Cleaning wounds and cuts are emergency first aid treatments you can give your dogs. In most cases, you can rarely avoid medical emergencies. This is especially true when you have high-energy dogs in your household.
Medical emergencies can be illness, accidents, poisoning, or even bite from dogs or other animals. These emergencies do not announce the moments they will happen; they happen regardless of time or day. Therefore, as someone who parents a dog, you must have a first aid kit around the corner.
Owning a first aid box is not enough; it must be well-equipped. Your first aid box should have at least bandages, adhesive tape, antibiotics spray, cotton wool, tweezers, scissors, a flashlight, a muzzle cover, and a thermometer.
Having mentioned these items, listed below are some emergencies that may arise and what first aid treatment you can give your pet.
Wounds and Cuts Often Require Fist Aid Treatments
Your dog can sustain injuries in the form of cuts and wounds on its body, especially the paws if they run on sharp objects like thorns or splinters from sticks, broken glass, or metal.
Imagine you went camping or hiking with your dog without a first aid kit, and this happens. Such scenarios are likely to lead to a life-threatening situation for your dog.
You clean the injured area with a disinfectant to administer first aid treatment for cuts and wounds.
Check to see if the sharp object lodges in the paw. Suppose it is trapped; pull it out with tweezers. You may apply a bandage if there is a need. However, in a case of a severe wound, ensure you consult a vet.
Burns
Your dog can suffer burns by coming in contact will hot oil, hot water, chemicals, fire, or hot appliances. Suppose the burns sustained by the dog are minor. You can treat them with first aid. However, it would be to consult your vet if your dog suffers severe burns.
Furthermore, you can treat minor burns by applying cold water or ice packs to affected areas for about 15 minutes. After which, you should consult your vet for further advice.
You Can Use First Aid Treatments For Dog Bites
Dogs can fight with other animals or dogs for several reasons. These reasons could be for territory, food, or even mating rights. Whatever the cause and your dog gets bitten by another dog, you should never overlook it as minor, especially if the bite is from a stray or wild animal.
You should immediately reach out to your vet and book an appointment to examine your dog for diseases. You do not want your dog to have rabies.
If you cannot access a vet immediately, administer first aid by washing the bite area with clean water and soap. Afterwards, dry up after washing, and apply hydrogen peroxide to the bite wound to kill germs.
Alternatively, you can apply antibiotic spray or ointment. Ensure you take your pet to the vet clinic even after this first aid treatment.
Bones and Stick
Our dogs’ favourite food or toys can sometimes become a source of discomfort for them by getting stuck in their jaws. When this happens, you will likely notice your dog constantly pawing at the mouth. Other signs you can see are bleeding, crying, and excessive drooling.
You can treat this by removing the stuck bone or stick using your hand or a pair of tweezers. Be careful when doing this, and if you find it challenging to take it out of the dog’s jaw, reach out to a vet for further instructions.
Broken Claw
The possibility of your dog fracturing a nail is always there. It can be excruciating for the dog and, if not tended to, can pave the way for infection.
In this situation, carefully remove (if any) the dangling piece of the nail using a nail clipper. Clean the wound with warm water, apply an antiseptic to disinfect it, and bandage it.
Pay close attention after administering first aid to ensure no swelling or offensive smell resulting from pus.
Stings
Insect stings can be quite painful. If you notice a swelling on your dog’s body or behaviours like chewing at its paw, it has most likely been stung by an insect.
Suppose this happens; look around to see if you can identify the insect to know if your dog was stung by a bee. Bees usually detached their stingers, leaving them in their victims.
First aid treatment is administered here by applying an ice pack on the affected area to give some comfort and reduce the swelling. Visit the vet clinic if you notice excessive swelling, breathing difficulty, or excess drooling.
Heatstroke Often Requires First Aid Treatments
When a dog has heatstroke, the following signs are what you see strange gum colour, dry gum, rapid breathing, disorientation, and seizures, among others.
In this situation, you first move the dog to a cool area and away from the sun. Get wet towels and put them over the dog’s body. You can spray water on the dog’s body without a towel.
However, do not use ice water, as this will make the cooling process too rapid and might send the dog into shock. It would help if you gave your dog cool water to drink.
Conclusion
Having the first kit around is not an option that you should not take for granted. Emergencies do not have a particular time they happen. However, remember to keep calm and observe your dog correctly during emergencies.
It is important to remember that pain can cause your dog to be aggressive. Use a muzzle cover if your dog is aggressive to avoid a bite. After administering a first aid treatment, speak to a vet for further advice.
