Our dogs are very precious to us and how we keep them safe is never far away from our thoughts. But, what happens when you're travelling with Fido and something unexpected happens? Some things are hard to imagine, but having the right practical skills and the appropriate kit at the right time could save your dog’s life – wherever you are.
On many occasions a little expertise in first aid and medical care could make all the difference should your dog fall foul of circumstance – other times you will need to act quickly and decisively. Find out how in this gateway guide, which is full of useful tips from PawAid that can help you give your dog effective first aid.
Learn what to keep in a dog’s first aid kit, how to perform CPR on a dog, and what to do if your pet is choking or vomiting; keep this blog in your bookmarks.
Skip to these first aid tips:
What is inside a dog first aid kit?
We think that having a small first aid kit for your dog at home and in the car is a good idea. You can buy many premade kits that cater for the wider basics, but perhaps you would like to include items that you already own or meet your pet’s specific needs.
Items to include in your dog first aid kit:
- Bandages (5cm+)
- Surgical adhesive tape
- Cotton wool
- Sterile absorbent gauze
- Curved, blunt scissors
- A towel
- A dog cone (Elizabethan dog collar)
- A foil blanket
- Antiseptic wipes
Find out what else to keep on you when out and about with your dog with our Canine Checklist.
Performing CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on your dog
CPR is a life saving technique used in emergencies to restore a human's or an animal’s breathing. This can be applied in the event of a heart attack or near drowning. There are special techniques for dogs, and they vary depending on the dog’s size.
Please note – never perform CPR on your pet if their heart is still beating/you can feel a pulse – as doing this could kill them.
Before you start giving your dog CPR
There are several checks that you need to perform before CPR:
- Is your dog unconscious? If they are conscious, there’s no need for CPR.
- Pull your dog’s tongue forward to clear their airway. If there is something in its throat, see our first aid for choking section below
- Is your dog breathing? If they are, DO NOT perform CPR.
- If your dog has stopped breathing, check their heartbeat by resting your ear on their chest where their front legs meet their torso.
- Double check your dog’s pulse on the inside of their upper thigh. If there is no pulse, contact your vet and commence CPR.
Performing dog CPR
If you've established that your dog needs CPR, it's important to remember the important tips below that are based on your dog's size and build:
- Lie your dog on their right-hand side on a firm, flat surface. Some breeds may need to lie on their backs, i.e. bulldogs.
- Deep-chested breeds: Kneel behind their spine and interlock both hands over their heart.
- Large dogs (heavier than 10kg): Kneel behind their spine and interlock both hands over the widest part of their chest.
- Small-medium dogs (5-10kg): Kneel behind their spine and put one hand on the heart.
- Small dogs (lighter than 5kg): Put one hand behind their back to steady them and the other around their chest with your thumb on top and fingers below.
- Flat-chested dogs (i.e. bulldogs): Put both of your hands at their chest’s midpoint.
Next steps
Once you're confident that you know the dog's size and how to position them, it's time to commence CPR following the steps below:
- Extend your dog’s neck so that their nose is inline with their backbone. Close their mouth and form a tight air seal around their nostrils with your mouth.
- Breathe into their nostrils and watch for their chest to rise and fall again. Then give them a second breath. Repeat 30 compressions.
- Then 2 more breaths. Check the dog’s heartbeat.
- Repeat this cycle for 2 minutes.
- If there are two of you, take turns to perform CPR.
- After 2 minutes, if there is no heartbeat, continue CPR and make urgent plans to transport your dog to the vet.
- If your dog has regained a heartbeat, cease CPR and make urgent plans to transport them to the vet.
Common pet emergencies
What to do if your dog is choking
Everybody knows that dogs love food and sometimes they will choke if they are eating too much, too fast. Another choking risk is their dog toys. A great many times, they recover quickly but if it persists you need to spring into action to check and see if something is blocking their air ways. Below is what you need to do.
- Be mindful: Your dog may panic and bite, so approach them calmly, use your soothing voice, and don’t look them in the eye.
- Establish whether your pet is coughing, choking, or having a seizure. If it’s a cough, they can still inhale air. If they aren’t breathing at all, they're choking.
- See if there’s anything in the dog’s mouth. If there is, use pliers or tweezers to extract it from the mouth. If there is nothing visible in the dog’s throat you should prepare to take further measures.
Ways to aid a choking dog
If you've established that your dog is choking, below are some important techniques to clear Fido's throat:
- Hold your dog up by the hind quarters.
- Compress the dog’s abdomen firmly by pushing a clenched fist against it (do this five times then check inside the dog’s mouth for anything they may have brought up).
- Administer a blow with the palm of your hand between the shoulder blades (do this between compressions). If your dog persists to choke you should go to the vet or perform CPR if you can. Where possible, repeat the compression exercise in the car.
Vomiting
Your dog could be being sick for a number of reasons. On many occasions, vomiting usually resolves itself in under 24 hours. If it persists for longer, contact your vet.
What causes dog vomiting?
There are several reasons why dogs may vomit, some of which are more serious than others. Below are some of the most common reasons for dog vomiting:
- Harmful ingestion
- Gut infections
- Twisted stomach
- Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)
- Gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and guts)
- Worms (common in pups and young dogs)
What to do if your dog is vomiting
If your dog is vomiting, don't immediately start panicking – it may not be too serious. Below are some steps you can take to stop it from happening again:
- If your dog has vomited just once, consider starving it for a short period (12 to 24 hours) so that it can purge their stomach of any badness.
- Give your dog plenty of water to drink (speak to your vet if they won’t drink).
- Avoid fatty foods and anything rich for a 24-hour period.
Dog muscle strains and sprains
Sometimes active dogs incur injuries like muscle strains, sprains, and even broken bones through play and misadventure. Here’s what to do if your pet has come to mischief.
