As pet owners, we are aware that just like humans, our pets also run into medical emergencies and we normally are ill-equipped to deal with it. Most of the time we wait till we get the Dog to a vet and in the meantime, the dog has to undergo so much pain and discomfort and in some cases, this delay even costs us there lives. Most research shows that if administered with First Aid at the right time the chances of the pets like humans surviving are increased by more then 60 %.
Do you have knowledge about Dog emergencies and the first aid?
Before we dive into it, remember to have a Vet close on call and also a means of transporting your dog to the clinic. There is no second guessing on the care your dog will get in the hands of a specialist, especially during emergencies. And the remember the golden rule: DO NOT PANIC. You are the only one who can help your dog which is in distress and it’s important you gather yourself and be completely ready to deal with the emergency.
Remember your Dog is depending on you
Now let us look at a few of the emergencies
Choking
This is a very common occurrence especially in puppies or with people who are first time owners of a dog. If the puppy or dog is naturally hyper or playful its very easy to miss the sign that it is choking. Dogs can choke on almost anything starting from toys, food, Polythene wrappers, clothes or even crayons or bottle caps.
How do I know my Dog is choking
Choking dogs will panic and will make unnatural movements like retching, like going around or rolling or using their paws to repeatedly brush their mouths, their breathing will resemble heaving and they would hang their head open their mouths and try to vomit with nothing coming out of their mouths.
The first Aid
The first thing to do when you suspect a dog is chocking is to get the dog and pry open its mouth to check if there is anything stuck near the throat. It might be difficult to do this especially when your dog is already panicking so ensure you have one more person helping you.
DO NOT put your hand inside the dog’s mouth to check for obstacles, there are chances that either the dog ends up biting you or you push the object which is lodged in the airway further down worsening the situation. If you find the object you can remove it, do remember to hold the dogs head perpendicular to the ground always when doing it and not to push it too far back.
If you do not find anything in the mouth or airway, chances are the object has slid down further, this calls for you to then use the Heimlich Manoeuvre to help the dog.
For a puppy: lift the puppy slowly by its hind thighs to your knee length and shake it gently around 5 times this should make the dog vomit out the object. If this doesn’t help repeats it once more. An alternative method is to lift the puppy and use your fist to push inwards and downwards under the chest rapidly 5–6 times ( this will require two people, one to hold and one to push )
For Larger Dogs
Try tapping between the shoulder blades of the dog with an open palm 5–6 times. Do not be too forceful this might lead to dislocation and neither be too soft use moderate force. Another method is the Heimlich Manoeuvre
Stand behind your dog with your legs locking the hind legs , Make a fist with one hand and place it under the dogs stomach ( this is the place where the rib cage ends and the hind legs start ) Put your other palm on the fist and rapidly thrust inwards around 4 to 5 times till the dog starts spitting the object , you can repeat it twice . If its a really large dog then you can stoop a little and use your forearms instead of the fist to thrust while gently lifting the hind legs of the dog
This will normally help the dog get the obstacle out, once its out please remove any debris from the dog’s mouth. If the dog becomes unconscious during the process then we might have to do a CPR or artificial breathing mentioned later in this article.
Watch this video for a demonstration :
How to Help a Choking Dog
Vomiting and Diarrhea
You don’t have to panic or rush to the vet when the dog vomits or has diarrhea unless it’s too frequent or progressing rapidly, you find traces of blood in either or your dog has some health condition and vomiting or diarrhea is a new symptom which just showed up.
Usually, Vomiting or diarrhea is caused by Indigestion, or if the dog has eaten some spicy food or has ingested itself with some contaminated food. When the symptoms are severe this could be because of some nervous problem, kidney or liver failure or at times even because of severe poisoning. It is very important you treat only the mild cases at home and for anything else you consult a Vet immediately.
The first Aid
Firstly, do not get mad at the dog or scold or punish it for having barfed or doing its business at home. It’s not in their control.
For vomiting, ensure you don’t feed the dog for at least 12–16 hours with any solids, just keep giving liquid diet, water mainly. Dehydration coupled with Vomiting can cause a lot of problems for the dog. Once the Vomiting ceases slowly reintroduce the dog to a regular diet. Do not worry if the dog isn’t eating up to 24 hours, some dogs just don’t feel like it. Just ensure they drink enough water. If you are in the habit self-medication like in this case for vomiting, looking at previous prescriptions or by talking to other pet parents, then we advise you strongly against it. Each case might be different so is each dog. Mild Vomiting is a natural way for the dog to expel any toxins and will require nothing more than just good care to recover
For diarrhea ensure the dog drinks a lot of fluids, do not withhold food, provide smaller quantities of food which is mashed or made for easy digestion. Its possible the dog might not eat at all, even nibbles will help in this case. Bland food will help in keeping the dog well fed. A diet of white rice cooked well and mixed with yogurt and or low fat cottage cheese is easily digestible. It’s better to avoid any meat during this time and if absolutely necessary then you can cook it well and mash it with the rice.
