First aid for animals before you reach the vet

Signs that mean go to a vet now

• Laboured or very rapid breathing; open-mouth breathing in a cat.
• Pale or bluish gums.
• Loss of consciousness, seizures.
• Bleeding you cannot stop within a few minutes.
• A bloated abdomen with unproductive retching — especially in large dogs.
• A cat unable to urinate, repeatedly straining in the litter tray.
• Repeated vomiting or diarrhoea for over a day, especially with blood.
• The animal will not get up, does not respond, hides and will not come out.
• Labour underway with no progress for more than an hour.
• Head trauma, a fall from height, a road accident — even if it looks fine.

How to safely handle an injured animal

Pain turns the gentlest animal into one that bites. That is reflex, not character.

1. 1Throw a jacket, towel or blanket over it — darkness calms the animal and protects you.
2. 2For a medium or large dog, improvise a muzzle from a bandage or cord if needed. Do not do this if there is breathing difficulty, vomiting, or a facial injury.
3. 3Wrap a cat in a towel like an envelope, leaving the face free.
4. 4Carry the animal on a flat rigid surface — a board, a box lid, a tray — if a spinal injury is possible. Do not bend the body.
5. 5Do not offer food or water before examination if the animal is unconscious or surgery is possible.

Bleeding

Press a clean cloth or bandage onto the wound and hold it for several minutes without peeking every few seconds — a clot needs time to form. If the cloth soaks through, add another layer on top rather than removing the first. A tourniquet is a last resort, only on a limb, and note the time it was applied.

Heatstroke

The most common summer emergency, especially in flat-faced dogs. Signs: heavy panting, bright red gums, weakness, unsteady gait. What to do:

• Move the animal into shade or a cool room.
• Wet the paws, belly, groin and neck with cool — not ice-cold — water.
• Get air moving: a fan, an open window.
• Offer small amounts of water if the animal is conscious.
• Go to a clinic even if it seems better — the consequences of heatstroke appear later.

Poisoning

If you saw what the animal ate, that is the single most valuable piece of information for the vet. Bring the packaging or a sample if you can. Do not induce vomiting yourself: if the substance was an acid, an alkali or a petroleum product, vomiting causes more damage than the substance itself. Call the clinic and set off straight away.

Choking

If the animal is coughing and breathing, do not reach into its mouth — coughing is more effective than your hands. If it cannot breathe, is panicking, and the tongue and gums turn blue:

• open the mouth and look — remove the object only if it is clearly visible and easy to grip;
• a small animal can be held head-down while you strike sharply between the shoulder blades a few times;
• for a large dog, wrap your arms around the body behind the ribs and give several sharp upward thrusts;
• go to a clinic immediately afterwards, even if the object came out.

A home first-aid kit for pets

• Sterile bandages and gauze pads.
• Self-adhesive elastic bandage.
• Saline solution — for rinsing eyes and wounds.
• An alcohol-free antiseptic (chlorhexidine).
• Tweezers, blunt-tipped scissors, a tick remover.
• A thermometer.
• A towel and disposable gloves.
• The number of the nearest 24-hour clinic — written on paper, not only in your phone.