Basic First Aid For Your Pet

Have a basic first aid kit handy for your pet.

Recommended First Aid Kit Items

2-inch athletic tape

2-inch Vet Wrap or ace bandage

Gauze

Telfa Pads (non-stick bandage pads)

Triple antibiotic ointment

Blood stop powder – for broken toenails (Kwik Stop, cornstarch, flour)

Digital Thermometer

Benadryl 25 mg tablets

Hydrogen Peroxide – to clean fresh wounds

Saline or Contact lens solution – to flush wounds or eyes

Pepto Bismol- for treating diarrhea in dogs only

Tweezers or Tick Twister – to remove splinters or ticks

Activated cold packs – to apply to bumps and bruises to reduce swelling

Allergic Reactions or Insect Bites

Symptoms of an allergic reaction or insect bite include swelling of muzzle or face, hives, rash, scratching and chewing at the skin. You can give Benadryl at 1 mg for 1 pound of body weight. (Example: two 25 mg tablets for a 50-pound dog.) Call a veterinarian if there is any breathing problems or extreme lethargy.

Removing Ticks

If you’re fortunate enough to find a tick that has not imbedded and is still moving around on your pet’s skin, it can be easily removed with your fingers or with tweezers and then disposed of safely (flushed down the toilet or put in a jar of alcohol).

If the tick is embedded or firmly attached to your pet’s skin, here are a few tips on how to remove a tick completely and safely.

Best way:

Tick Twister – Excellent tool for removing ticks on your pet

Purchase a Tick Twister at any Petco store, or online at Chewy.com, Petco.com, or Amazon.com.  These simple gadgets are inexpensive and very easy to use.  They remove the tick’s whole body without leaving the head and mouth parts in your pet’s body. All you do is slide the fork end of the tool toward the tick until it is caught between the prongs. Lightly lift the tool and rotate it in either direction several turns. You will feel the tick when it has released its mouth parts, and then you can pull up on the tick with the Twister. Carefully take the tick out of the forked area and be sure to use either plastic gloves or a tissue when handling it and dispose of it properly.

The Tick Twister is excellent for removing ticks from pets because it doesn’t squeeze or crush the body of the tick, which may force infective body fluids through its mouth parts into your pet’s wound site.  When ticks bite, they insert their long mouth part into the skin.  This area is covered with sharp, backward facing barbs (similar to a harpoon) which help keep the tick firmly attached while it feeds. The twisting motion of the Tick Twister removed the tick while keeping the mouth parts intake. Pulling on a tick with ordinary tweezers can leave the mouth parts embedded in the skin which may later cause infection.

If you are using tweezers:

Prepare: Dab the tick and close-surrounding areas with rubbing alcohol. Use fine-tipped tweezers or a notched tick extractor, and protect your fingers with a tissue, paper towel, or latex gloves.

Get Ready: Using tweezers, grasp the ticks body close to the pets skin as possible (while being careful not to catch any skin).

Go: Slowly and firmly, pull the tick straight out of the skin without squeezing. Pulling too fast can decapitate the tick, leaving the head embedded in your dog. Squeezing can release the fluids inside the tick into your pet’s body.

Disposal: The tick should either be flushed down the toilet or dunked into rubbing alcohol. Disposal is very important so that the tick does not reappear on your pet or you.

After care: Clean the affected area with alcohol and apply antibacterial ointment to the area. You should see a small hole where the tick was. Watch this area for the next few days to ensure infection does not set in.

*A very small tick could be a deer tick. If you can, save it in alcohol and bring it to your veterinarian. Deer ticks often carry Lyme disease and, if you find one, there are likely more where it came from and you should consider vaccination as an option.

Regardless of tick type, note the date of the bite. Tick-related illness can take some time to show up, so that date will be useful if illness occurs.

Keep an eye on the area where the tick was to see if an infection surfaces. If the skin remains irritated or infected, make an appointment with your veterinarian.

Watch your dog for symptoms of tick-borne diseases. Some symptoms include arthritis or lameness that lasts for three to four days, reluctance to move, swollen joints, fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, loss of appetite and neurological problems.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea is loose stool with increased frequency. Diarrhea can be caused by stress or change in diet.  Make sure your pet continues to drink water to maintain hydration. You can give your pet a bland diet such as boiled hamburger or chicken and rice. You can also give your dog Pepto Bismol at 1 teaspoon for every 20 pounds of body weight to help control the diarrhea. Pepto Bismol should not be used in cats. If your pet begins to become lethargic or diarrhea persists for more than 24 hours call your veterinarian.

What Causes Diarrhea In Cats and Dogs?

