Dog Emergencies – What to Do
Caring for your dog doesn’t only involve feeding, grooming, exercise, and ensuring that your dog has suitable space for living and running around.
Dog care also extends to health care, and perhaps even more importantly, keeping your dog safe from mishaps, and educating yourself so you’ll know exactly what to do for your dog’s care if an unexpected event, or even an emergency, happens.
Holistic dog care is a passion of mine, but there are things that cannot be prepared for in advance. You can keep your dog in great health, but even then, accidents and other mishaps can and do occasionally occur, and you need to know how to care for your dog in such circumstances.
Have you ever thought about what you need to do should your dog or another dog ever suffer a serious, life-threatening injury? What if they have a severe allergy to an insect bite or a bee sting? It’s great to know your vet’s phone number, but what if something happens during off hours? What if you don’t know where the closest emergency animal clinic is located?Any emergency is stressful and scary, and a dog emergency is no exception. The toughest of owners can be instantly reduced to helpless balls of mush if something is wrong with their dog and they are unable to figure out what to do.
1. Preparation is key.
The key to getting through a veterinary emergency is preparation. You may think you have that covered with a first aid kit and having the phone number to your vet handy, but what if there isn’t enough time to move your dog? You need to be well-versed in some of the more common animal emergencies just in case a situation ever arises. And hey, if a situation never arises, you’ll still feel more confident knowing that you have the ability to deal with one. 
2. Know how to care for dog wounds.
Did you know that you shouldn’t use hydrogen peroxide on a bleeding wound? Nope. It slows clotting to the area, which means your dog could actually lose more blood than he would if you didn’t use the peroxide at all. In fact, the best way to treat a deep, severely bleeding wound is to apply a clean cloth and hold it in place for five minutes, then tape the cloth to the wound. That original cloth should never be removed that also slows clotting and should instead be layered with more clean cloths if blood soaks through.
3. Know what to do about dog poisoning.
Did you know that certain varieties of toads, salamanders, newts, and other amphibians are poisonous if licked? Hey, guess who loves to hold little woodland critters in his mouth! Your dog. If you notice your pup drooling, whining, and wiping at his mouth after a trip into the forest, get him to a clean water source and rinse his mouth thoroughly. While the poison can be fatal if left in the mouth, it is fairly easy to cleanse from the tongue and glands.
Now imagine all of the dog emergencies that can happen to your dog, from fractured limbs to choking. Do you really want to risk not knowing how to handle them? Well you don’t have to, since Paul Kleinmeulman wrote “Secrets to a Healthy and Happy Pooch” to help you learn how to cope with nearly any dog emergency as well as have the basis for handling all of the everyday and lifelong problems and situations you’ll face with your dog. From choosing toys, to cancer, and everything in between, it’s all in the book as well as how to create the most effective dog first aid kit and handle the most common emergencies. Listen, even the most experienced dog owner needs a little help and advice now and then. “Secrets to a Healthy and Happy Pooch” can be that constant source of help and advice. If you a looking for a an informative book dealing with everything to do with dog health in a lighthearted, but informative way, than you can’t go past “Secrets to a Happy and Healthy Pooch.”
Let me know what you think!