If your dog is limping or has a swelling, it may have experienced a fall and is in pain. If you need to, calm your dog down and, with it lying on its side, cover the injured limb or part of the body with an icepack.
Apply the ice for 5 to 15 minutes every day, three to four times a day, until the injury heals. After the initial 24 hours, alternate the ice with a warm compress.
If you see no improvement, or a deterioration in your dog’s condition (beyond 24 hours), it's time to contact your vet.
What to do if your dog breaks a bone
If you suspect that your dog has broken a bone, see some of the key signs below and what to do if they stop breathing:
- Look for disfigurement of the body and limbs, or bones sticking through the skin.
- Also look for lameness, limping and swelling.
- For all fractures and breaks, administer CPR if your dog has stopped breathing.
- Cover the wound with sterile gauze and wrap adhesive tape around it loosely.
What to do if your dog has a dislocated hip or elbow
Common joint dislocations in dogs occur at the elbows and hips. Often a dog will limp when a dislocation has occurred. Tell-tale signs include:
- Your dog feels pain when the affected area is touched.
- One of its feet do not touch the ground or your dog is limping.
- Limbs may be misaligned, bent away from the body more than normal.
Treatment
Once you've established that your dog is injured, be it a break or a strain, below are some tips on how to support Fido before heading straight to the vet:
- Splint the limb (but only if you are trained) then take your dog to the vet.
- Alternatively, and in most cases, don’t splint and take your dog to the vet.
Poisoning
If you think your dog has been poisoned and can identify what has been ingested, collect a sample or take it in a container to the vet.
Do not induce vomiting in your dog unless the vet has instructed you to do so.
What to do if your dog has breathed in poison
If you believe that your dog has breathed in poison, below are some basic steps you can take to relieve their suffering:
- Your dog will need fresh air.
- Monitor your pet for shock (see below).
- If you pet stops breathing, begin CPR.
Skin damage – rashes, abrasions, fur loss
There are different types of toxins that can damage your dog's skin and fur, see them below and what you can do to reduce the damage/pain:
- Typical (skin) poisoning can be treatable quickly if you know what the toxin is.
- Water-based toxins: You can prepare a salve by mixing a mild blend of washing-up liquid and water, and rinse the skin thoroughly until it is clean.
- Oil-based toxins: Apply butter, mayonnaise, peanut butter, or hand degreaser. Clean off with a blend of washing-up liquid and water, and rinse the skin until it is clean.
- If the poison is in your dog’s eye, rinse their optics with cool water.
- You can hoover powdered toxins off your dog’s fur or by dusting their coat.
Shock – Symptoms to look for if your dog goes into shock
There are three distinct stages of shock that applies to dogs. It is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body fails to get enough oxygen to operate.
Symptoms of mild shock
Otherwise known as compensated shock, mild shock is a dog's initial stage of shock where their bodies still maintain blood pressure and tissue perfusion. Signs of mild shock in dogs may include:
- Low body temperature (see below)
- Increased heart rate (see below)
- Discoloured gums (dark red/pink)
Symptoms of severe shock
Severe shock is when the dog's compensatory mechanisms are overwhelmed and tissue perfusion becomes compromised. Below are some of the symptoms of severe shock in dogs:
- Hypothermia (extremely low body temperature)
- Increased heart rate
- Weaker pulse
- Discoloured gums (white)
- Cool limbs
Symptoms of terminal shock
Terminal shock is when the dog's vital organs have sustained damage due to lack of blood flow and oxygenation. Below are some of the signs that your dog is in critical, terminal shock:
- Weak or absent pulse
- Semi-conscious or unconsciousness
- Slow heart rate (see below)
What to do when your dog has gone into shock
When your dog goes into shock (mild, severe or terminal), it's important to remember the below steps that can reduce their suffering as you take them to the vet.
- If you dog is bleeding attend to the wound to stem the flow.
- Perform CPR (if your dog has stopped breathing).
- Wrap your dog in a towel or thermal blanket.
- Take your pet to your vet. Shock can be fatal.
Seizures – How to identify if your dog is having a seizure
There are a few different kinds of seizures in dogs; the main ones are focal and generalised.
Signs of focal seizures
These types of seizures affect a section of the dog’s brain and there are several symptoms to look out for.
- Involuntary jerky body movements
- Muscle contractions
- Raised fur
- Dilated pupils
- Barking and growling
- Balance problems
- Hallucinations
Signs of generalised seizures
Generalised seizures typically involve the entire body and can occur in various ways. Below are some of the key signs of generalised seizures in dogs:
General dog health knowledge
Your dog's vital signs depend on their size. So when it comes to measuring your pooch's heart rate, breathing rate and temperature, it's important to know the key measurements below based on your dog's size:
Dog heart rates (Beats Per Minute – BPM)
- All sizes: 160-220 BPM
- Small dogs: 100-160 BPM
- Medium to large dogs: 60-100 BPM
- Extra large dogs: 60-80 BPM
Breaths per minute
- Small dogs: 20-30 breaths or 300 pants (approx.)
- Large dogs: 10-30 breaths or 200 pants (approx.)
Normal temperatures for dogs
- Small dogs: 100.5°F-102.5°F (38.1°C-39.1°C)
- Large dogs: 100.2°F-102.8°F (37.9°C-39.3°C)
You can also check your dog’s health by the colour of its faeces. However, whenever your dog presents you with a health problem that you cannot identify, consult your vet straight away.
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Treat your dog to a holiday at one of our pet-friendly cottages
What better idea to cheer up a healthy pup than a holiday after they have full recuperated from their emergency? Visit our collection of dog-friendly accommodation all across the UK today.
Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information at the time of writing,
please ensure you check carefully before making any decisions based on the contents within this article.