WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PET FIRST AID KIT

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PET FIRST AID KIT

We have three cats in our house and invariably there are times that they get under our feet. It is usually first thing in the morning when they are waiting very impatiently for their breakfast. I’m still half asleep and they are wrapping themselves around my legs reminding me that they are there and that they have not been fed for 12 hours. This could be classed as an accident waiting to happen.

Knowing pet first aid is useful as a pet owner and essential (in my opinion) as a pet carer. There are numerous online courses that anyone can take with a variety of price tags to go with them. The pet first aid course I took was extremely thorough with a test at the end that I had to pass in order to get my certificate.

The course I took covered:-

• How to deal with a collapsed and unconscious animal.
• CPR
• Shock
• Bleeding
• Bandaging
• Fractures
• Seizures
• Choking
• Drowning
• Heat Stroke
• Hypothermia
• Burns and Scalds
• Poisoning
• Bites and Stings
• How to deal with an emergency

Since taking the course I have had to deal with two emergencies, both of which were with the same inquisitive cat, Ivan. You can read up about this mischief maker on our ‘About’ page.

The first incident involved a dishwasher and his tail. No one saw him sneak under the dishwasher and just as we went to close the dishwasher door he popped out from underneath but his tail got caught. Thankfully he was not injured in any way but I still monitored him for signs of stress – checking his heart rate, checking the colour of his gums, listening to any changes in his breathing.

I am not a qualified vet by any stretch of the imagination but hopefully by knowing how to help a pet in an emergency means that before getting to the vets I can do my best for that animal.

The second incident, again with Ivan, occurred when he tried to grab some food that had just come out of the oven. Needless to say the burnt nose quickly put him off the food. Luckily this was a superficial burn and didn’t penetrate the skin. We did still apply a cool wet towel to his nose and again monitored him for shock. Within a few minutes he was back to his normal self and on the hunt for food again!

The video below is just for fun, enjoy.

Caroline x