In an emergency – pet first aid advice
November 30, 2023
Nurture’s compassionate team are here for you and your pets, whatever the query, at any point during the day or night. Whilst every pet owner hopes that our pets will never be taken seriously ill, or involved in an accident, it’s worth being prepared in case the worst should happen.
What to do in an emergency
Any suspected illness or injury should always be assessed by your vet, and Nurture never recommends trying to treat problems yourself without any veterinary intervention. However, in an emergency every second counts. Here are Nurture’s best tips for pet owners dealing with a vet emergency:
- Stay calm and stay safe. If there’s something putting your pet in danger, make sure it’s not going to put you in danger too.
- Contact Nurture straight away. You’ll be able to speak to someone 24 hours a day, and it’s important that we know what’s happened early on to ensure we can provide the best care.
- Be aware that frightened or injured pets may behave differently to normal. Watch out that you don’t get bitten or scratched by your pet.
- Never try to give medicines to your pet without speaking to your vet first. Many human medicines can be harmful or even toxic if given to our pets and pet medicines should only be given as prescribed at the time.
- Avoid giving food or drink to your pets in case they need to be anaesthetised when they get to the clinic.
In case of injury to your pets, it’s worth keeping a first aid kit in the house and ideally one in the car. A pet first aid kit will contain items similar to a human first aid kit, and should consist of:
- A roll of bandages
- Open-weave bandages
- Non-adhesive absorbent dressings
- Surgical sticky tape
- Cotton wool
- Sterile absorbent gauze
- Pair of scissors
- Sterile gloves
- Saline solution
- A large towel
- A cone
The contents of your first aid kit are mainly to help you deal with wounds, cuts and grazes. Aim to stem serious bleeding with dressing and bandages before coming to the clinic. Although bandaging a pet might seem straightforward, it’s always important to get veterinary advice after applying an emergency bandage as those which are too tight, wrongly positioned, or left on for too long can cause unintended problems.
You are the best judge of character for your pet as you know them best. If you notice any changes in behaviour, lethargy, bloating, vomiting or seizing, don’t forget that Nurture is here, any time of day, to help your pet to heal.
