Life turns on a sixpence. One minute all is happy and sunny … the next things can become as black as you could ever imagine. Road Traffic Accidents have to be one of a dog owner’s worst nightmares. A lovely walk can quickly spiral into a traumatic experience and if it does, the owner’s ability […]
There are many things that can trigger allergic reactions and hives in our animals – everything from food or medication that doesn’t agree with them, bee stings, wasp stings, nettle rash, vaccinations, flying ants, biting “critters” in the grass or undergrowth and even licking toads! This is what happens when you decide to suck a wasp!!! […]
Today’s tip tackles the steps to take if your dog has been involved in a drowning/water based emergency. Begin by using your DR.ABC assessment method:- D = Danger (Is it safe?) R = Response (Is he responding to you?) A = Airway (Open his Airway, pull his tongue forward & clear his mouth of […]
When people think about canine first aid, they tend to think about things like how to do CPR and artificial respiration – the “big ones”, if you will. In actual fact, probably the most serious and potentially life threatening situation you need to be able to spot and treat is shock. In a nutshell, […]
Ticks come in lots of different colours and sizes; from grey, pink, red, brown and black, and right through from the size of a pin-head to a big fat juicy rice-crispy. They are carried on things like sheep and deer and drop off into the grass and undergrowth so that when an animal passes through, […]
Eclampsia (often known as milk fever) is a serious disease caused by calcium deficiency which may occur in late pregnancy or, more usually, after the puppies are born, when the milk production is at its peak. It is more common amongst smaller bitches who are nursing large litters or bitches who are feeding big, healthy, […]
Today’s K9 Quiz Q5 is the last in this section So how did you do? Hopefully, you all did really well but, if you didn’t, maybe this week of scenarios might galvanize you into finding out a bit more or preparing yourselves better JUST IN CASE. Next week we will be back to Tips of […]
BLOAT – Also known as Torsion or GDV – A condition most frequent in, but not restricted to, large and giant breeds. The stomach fills with gas and rather than expelling it as normal, the gut twists and flips over on itself cutting off the blood supply and results in the tissue dying, often with fatal […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]