Tag Archives: pet first aid

Reading Your Pet’s Gums

Sometimes, it can be hard to tell when something is wrong with your pet. They may seem perfectly normal, then suddenly collapse. A delayed reaction to an electrical shock, ingested poison, an allergic reaction, even heart disease may not be immediately evident to owners. Your pet’s gums may be a clue to the problem. Normally, the gums should be a healthy pink. Any other color should be a warning sign — and you should call your vet immediately. White (extremely pale) gums are signs of shock. Just like in humans, shock is a condition that occurs when the body isn’t … Continue reading →

First Aid: Eye Out of Socket

Just to get this out of the way… GROSS! A blow to the head can cause a dog or cat’s eye to pop out of the socket. An eye out of place is more common in flat faced dogs like Shih Tzus and Pekingese… but it can happen to anyone. (Cue scary eye popping out music!) Displaced eyeballs usually LOOK worse than they actually are. Sometimes, the eye is just pushed a little forward; sometimes it actually rests on the cheek area. But if the muscles and nerves aren’t damaged badly, there’s a better than fifty percent chance your pet … Continue reading →

A Pet First Aid Kit

Are you prepared, in case of an accident involving your pet? Do you know what to do if they have been injured or attacked? One good way to be prepared is to have a Pet First Aid Kit set up. You may already have a lot of these items around the house, or in your family’s First Aid Kit. You should keep a list of phone numbers with your first aid kit, in case you need to call for help. You may want to include the following important phone numbers: Your vet Your vet’s emergency backup The nearest 24-hour animal … Continue reading →

Another Busted Dewclaw!

Yep… not long after Lally’s last broken dewclaw, she snagged and broke the dewclaw on her OTHER front leg! This poor dog. Once again, my parents had to hold her while I tried to snip off the dangling bits with my trusty nail clippers. Once again, she got upset and widdled on the floor. My poor little girl. What use are dewclaws, really? They’re more or less an evolutionary leftover. A lot of breeders will actually take care of dewclaw removal (at least on the hind legs) when puppies are just a few days old. When I got Lally from … Continue reading →

First Aid: Snakebite

Thank goodness I don’t live in an area where snakes are a problem. Snake and poisonous insect bites can be very dangerous for your pets. How do you tell if your pet has been bitten? 1. You may see fang marks. 2. You may notice a sudden swelling of the bitten area. 3. Your pet may be panting and/or having trouble breathing. 4. Your pet may be unconscious. The key in dealing with poisonous bites is SPEED. If you believe your pet has been bitten by a poisonous insect or snake, call your vet IMMEDIATELY. Venom can be very fast … Continue reading →

Recommended Reading For Pet Owners

Hi, my name is Aimee, and I’m a book collector. I love books. I would fill every room with books, if I could. Maybe someday… I recently got a great book that I wanted to share with you: the Prevention Pets First Aid Companion for Dogs and Cats. If you’ve got pets, it’s a great book to have. Prevention is a pretty reliable source for health info in general, and the First Aid Companion for Dogs and Cats tapped the brains of more than eighty veterinarians from around the country for the material. The book is laid out alphabetically by … Continue reading →

First Aid: Broken Dew Claw Update

Maybe I should stop writing about possible pet injuries. The other night after our usual “Aimee just got home” game of ball, Lally started favoring her right front leg. She spent a LOT of time licking. Sure, everybody likes to lick, but this was pretty excessive! Once we had settled into bed for the night, I finally spotted the source of the problem: her dewclaw had broken down past the quick, almost to the skin! My poor baby girl. The nail was split horizontally, and was hanging on pretty well. So I figured I would wait and see what happened. … Continue reading →

Pet First Aid: Choking

Last night, as I was sitting at the computer, I heard an awful hacking from the bedroom. For a very frightening second, I thought I was going to need to do the Heimlich maneuver on Moose! I ran to his side just in time to watch him spit up a half-chewed rawhide. Yummy! But this is probably a good time to review what to do if your pet is choking. 1. Determine if your pet is choking, or just coughing. If he is coughing, there’s still air going in. Trying to help could injure him. If he’s choking, there is … Continue reading →