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Knowledge
can help pets in emergencies
March 22, 2007
According to Murphy's Law, if something can go wrong it invariably will,
and many of us have shared the experience that when it does go wrong it
seems to happen on a weekend or holiday, especially medical emergencies.
Unfortunately, our pets aren't immune to this adage, so learning basic
pet first aid and pet cardiopulmonary resuscitation is highly encouraged
for any pet owner.
Just as with humans, first aid and CPR are the tools of knowledge that
can get our animals through a medical emergency until they can be
treated at an emergency veterinary clinic.
Exposure to poison is a common emergency for pet owners, since animals
will ingest practically anything. Other common accidents include animal
bites, being hit by a car or choking on an object. The shock that
follows almost any trauma can be just as life-threatening as the injury
itself.
In pet first aid and CPR training, pet owners learn how to recognize the
signals of shock and how to treat it. Sadly, animals often die because
they succumb to shock before medical care can be administered.
Another common emergency for animals is heat stroke, especially in our
community, where temperatures run high for long periods of time. Animals
don't sweat the way humans do. They can only expel heat by panting and
through the pads of their feet, so even a few minutes in a car -- even
when there is a crack in the window -- can be a life threatening
situation.
Many of us are familiar with CPR for humans, but you might be surprised
to learn that some of the same techniques can be used on our four-legged
family members, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, or in the case
of a dog or cat, human mouth-to-pet nose resuscitation.
How many of us have experienced the frightening scene of seeing our pet
begin choking on a rawhide, for example? In pet first aid and pet CPR
training you'll learn how to dislodge an object from your pet's throat.
One of the methods includes a thrust technique not unlike the Heimlich
maneuver used for humans.
American Red Cross chapters across the country, including the New
Orleans chapter, offer pet first aid training and at the future
Louisiana SPCA campus, pet first aid training will be a major component
of its education program.
An essential life-saving tool that every pet owner should have on hand
is the "holy trinity" of phone numbers. The first number is that of a
24-hour emergency vet clinic closest to where you live. The second is
the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center toll free number: (888) 426-4435.
The control center is staffed 24/7. The third number is the number of
your pet's primary veterinarian, which every pet should have.
To learn more about the American Red Cross pet first aid information
visit www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses/pets.html on the Web.
Unless born with a permanent cloud of good luck, everyone at one time or
another has or will experience an emergency with a pet, so arming
ourselves with basic knowledge is one of the best gifts we can give our
four-legged loved ones.
- Laura Maloney
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