National Pet First Aid Month

Chloe with the contents of our First Aid "basket."

April has been quite the busy month! It is, among other notable events, National Pet First Aid Month. Even though today is the last day of April, it' never too late to think about pet First Aid and pet First Aid kits.

In October we discussed knowing CPR for your pet. If you haven't taken a class, this would be a great time to look into it. Check out the American Red Cross website for more information.

We have had a large First Aid "basket" for several years after Gibson had seizures. We also have a cool little white First Aid kit compliments of our furpals, Cooper & Lola, who had a drawing earlier in the year. We have them both stocked with an instant cold pack, paper towels, Rescue Remedy, pheromone calming spray, thermometer, a diary with notations of past seizures and medicine dosages, emergency vet, veterinarian hospital, and animal poison control numbers. During the spring and summer, we also keep an eye dropper and liquid Benadryl handy in case of bee stings and allergic reactions. (Always check for dosage amounts with your vet). Additional First Aid kit items should include bandages, tweezers (for splinter and tick removal), stethoscope, alcohol swabs, Chlorox wipes (to wipe down accidents) and a mini to-go kit for car trips and hiking. For a list of other items to have in your pet's First Aid Kit, check out the American Veterinary Medical Association's list. 

In the event of a natural disaster, do you have an escape plan for you and your pet? Check out the complete Pet & Disaster Safety Guide.

Other key things to remember every day as a precaution, is to have your pets microchipped, and have pet ID tags on their collars with a contact phone number and any medical alerts for the dog.

  

If you don't have an ice pack handy, a bag of frozen veggies will do, as Chloe models. Whatever you can get can help your pet in case of an emergency.

 

Here are a few videos from the American Red Cross talking about important pet First Aid Kit items and also some tips on somethings we need to keep an eye out for, especially during the hotter times of the year - dehydration and heat exhaustion. Even though the temps only were in the mid-80s here recently, the humidity was high and it did a quick jump from the 50s to the 80s in one day - a very drastic temperature change that can seriously affect dogs. Recently, my big wooly boy had a touch of heat exhaustion for two days, complete with vomiting and lethargy. He is doing well now, but not until after I stayed with him for a 24-hour watch, with him on a cooler bed in the A/C and my spritzing him with water all night (and placing some bags of frozen veggies under his neck). And it's not even summer yet and he wasn't exerting himself, and we have lots of shade and cool drinking water always available. So, beware of sudden temperature spikes where our pets don't have the chance to adjust to the difference in degrees.(Also, in the video, note what type of dog they have on display - a Sibe!)

Have a happy and safe weekend!