First Aid For Dogs

Dear dog owner,

What is Wrong and What can I do to help?

Bottom scraping is commonly associated with parasitic infestations, often indicating they are due for worming, but not all dogs show these signs and some parasitites, like heartworms can cause illnesses which are difficult and expensive to treat.

Prevention

Most Vets agree that prevention is always better than having to "cure" a particular infestation after the event. Some dog owners regard preventitive medications unnecessary for their circomstances and so not cost effective, often without fully understanding the risks, not only to their dog but to other dogs and even family members.

Some pet owners regard worming as “non-essential” and only worm their animals when they see the signs. Not all parasitic infections show these signs however and Vets are increasingly seeing animals that have not been given any form of preventative medication and are having to treat far more serious conditions.

Many owners are also under the impression that Worms, Ticks and fleas only affect unclean dogs — this is untrue; they will live and breed on any dog that has no protection against them.

The Canine First-aid Handbook contains invaluable information about administering first aid for dogs and why it is important to protect your dog. Tapeworms, for example, are common in dogs yet some owners believe they can only get them from scavenging and that they only affect dogs. When a dog swallows a flea it gains a tapeworm. Fleas will also be just has at home on humans and several of the worm infestations can also be transfered to humans, with possible life-threatening consequences for those most vulnerable like pregnant women, babies and anyone with immune problems. Ticks attach themelves to their victims and feed on their blood but they will be just as happy gorging on human blood and they can be tricky to remove; if simply "plucked" from their victim, the head is often left behind still with its feeding tube buried in its victim inviting infection.

1. They can be distressing for a dog but can cause far more serious conditions.
2. They can be transfered from an infected animal to other animans, even humans
3. They are easily preventable.

Other Diseses

Some diseses, such as diabetes or cushings disese, can produce symptoms similar to other ailments which can affect the way first-aid is administered, and as such are beyond the scope of this publication. However an excellent resource to discover the diabetes symptoms dogs exibit can be found at www.dogdiabetessite.com

Emergency Treatments

Cuts, scrapes and wounds are often easy to diagnose and treat but how many dog owners know how to resusitate their dog if it stops breathing or how to give heart massage? The terms "Artifical respiration" and "heart massage" are often enough to instill fear in anyone who has not attended a basic first aid course and yet the fear comes from not knowing what to do.

With knowledge comes wisdom.