List of essential items to include in First Aid Kits for dogs, & the uses of each item. Essential Items Use of the item Bandage (small) * To hold a gauze and/or sterile dressing in place while covering a small injury. The bandage should be applied and secured with tape* A small bandage can also be […]
Treatment for wounds and bleeding – before you treat any type of bleed/wound, you should always go through the SEEP checklist, to ensure you take all the right steps in the correct order. Treating a bleed relies heavily on things like the application of pressure, and the positioning of the animal’s injured limb as bleeding […]
Recognising different categories of wounds and bleeding . . Although its not at all important for the average dog owner to know the medical terminology for the various categories of wounds and bleeds, knowing how to differentiate between the the different types of wounds will help you decide how best to dress/treat a wound. For instance with […]
If the dog is NOT breathing but DOES have a pulse, you need to perform artificial respiration. Artificial respiration is NOT the same as CPR (CPR is compressions on the heart AND breaths), artificial respiration is just breathing for a dog who still has a heartbeat as follows: 1) Lay the dog on his right side with […]
C = Cardio (heart) P = Pulmonary (breathing/lungs) R = Resuscitation (the act of beating the heart and breathing for a third party to revive them) . . CPR is ONLY performed when the animal is neither breathing nor has a heart beat. . If he DOES have a heart beat but is NOT breathing, perform Artificial Respiration […]
Cold Weather Warnings – I’ve been asked today to put a few tips together regarding the cold weather and dangers this presents so here’s a few thoughts on the subject: Grit/Salt on the roads When its icy and snowy the ground becomes very dangerous and to combat that our local councils tend to scatter grit/salt […]
Canine Acne you say?? Really?? Yes, dogs do get “zits”!!!!! – This condition causes abnormalities in the hair follicles especially around the chin and muzzle. Larger, short coated breeds are affected most often eg Great Dane, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Boxer, Doberman, Rottweiler etc. Acne is seen first in young adult animals. (BOTH my Ridgebacks suffered mildly […]
Demodectic Mange is caused by the Demodex Mite that ALL dogs have and lives in the hair follicles in the skin. These mites are transferred to them as puppies from their mother when suckling. Usually, because their numbers are small, they cause no problems but in some cases (possibly when associated with a hereditary or immune problem) […]
Nosebleeds When dogs have nosebleeds, they usually occur as a result of trauma while running/playing or can sometimes happen after violent sneezing or even if they have got something lodged up a nostril. Dogs can have nose bleeds just like we do. The best action is to try to keep the dog as quiet as possible […]
Sarcoptic Mange (Scabies) As per a request, today’s and tomorrow’s info is about mange (and can I just say that typing this for you all is making me itch like a good ‘un!!!) Sarcoptic mange (scabies) is caused by a tiny, microscopic mite, which lives permanently within the top layers of the skin. * It causes […]
Moving a Canine spinal trauma patient . . A spinal injury can occur in all sorts of ways from a very unfortunate accident during normal play, to an awkward fall or perhaps a road traffic accident. Although he may have a loss of sensation, it is to be expected that most dogs who have experienced spinal […]
Arthritis We use the term a lot, but what exactly is arthritis? Well the first thing to say is that it is not a single disease – it is a term that covers over 100 medical conditions. If you have trouble moving around or feel pain and stiffness in your body, you could have arthritis and the […]
Choking & the Heimlich procedure If your dog is choking, first try to see if you can sweep the mouth (without getting bitten!) and remove the object. If you can see the object, please try to put two fingers over the hump at the back of the tongue and “sweep” round and forward to get […]
Hip Dysplasia Symptoms vary depending on severity – usually in young dogs in which bones are still growing (up to about a year old) or in older dogs which have developed signs of arthritis in the hip joints. The older dogs have always had HD but the condition has remained “silent” until arthritis eventually begins […]
Dislocations occur at a joint when the angle of the connection is displaced causing the usual function of the joint to be disrupted. You may see a lump or bump where the bones are incorrectly aligned, notice that the dog is unable to use the limb or maybe it just looks plane wrong! As in […]
STRAINS & SPRAINS – As with humans, a strain or sprain (for example as the result of a twisted ankle after a trip or fall, or shoulder muscle strain due to landing badly when jumping and playing) needs rest. The little memory technique for treating a strain or sprain is RICE R= REST Crate rest […]
Hind Leg Lameness: To try to ascertain if there is hind leg lameness, the dog should be trotted slowly away from the observer. The dog favours the sore leg by taking less weight on it. The impression given is that the hindquarter on the GOOD side moves down more – the dog seems to fall […]
Front leg lameness To ascertain if there is lamness in either of the front legs, the dog needs to be trotted towards the observer as lameness is harder to detect while walking unless it is very severe. Trot the dog slowly in a straight line on a relaxed lead. If your dog scrabbles, pulls or […]
Lameness Lameness is usually caused by pain but non-painful lameness may also occur. Two examples of non-painful lamenesses are “mechanical lameness” where limb movement is restricted but pain-free, and neurological lameness which usually means paralaysis of a limb or part of a limb. Apart from non-painful lameness, anything which hurts the dog will cause it […]
Liquid Medication – Some dogs, no matter how hard you try, just refuse to take their medication in tablet form. If this is the case, you may be able to crush up the pill, mix it with sugar water and syringe it sideways into the mouth. Melted icecream and sugar water to help raise blood […]