pet is not breathing, then you need to give mouth-to-mouth immediately as a life-saving maneuver.

• Hold the pet close to your mouth and cup its face with your palms.
• Blow air through your mouth into the pet’s mouth and do it 8 to 10 times and see if there is any change in the breathing status.
• If not, then you need to take it to the vet immediately.
• You can also do this maneuver while you’re en-route to the vet.

7. No Heartbeat

For pets that are very old and experience difficulty in being conscious can lose their heartbeat as well. If you see this happening to your pet, then you need to lay the pet down on its right side and locate the heart.

The heart is usually on the lower left side for dogs and cats. You want to cradle the rib cage from the right side and apply firm pressure and compress the chest to revive the heart.

This is important to do when you don’t know what to do and don’t have first aid kits for pets, so you can first call the vet and then get to resuscitate the pet.

First Aid Kit Essentials

Here is the pet first aid kit checklist you need to have with you in case you ever come face to face with a pet emergency.

• Have a muzzle with you at all times. In case of an injury or distress, your pet might be prone to biting you, even if you’re trying to help, so this will keep you safe while you try and save your pet’s life 
• Keep gloves with you, in case you need to examine something internally. 
• Have syringes and medications with you. Basic medicine like a saline solution, eye drops, and antibiotics will be enough to cover you for an unannounced emergency.
• Have scissors with you, in case you don’t have forceps handy. They can come to the rescue if you want to prod or pry something out of the pet’s mouth, eye, nose, or an injury. 

Conclusion

There you have it! It's vital to know get a pet first aid online course and use these small life-saving tips when it comes to your pet. It's going to be life-altering for your pet if you ever come across a situation where your pet needs emergency medical attention.