The First Aid Companion for Dogs & Cats
By Amy D. ShojaiRodale Press
Copyright © 2001 Amy D. Shojai
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9781579543655
Excerpt
Basic Techniquesand How to Do Them
When we think of pet first aid, it'susually limited to emergencies, likebeing hit by a car or being electrocutedwhen a puppy chews through a light cord,for example. Luckily, most pet owners will neverneed to deal with such dramatic problems.
But all pet owners are faced with everydayproblems like ear infections, cut paws, or upsetstomachs. Time and again, you'll find first-aidtechniques useful. These basic techniques applyto hundreds of dog and cat conditions,whether your pet suffers from a fractured leg,a bleeding wound, or just the sniffles or asplinter.
What's more, in really dramatic situations,they can save your pet's life.
SAFE RESTRAINTS
A humane restraint serves three major purposes.First, it protects you from being bitten orclawed by your injured pet while you're administeringfirst aid. Second, restricting your pet'smovements keeps him from making the injuryworse. Finally, the restraint keeps him in oneplace so that the wound can be examined andtreated. Here are some examples.
Muzzles
Even the most gentle and loving dog or cat willbite in reflex when he's hurt. Commercial muzzlesare available from pet-supply stores and catalogsfor all sizes and shapes of dog and catfaces. But when you don't have a commercialmuzzle handy, you can make one.
Cats and short-nosed dogs like pugs are achallenge because there's not enough nose foryou to tie shut. One of the best muzzles forthese pets is a pillowcase. Fit the cloth bag overyour pet's head and gently hold it around theneck. The fabric keeps the teeth engaged, andoften, pets stop struggling once they can nolonger see what's happening. You can pull thepillowcase down as low over your pet's body asnecessary to contain his front paws and clawsas well—allow just the affected body part tostick out of the pillowcase for easy access sothat you can treat it. Some treatments, like acool-water soak, can be done right through thepillowcase.
Dogs with long noses are much easier tomuzzle. You can use any long piece of material,from a necktie or length of gauze bandage to aleg from a pair of panty hose, or even an extraleash. Loop the material around your pet's jawand tie it in a single knot (half hitch) on top ofhis nose. Then bring both ends of the tie backdown under his jaw and tie another singleknot. Finally, pull the ends behind the base ofhis neck and tie them in a bow or knot. Themuzzle will hold his jaws closed so he can'tbite.
Restraint Techniques
Each form of restraint works best for a specifictype of injury. Choose a technique that leavesthe injured area accessible for treatment. Inmost instances, one person restrains the petwhile a second person performs first aid. In allcases, it's best to place small pets on a counter ortabletop so that they are at waist level. Medium-sizeto large dogs are best treated on the floor,with you kneeling beside them.
Reclining restraint: Place your pet on hisside, with the injured area facing up. With onehand, grasp the ankle of the foreleg that'sagainst the ground while gently pressing yourforearm across his shoulders. With the otherhand, grasp the ankle of the hind leg that'sagainst the ground while pressing that forearmacross his hips. This technique works particularlywell with medium-size to large dogs and isalso recommended for dog breeds with prominenteyes, like Pekingese. (Holding these typesof dogs around the neck produces pressure thatmay pop out their eyeballs.)
Stretch restraint: With cats and small dogs,grasp your pet by the loose skin at the back ofthe neck—the scruff—with one hand. Captureboth hind feet with the other hand. Gentlystretch out your pet and hold him against atabletop.
Hugging restraint: Bring one arm underneathand around your dog's neck in a kind ofhalf-nelson to hug him to your chest. With theother arm, reach under and around his chestand pull him closer against you. This techniqueworks best for dogs over 20 pounds and ismost useful when trying to immobilize the abdomen,legs, chest, and back. (For women, abetter alternative may be to reach over andaround the dog's chest, as shown on page 272.)
Kneeling restraint: Pressure around the necksof dogs with prominent eyes, like Pekingese,may pop out their eyeballs. So with thesebreeds, instead of restraining with a neck grip orby the scruff, put your dog on the floor betweenyour knees and facing away from you as youkneel. Then put one hand on top of your dog'shead and the other around or beneath his jawsto steady his head while another person treatsthe area. This form of restraint also works wellfor giving pills to cats.
ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATIONAND CPR
Your pet's cardiopulmonary system works likea superefficient cargo train that circles thebody and never stops. The lungs dump thecargo—oxygen—into the bloodstream, whilethe heart serves as the engine that moves theblood. By the time blood completes a full circuitaround the body and returns to the lungs,the oxygen has been off-loaded where it'sneeded so that the train can take on a freshoxygen supply and repeat the process. Anythingthat interrupts your pet's breathing orheartbeat stops him dead in his tracks. He'lllose consciousness, and failure to receiveoxygen for even a few minutes causes irreversiblebrain damage.
Artificial Respiration
Pets usually go into respiratory arrest first; theheart may continue to beat for a short whileeven after a pet's breathing stops. You mustbegin artificial respiration within minutes tosave your pet's life. Start rescue breathing immediately,but be prepared to continue in the caron the way to the hospital. Have somebody elsedrive while you work on your pet—it's not unusualfor a cat or dog to be saved after an ownerbreathes for them for 1/2 hour or more.
A pet who is very cold may breathe muchmore slowly than normal, so be sure that he hasstopped breathing. Watch for the rise and fall ofhis chest or feel for his breath on your palm. Ifhe is not breathing, his gums will turn blue fromlack of oxygen.
