First aid articles

[tilly]

I have taken these from the assignments I did in college I hope they can help out a bit with some bascic first aid.
Heat stroke
Heat Stroke
What is heat stroke and what signs should you look out for.?
Heat stroke is caused by your pet over heating. It is most common in dogs although other animals can suffer from heat stroke as well. It can be caused by being shut in a hot car, your pet spending too long in the hot sun and by being exercised too much. Dogs suffer from it most commonly as they can’t sweat so they have to pant to cool down. The signs of your pet having heat stroke can be any or all of the following; rapid and constant panting, wide eyes, salivating, staggering and general weakness. If it is possible take your pet’s rectal temperature if it is above 106°Fahrenheit then your pet is probably suffering from heat stroke.

What treatment should be given?
Put you pet in a container of cool running water. If that is not possible then spray it with a hose making sure that the water makes it through the coats and onto the skin and doesn’t just run straight off. Make sure that you thoroughly wet the stomach and the insides of the legs as the fur on the stomach is very fine on most breeds of dogs and major arteries run down the inside of the legs. It will also help to run cool water into the mouth and tongue of your pet ( especially in dogs or cats) as it might sweat through its tongue so if you cool the tongue and mouth then it will cool the blood which will cool the rest of the body. Try to take the rectal temperature again as this will let you know if the pet has cooled down enough. A safe temperature is 103°Fahrenheit. When the pet has reached this temperature take it to the vet for further treatment. It is important to take the pet to the vet even after cooling with water as it might need further treatment which the vet can give to it. The treatment your vet might give it is Oxygen, cortisone and dextrose to help protect any cell damage by the heat stroke. Intravenous fluid and anticoagulants may also be given
. Cooling down a dog with heat stroke.

Why is that treatment given and the Consequence of not giving treatment.
Treatment is given to cool the dog down using cold water. If an animal has got heat stroke and it is not treated then the animal will probably die from The consequences of not treating an animal that has heat stroke is that the animal can die. It can die from several causes, firstly the heat will cause the brain to swell which will cause brain damage or death, secondly the animal will become dehydrated and thirdly the animal could suffocate from panting to much and not being able to absorb enough oxygen to survive. Treatment is only designed to keep an animal in a condition which it can be taken to the vets. It is not designed to cure the animal, just to stop the situation getting any worse.Electrocution

The signs that an animal has been electrocuted are singed fur, burns, wounds, blisters may also appear on the skin, the animal can usually be found near the electrical current that caused the electrocution.
Electrocution can be broken down into two types Low Voltage Shocks and High Voltage Shocks. In both instances the pet should not be touched until the power supply has been turned off and it is safe to do so. With the high voltage shocks (power lines etc) you should not approach your pet if it is still within 18 metres or 20 yards of the power supply, instead you should keep any other people and animal back and call the police so that they can arrange to have the power supply turned off. When it is safe to do so go to your pet and check that it is breathing if it isn’t breathing then follow the below instruction on how to resuscitate an animal.
“Artificial respiration
1. Open dog's mouth, grasp tongue and pull it well forward clear of back of throat. Wipe away any mucus or blood. Remove any obstruction.
2. Remove any collar or restricting item.
3. If the animal has fluid in its throat or is a victim of drowning hold it upside down by its rear legs for 15-30 seconds.
4. If dog is still not breathing, start artificial respiration. Close mouth, place your mouth over the dog's nose and exhale to force air through its nose to the lungs. Watch the dog's chest for the lungs to inflate. Remove your mouth, and repeat the cycle about six times a minute. You may need to carry on for 30-60 minutes, until the dog is breathing by itself or is pronounced dead”
http://www.ccc.govt.nz/animals/DogFi...ngDifficulties
 This picture shows how to give mouth to nose resuscitation.
Once the dog is breathing again try to treat any open wound by controlling the bleeding. If there is someone there to help you get them to treat the wound whilst you help the pet breath. If there are any burns place a cool wet cloth on them to stop the burns getting any worse and to stop the burning.
Then call the vet and let them know you are on your way so that they are prepared when you arrive to administer immediate treatment.

Why is that treatment given?
Treatment is given at the scene of the electrocution so as the animal is stable enough to make it to the vets where they can treat the problem properly. It is also very important to make sure the heart is beating and the animal is breathing before taking it to the vets as other wise if would die before getting the due to lack of oxygen. Treatment is only designed to keep an animal in a condition which it can be taken to the vets. It is not designed to cure the animal just to stop the situation getting any worse

Consequence of not giving treatment.
High does of electricity can cause death if the animal is not treated by the heart stopping due to the shock. It can also cause nasty burns and cut which if left untreated will get infected and the infection would kill the animal if continually left untreated. The animal can also die from dehydration if a large areas of the skin has been burnt as the skin helps to keep the moisture in.
Convulsion or fits

There are two different types of convulsions firstly there is the single convulsion which mean that the animal has one fit and doesn‘t have another fit for at least 24 hours afterwards, and secondly there is continuous convulsions where the animal has a series of fits in succession. The treatment for both is the same, place a towel over the animal and gently restrain it so that it doesn’t injure itself. It would also be a good idea to move any objects near the animal out of the way so they don’t fall onto the animal and it doesn’t bash against them. It is important to not put your hand near or in the animals mouth as they might bite you which will mean you will need treatment not just the animal. It is also important to make sure that the towel isn’t cover the airways or to tight around the animals neck. The towel should jut be put on top of the animal to help you in trying to gently restraining it.

What treatment should be given?
There is no treatment that you can give to help the animal all you can do is check that the convulsion haven’t been caused by poisoning (look around the animal for any signs of poison such as open medication bottles or pest control poison) If it is cause by poisoning then take the suspected drug with you. Other than that wait for the convulsion to stop for a single convulsion or for them to ease up enough for you to get the animal to the vet as soon as possible. Always ring the vet when an animal has convulsion as they will be able to offer advice to you as to what is best to do in your situation.
Any treatment is only designed to keep an animal in a condition which it can be taken to the vets. It is not designed to cure the animal just to stop the situation getting any worse an prevent the animal from harming itself during the fit/s.

Why is that treatment given and the consequences of not giving treatment.
The animal is covered with a towel to prevent injury to itself whilst it is fitting. If an animal with fit isn’t treated then the fit colds get worse and more frequent and result in the animal not regaining consciousness and dieing, as fits are caused by some kind of problem in the animals brain which interrupts the normal signals getting through this causes the fit. So if the animal isn’ treated and the root of the problem found then the animals normal brain function will be affected and the damaged done by whatever is causing the fit will be permanent and could possible be life threatening.



These are only guideline and the your vet should still be consulted.

Sally

[Kay]

Very interesting article. Thanks for sharing it. What course did you do?

[tilly]

I did a course on kennel and cattery management

SAlly

[Fran]

Interesting articles Sally, well done!

[Mags]

Very interesting articles Sally! ..........