Accidents and emergencies aren’t just for humans. While first aid is no substitute for emergency veterinary care,

it is important for treating certain injuries and preventing symptoms or situations from worsening.

In critical emergencies opting to administer first aid before heading to your veterinarian could make the difference between the life and death of your pet.

As a pet owner, it is your responsibility to try and ensure the safety and well being of your pet at all times. With that in mind, here is our guide to basic first aid for pets.
 

Bleeding (Externally)

Usually the sign of a fight with another pet or an accident, external bleeding can be dealt with relatively quickly and simply unless it is severe and/or located on the legs.

You may need to muzzle your pet to establish the site of injury as he may be in some pain. Once you have located it, press a thick; clean gauze pad over the wound, applying pressure until the blood begins to clot. It may take a number of minutes for the clot to gain enough strength to sufficiently stop the bleeding, so instead of checking every few seconds, hold the gauze in place for at least two minutes before lifting it to check if the bleeding has ceased.

If your pet has severe blood loss from the legs then you should use a thin strip of gauze, elastic band or similar to create tourniquet between the wound and the body. Once it is in place you should cover it with a gauze pad and keep gentle pressure on the wound.

Loosen the tourniquet for around half a minute every 15 to 20 minutes so that you don’t cut the circulation off from the wound entirely, and get someone to drive you to an emergency veterinarian immediately as severe blood loss can be deadly for any pet.
 

Bleeding (Internally)

It may not always be possible to tell that your pet is bleeding internally, but some of the symptoms that you can look out for include:
 

• Coughing up blood

• Bleeding from the nose, mouth or rectum

• Blood in urine

• Pale gums

• Rapid pulse rate

• Weak pulse

• Unconsciousness
   

If any of the above symptoms present themselves then you should make your pet as warm and
comfortable as possible and take him immediately to your emergency veterinarian.
 

Burns

If your pet suffers from any form of burn injury then you should muzzle him before applying large quantities of ice-cold water to the affected area.

In the case of chemical burns then the water should be free-flowing; cleansing the skin as much as possible. Otherwise, hold an ice-cold compress to the burned area and immediately transport your pet to your emergency veterinary service.
 

Choking

Choking is just as common in pets as it is in humans, and knowing how to assist your pet if he chokes could save his life. Symptoms of choking include:
 

• Struggling to breathe

• Pawing at the mouth and nose

• Choking sounds

• Excessive coughing

• Lips or tongue turning blue
   

Your pet will be in an extreme state of panic and is more likely to accidentally bite you, so using caution you should try and look into his mouth and see if any blockages are immediately visible. If you can see something obstructing your pet’s airway you should carefully try and remove it using tongs, pliers or tweezers, taking extreme care not to push the item further into the esophagus. If it is not easily removed then don’t spend time repeatedly trying to reach it.

If you are unable to remove it or your pet collapses you should try and force air from the lungs in an attempt to push the object out from the other direction. The way you should do this is by putting both of your hands on the side of your pet’s rib cage and applying short sharp bursts of firm pressure.

Keep doing this until you manage to dislodge the foreign object or until you arrive at the emergency veterinary service.