There are lots of places a dog could get a burn from, and several different types of burn too, from hot burns (caused by coming into contact with anything hot including flames, boiling water and even the sun), cold burns (usually ice or frozen metal), chemical burns (from anything that can get either onto the […]
Vet Wrap – In an ideal world, I would love for every single one of you have a well stocked first aid box. . Obviously, its not normal to carry everything but the kitchen sink around with us on our walks though, so if you only have ONE piece of first aid equipment, make it a […]
Bee & Wasp Stings – In the summer and early autumn, stings from bees and wasps are an occupational hazard for a dog. Because they like to roam about investigating the undergrowth and hedgerows whenever they can, I suppose it’s inevitable that they’ll come across the odd sting or two. Maybe you might notice […]
Positions to Practice – I was asked on one of our canine courses recently about the best position to be in when you check inside your dog’s mouth. One of my main suggestions is that you should practice the various positions you intend to use to examine your dog to get him used to it and thus preventing him […]
Checking your dog’s mouth – For most first aid procedures we need to do, we need to be able to examine our dog thoroughly and there’s a good chance that he may be in pain, frightened or disorientated. For this reason, it’s a good idea to teach your dog to acceptance a muzzle, just in case you ever need to […]
Locating an Emergency Vet – NOW!!! It’s vital to have your usual vet’s telephone number in your ‘phone so it’s right at your finger tips if you need it. Check with your vet to make sure they have provision for accidents or emergencies that occur out of usual office hours. If your vet DOES NOT […]
Snakebites – The Common Adder, or Viper, is the only venomous snake in the British Isles. Most Adder encounters happen during their active season which is between March and October. They have a dark “zig-zag” stripe along the back and their background colour varies from grey or white in the male, right through to shades of brown or […]
Poisoning First Aid Treatment for Poisoning by Toads & Caterpillars Some species of toad secrete a toxic substance on their skin. This passes into the mouth of any dog that picks up the toad to play with it. Certain types of longhaired caterpillar can also produce similar irritants and even anaphylactic reactions in severe cases […]
Snagged Broken Nails – Because dogs like to tear around when they play, they do sometimes catch the odd claw on the ground or on loose surfaces – particularly their dew claws. This can be really very painful indeed and even though you may THINK you’re helping, if ever there was a time you are likely […]
Bleeding Ear Tips – This morning while on our walk I was wondering what I would put in today’s blog. Axl, my trustee Rhodesian Ridgeback side-kick, must have been reading my thoughts because no sooner had the thought crossed my mind, than he came up with the answer for me. Now that he’s an “agility […]
Hypoglycaemic Collapse – Insulin is produced naturally in the body to control and regulate the amount of sugar in the blood. Dogs who suffer with diabetes AND those dogs who are worked very hard such as gundogs, working huskies, agility and flyball competitors etc, use up their calorific reserves quickly and if not replenished, this can result in […]
Heatstroke Hyperthermic Collapse – Hyper is latin and means high, above or over. It is not to be confused with conditions who’s names start with Hypo (Hypo means exactly the opposite, ie low, below or under) Today’s tip is about Hyperthermic Collapse (collapse due to the dog having a very high temperature or being subjected atmospherically […]
A prolapse of the eyeball can occur in breeds such as the Pekinese and the Chihuahua with large protruding eyes. As a result of injury the eye may displace forward and the eyelids partly close behind it. An injury of this nature usually occurs after a fight with a larger dog but it can occur […]
Severe Injury to the eye – Again, with such a serious eye injury it is vitally important that we access professional veterinary help as soon as possible. Please be aware that the dog will be in severe discomfort so application of a muzzle may well be appropriate. If the object that has hit the dog […]
Does my dog have cateracts? Many dog owners of older dogs think their pet has developed cataracts because they notice that the lens of the eye has taken on a greyish bluish colour at its centre. Any such changes in the eye should ALWAYS be checked out by the Vet but, in fact, in the […]
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 […]
Rhodes 2 Safety Quiz Q4: Your dog squeezes himself through a tiny gap between a fence and the side of a garage while “investigating”. He catches his foreleg on a sharp edge sticking out from the fence and puts a degloved injury in his leg (a degloved injury is one in which the flesh […]
Rhodes 2 Safety Quiz Question 3 (Q3) It’s a warm summer’s evening in August. You’ve had the back door open and the dogs have been able to trot in and out as they like. You look at your dog about 9pm and notice that he looks a little odd. His eyes have begun to puff […]
Today’s Question is:- It’s February. Your dog gets into difficulty in the water. He manages to pull himself onto the bank but then seems unresponsive. What do you do? Im looking for at least 5 actions you would take in this situation. * For small breed dogs, hold him upside down just above the […]
Pulse Rates – Whenever your dog is sick, we always suggest that you take his pulse to get an idea of how sick he really may be. There are 2 things about this that are worth mentioning: Firstly, do you know WHERE to find your dog’s pulse? The easiest place is directly over the heart, […]