Sure, you may be a master of human First Aid. But do you know what to do in a dog health emergency?
<h2>Approaching Dog Health Emergencies: Two Steps</h2>
<ol>
<li><strong>In any dog health emergency, stay calm and think.</strong> </li>
<li><strong>Approach the dog cautiously.</strong> The dog may become aggressive because of fear or pain. You can't help the dog if you're hurt yourself.</li>
</ol>
<h2>Dog Emergency 1: Traffic Accident:</h2>
<ol>
<li>If possible, do not to move the dog.</li>
<li>Call the nearest Humane Society or ASPCA office.</li>
<li>If the animal workers can't or won't come and you must move the dog, slide a blanket under the animal. Lift the animal to safety with the help of another person.</li>
<li>Check for a heartbeat and bleeding. Try to stop the excessive loss of blood by holding a clean cloth or pad over the wound and securing it tightly with a makeshift bandage.</li>
<li>Take the dog to the nearest vet, calling ahead to prepare them for the emergency.</li>
<h2>Dog Heathcare Emergency 2: Burns</h2>
<ol>
<li> Immerse the burned body part in cold running water for as long as possible.</li>
<li> If the burn is from a caustic substance, wash it off.</li>
<li> Call the vet.</li>
<h2>Canine Health Emergency 3: Heat stroke</h2>
Warning signs: The dog is overheated and without sufficient air. The dog might be panting, vomiting, frothing at the mouth, or already collapsed.
<ol>
<li> Remove the froth,</li>
<li> Place or douse the dog with cold water to lower body temperature.</li>
<li> Take the dog immediately to the veterinarian for treatment. Treatment usually consists of more cold water, drugs and observation.</li></ol>
<h2>Emergency 4: Dog Poisoning</h2>
Warning signs: Look for muscular twitching, vomiting, bleeding, convulsion or collapse.
<ol>
<li> Have someone call the vet.</li>
<li> Follow the vet's advice. Different poisoning cases sometimes have to be treated differently.</li>
<li> If you know what the poison is, take some of it with you to the vet's office.</li></ol>
<h2>Emergency 5: Dog Choking</h2>
<ol>
<li>Open the dog's mouth carefully and try to see what is causing the problem. It could be anything: a small ball, bone, stick, meat wrapping.</li>
<li>Pump the chest by pressing down on the ribs and releasing immediately at 5-second intervals.</li>
<li>If this doesn't dislodge the object within a few moments, rush the dog to the nearest animal hospital to have the foreign object removed under anesthetic.</li>
<h2>Dog Emergency 6: Drowning</h2>
<ol><li>
Remove the dog from the water.</li>
<li>Try to get the water out of the dog's lungs as soon as possible by pumping the chest as for choking (see above).</li>
<li>Take the dog to the vet to be checked out.</li></ol>
Hopefully, you will never have to handle any of these emergencies. But if you do, you have the dog health advice that you need.