•     Dairy or other food intolerance
•     Change in diet
•     Ingestion of spoiled food
•     Allergic reaction
•     Bacterial or viral infection
•     Internal parasites, such as roundworms, coccidia and Giardia
•     Inflammatory bowel disease
•     Kidney or liver disease
•     Cancer or other tumors of the digestive tract
•     Certain medications
•     Hyperthyroidism
•     Colitis
•     Stress
•     Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis

Wounds

Stop bleeding by applying pressure with gauze or a towel. If bleeding continues, wrap the area if possible with gauze and apply pressure by wrapping vet wrap or an ace bandage.  Once bleeding is controlled clean the area with hydrogen peroxide or saline. Wounds can be difficult to see through hair so look carefully. Once a wound is cleaned you can cover it with triple antibiotic ointment and then a telfa pad. Then keep the telfa pad in place by wrapping it with vet wrap. Contact a veterinarian as soon as you can to have the wound accessed.

Bleeding Toenails – Broken, Torn or Trimmed Too Close

To stop bleeding from a nail that is trimmed too close to the quick or broken away from the quick, you can pack the end of the nail with bar soap, styptic powder (Kwik Stop), cornstarch, flour, or tea leaves from a tea bag. Pack the coagulant up against the bleeding quick, and hold it there for a minute or two.

Until the bleeding stops, keep your dog or cat in a room like a bathroom that will be easy to clean. (It’s tough to clean blood out of carpet!) Your veterinarian most likely uses a product like styptic sticks or Kwik Stop to stop the bleeding quickly when nail trimming is done in their clinics. You can find these at most pet supply stores (Petco, or online at Chewy.com, Petco.com, or Amazon.com), and it might be a good idea to stock some in your pet’s first aid kit if this happens often in your house.

Remember, animals in pain sometimes bite out of self-preservation instincts, so be aware of this as you try to help your pet. Occasionally a nail that breaks off very close to the nail bed results in an infection in the toe. This will require a veterinary clinic visit and antibiotic treatment, so watch for any limping that persists longer than two days.

If possible, remove any of the broken part of nail that may still be attached. This broken end often causes the dog more pain and may increase or continue the bleeding every time the torn piece is disturbed.  The quickest way to do this is with a dog toenail clipper. Sometimes the piece is barely hanging on and they can be pulled off (quickly) with your hand.

The injured nail needs to be gently washed off.  Use warm water to remove any debris lodged between the nail and the toe or leg. If there is active bleeding, wait on washing. Apply gentle firm pressure with a clean cloth to the area. A firm grasp around the entire foot works best, if the dog will allow it.

Vomiting

Vomiting is a common symptom, and repeated vomiting when combined with diarrhea can rapidly lead to dehydration.  This is very important when it occurs in very young, old, or frail pets.

Look at the vomit and check for any foreign material in it.  If there is anything abnormal, contact your veterinarian. If there is no foreign material in the vomit try resting your pet’s stomach by withholding food for 12 hours and only offering small amounts of water.  Then try small amounts of a bland diet such as boiled hamburger or chicken and rice.  If vomiting persists or your pet has unproductive vomiting (retching) or abdominal distention, call your veterinarian as soon as possible.

Common Toxins

These are some common household items that are toxic.  Keep these items away from areas where pets have access. If your pet becomes exposed, call a veterinarian to determine what should be done.

 Antifreeze: Ingestion of a small amount can be very toxic. It can cause neurologic and kidney damage. Signs include staggering, lethargy, excessive thirst and seizures.

Chocolate: Milk chocolate from candies usually only causes GI upset. Bakers or bittersweet chocolate is much more toxic and can cause over excitement, increased heart rate and seizures.

Some Foods: Common foods that can be toxic for pets are onion, garlic, grapes and raisins as well as sugar free gums containing xylitol.

Rat Poison: Most rat poisons cause bleeding problems due to decreased blood clotting. Vitamin K is the antidote and can be prescribe in cases of exposure.

Tylenol (acetaminophen): Causes red blood cell and liver damage, especially in cats.

Plants: There are many toxic plants to pets. Here is a list of the most commonly ones found in households. For a complete list go to: www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/

Easter Lilly, Tiger Lilly: Kidney damage in cats and GI upset

Rhododendron: GI upset, slow heart rate and shock

Dumb cane, Dieffenbachia: Burning and irritation of the mouth

Mistletoe: GI upset and liver damage

Oleander: GI upset and heart damage

Rhubarb: Neurologic disease.

Iris: GI upset

Larkspur: GI upset and neurologic stimulation

Household Medications

Never give your pet any medications including over the counter medications such as ibuprofen or aspirin without consulting  with your veterinarian first. Many medications for humans can be toxic or could prevent your veterinarian from safely using other important medications to treat your pet.

Skunk Recipe for De-Skunking your Pet

To remove odor after a pet is sprayed by a skunk.

In a bucket mix:

1 quart 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon of hand safe dishwashing liquid

Stir ingredients briefly. It will begin to fizz as the hydrogen peroxide releases bubbles. Have someone hold the pet in the bathtub while you scrub in the solution with a soft brush. Rinse the pet with water.

Use this easy recipe to de-skunk your pet