Before beginning artificial respiration, checkto see if the airway is clear. Open your pet'smouth and look inside for a foreign object. Ifthe airway is blocked, grab his tongue and pullit outward to dislodge the object, or reach inwith your fingers or small pliers or tongs to grabit. If you can't reach it, use the Heimlich maneuver(see page 22). Once the airway is open,begin rescue breathing.
* Lay a large pet on his side (you can cradle asmall pet in your lap) and straighten his neckby lifting the chin so that his throat offers astraight shot into his lungs.
* Mouth-to-mouth breathing won't work becauseyou can't seal your pet's lips with yourmouth, and too much air escapes. Instead,close your pet's mouth with one or bothhands to seal it.
* Put your mouth completely over his nose(with a small pet, your mouth will cover bothhis nose and mouth) and blow with twoquick breaths, watching to see if his lungs expand.Air will go directly through the noseand into the lungs when the mouth is sealedcorrectly.
* Blow just hard enough to move his sides. Fora very large dog, you'll need to blow prettyhard, but blow gently for cats and tiny dogs,or you could rupture their lungs. Betweenbreaths, let the air naturally escape out of thelungs before giving the next breath. Give 15to 20 breaths per minute until he beginsbreathing on his own or you reach the veterinarian.
CardiopulmonaryResuscitation (CPR)
CPR combines artificial respiration with externalheart compressions, which help moveblood through the body when the heart hasstopped beating. Follow the instructions forrescue breathing, and alternate with chest compressions.It's best to have two people performCPR, with one breathing for the pet while theother does chest compressions.
To tell if your pet's heart has stopped, placeyour palm flat against his lower chest directly behindthe left front elbow to feel for the heartbeat,or place your ear against the spot and listen. Youcan also feel for the pulse in the femoral arterythat's located close to the surface on the inside ofthe thigh at the groin. Place three fingers flatagainst this area and press firmly, and you shouldfeel it. Another clue: Pets with stopped heartswon't respond to anything. Pinch your pet firmlybetween his toes or tap his eyelid. If he doesn'tblink or flinch, start CPR immediately.
For Cats and Small Dogs(Less Than 20 Pounds)
* The "cardiac pump technique" calls for compressionsdirectly over the heart to literallysqueeze the heart to pump blood. Do thiswith all cats and with dogs weighing less than20 pounds. To find the heart, gently flex yourpet's front left foreleg backward. The centerof the heart is located just where the point ofthe elbow crosses the chest.
* Place your pet on his side on a relatively flat,firm surface. Cup your hand over the point ofthe chest just behind the elbows. Squeezefirmly, pressing in about 1/2 inch, with yourthumb on one side and your fingers on theother.
* You can also perform compressions betweenyour fingers on kittens and puppies. Cradleyour pet in the palm of your hand, with yourthumb over the heart and your fingers on theother side. Squeeze rhythmically to make theheart pump.
* Veterinarians recommend 80 to 100 compressionsa minute. That's a little more than oneper second, which can be hard to do withouttraining. If you can manage 60 to 100 perminute, you're doing fine.
For Medium and Large Dogs(More Than 20 Pounds)
* Dogs who weigh more than 20 pounds havesuch strong bones and so much space betweenthe ribs and heart that compressions won't affecttheir hearts. Veterinarians recommendthat instead of pumping above the heart, youuse the "thoracic pump method," which placescompressions at the highest part of the chest.That changes the pressure most significantlywithin the chest cavity, and the increasing anddecreasing pressure moves blood forward.Place one hand on top of the other againstthe chest and push down 25 to 50%.
* For a barrel-chested dog like a bulldog, lay thedog on his back, cross his paws over his breastbone,and kneel with his abdomen betweenyour legs. Hold his paws and perform chestcompressions by pushing downward directlyover the breastbone. If your dog moves a lotwhile you are compressing his chest, put himon his side, then proceed as described above.
Alternate between compressions and breaths,giving one breath for every five compressionsfor any size pet. Continue CPR until your petrevives or you reach the animal hospital.
HOW TO CLEAN WOUNDS
Anytime the skin is broken, bacteria or otherforeign matter—even the fur—can contaminatea wound and potentially cause infection.Bleeding is a natural cleansing mechanism thathelps flush out dangerous material. Don't cleanwounds that bleed excessively, as this will justmake them bleed more. But for wounds thataren't bleeding, nothing beats first-aid cleansingto protect your pet from further harm.
If long fur is in the way, trim it with blunt scissorsor electric clippers to keep it from sticking tothe injury. If you're using scissors, first slip yourindex and second fingers through the fur andhold them against the wound. Cut the fur levelwith your fingers, leaving a 1-inch border aroundthe wound. (This technique is illustrated on page114.) If the skin is broken, dab on a water-solublelubricant like K-Y Jelly; the trimmed fur willstick to the jelly and wash out easily.
Most of the time, the injury will be sore, andeven the most gentle touch can cause pain. Thebest way to cleanse a wound is to flush it withcool water or sterile saline contact lens solutionto float out debris. You can use the spray attachmentfrom the sink, a garden hose, or evena squeeze bottle of saline solution (be sure to usesaline solution only; other contact lens solutionscan burn).
Follow the cleansing with a nonstinging antisepticsolution like Betadine Solution to disinfectthe wound. Dilute it with distilled wateruntil it's the color of weak tea, then put it in aplant sprayer and spray the area thoroughly.Once the wound has been disinfected, gently dabit dry with gauze pads or a clean, lint-free cloth.
Continues...
Excerpted from The First Aid Companion for Dogs & Catsby Amy D. Shojai Copyright © 2001 by Amy D. Shojai. Excerpted by permission.
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