Do not provide Anti-diarrheal medications right away. Examine the dogs stool for any foreign objects like threads or twines or for even colors ( sometimes they swallow or eat up things like coloring crayons which act as laxatives). Once diarrhea slows down you can introduce the dog to the normal course of meals in smaller quantities. Ask your vet for Prebiotic supplements which immensely help to contain diahorrea and other infections of the intestine. Prebiotics are indigestible food components which when taken orally travel straight to the intestine and then ferment there and convert to short chain fatty acids. These fatty acids prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and support the growth of healthy digestive bacteria.
Insect Stings
It can be a pretty disturbing site to wake and see your dog being stung and all swollen. It’s rather a common occurrence because most of the dogs will chase up insects that happen to enter the house and their flutter cases the dogs to get agitated. Most insects stings are harmless apart from the swelling and the temporary discomfort, if the swelling continues or if the dog shows other symptoms like convulsions excess vomiting etc then it is better to take her to a vet
The first Aid
Check the dog’s face and body for sting marks, they usually get stung on the face. Check for stingers which normally break when the insects sting the dog. Use tweezers to pull this off, clean the area with a mixture of baking soda and water and then use an Ice pack to help reduce the swelling and pain. If the dog has an unusual swelling around the nose and mouth its best not to wait and take her to a vet because its possible that the nasal cavity blocks and breathing might get obstructed.
In the normal case, an oral antihistamine ( anti-allergic ) tablet will help immediately. This is available over the counter, e.g Cetirizine 10 mg is a safe bet for a healthy adult dog. It’s better to talk to the Vet once before you decide to give this or consult the vet and take permission for any future occurrences.
Breathing difficulty
Healthy adult dogs normally breathe around 20 to 35 breaths per minute without much effort. Very infrequently this could become higher because of sudden anxiety, exercise, heat, stress etc. It very important for pet parents to observe the dogs breathing on a normal day to detect a problem. There are two types of breathing problems you might encounter
Dyspnea and tachypnea
Dyspnea also called labored breathing is when a dog works really hard at breathing accompanied by bloating of belly more than usual when they inhale, flaring of nostrils, noisy breathing. Tachypnea is when the dogs breathing becomes faster than usual and closely resembles panting but in this case, the mouth is closed or partially opened and breathing becomes very shallow.
Breathing difficulties in dogs have to be taken seriously and attended by a Vet immediately because some of these are signs of a much bigger problem like infections, heart diseases, internal injuries, tumors or even early onset paralysis. However, if you find the dog is not able to breathe at all and is motionless without a heartbeat then here is what you need to do
Artificial respiration: Pry open the dog’s mouth and check for any obstructions . Close the mouth with your hand and hold it that way while placing your mouth gently on the dog’s nostrils and take a deep breathe and then blow into the nostrils. Empty your breath completely into the nostrils then lift your head and take a deep breath and repeat this around 10 times. You will need help while performing this to hold the dog down. If you still can’t detect a heartbeat then you will have to perform a CPR on the dog. Watch the following video to see How to give your dog a CPR
Once the dog starts breathing you will definitely have to take her to a vet to find the cause of the problem and rectify it.
Heatstroke
A very common problem in tropical regions and also with specific breeds who’s tolerance to heat is very less. A heatstroke generally occurs when the body can’t dissipate the excess heat from the body and instead decides to shut down temporarily. If left unattended this could be fatal. The symptoms are very easy to identify. Firstly if its hot for you, then its hot for your dog too. Some obvious symptoms are, Panting, Excessive drooling, very little running production, Vomiting blood, muscle tremors and the most obvious when the dog faints or becomes semiconscious
The First Aid
To prevent heat exhaustion or stroke ensure you have ample cooling around the house, ensure the dog drinks lots of fluids, despite you keeping the atmosphere cool, if its a place with high humidity your dog might still get affected unless you keep him hydrated. If you see that your dog has had a stroke ( has fainted ) then immediately use an ice pack or wet a towel in water ( preferably cold )squeeze it gently and then place it on the dog ( cover the dog ) repeat this for 10–15 times. You can also use a few ice cubes, wrap them in a cloth and dap it on your dogs head ( if an ice pack is not handy), especially the forehead and temple and between the ears on top of the head.
DO NOT spray cold water or immerse the dog in cold water immediately, this is very dangerous as the temperature plunges to the other extreme resulting in internal organ damage. Usually if treated immediately with ice dabs or wet towels the dogs will recover within a few minutes. If you find that the dog isn’t still gaining consciousness then you need to rush her to a Vet because she might need to be intravenously fed fluids to regulate temperature and counter the imbalance.
We will provide you with more tips in the next article. In the meantime do take time to master these tips and become an expert, you could be the one saving a dog’s life one day just in time by being there and administering the help you learned here.
Originally published at www.pawedy.com on November 13, 2018.
