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First Aid Tips
Burns
Symptoms: Pain, blistering, charring, discolor, odor of burning fur.
Treatment: Apply a cold compress to the burned area for at least five minutes. Do not use ointments. Then take the pet to a veterinarian.
Choking
Symptoms: Gagging, vomiting, pawing at mouth, crying in pain, excessive salivation, unconsciousness.
Treatment: Open the pet's mouth and pull his tongue forward. If an
object is seen, and it is not string or a needle, use tweezers or your fingers to remove it. Calm the pet, and then take him to a veterinarian.
Ear Mites
Symptoms: Shaking or rubbing head on ground, carrying head to one side, scratching ears, dark red wax in ears. (Cats are more likely to get ear mites than dogs.)
Treatment: Call a veterinarian. Pets' ears are fragile, and therefore should be treated only with directions from a professional.
Fleas
Symptoms: Small red dots on skin, biting, scratching.
Treatment: Use only approved flea preparations. Vacuum your home
thoroughly, and then discard the vacuum bag. Use insecticides and regularly wash and dry the pet's bedding on the hottest settings. Consult a veterinarian.
Fracture
Symptoms: Sudden lameness, limbs in an abnormal position, acute pain, swelling.
Treatment: Take the pet to a veterinarian. Keep him calm, wrap him in a towel, and place a splint on the limb if you can.
Heat Stroke
Symptoms: Gasping, panting, very warm skin, dry tongue, blue-gray tongue, blue-gray gums, drooling, unconsciousness.
Treatment: If the condition is severe, take the pet to a veterinarian at once. If the condition is not severe, soak the pet in cool water or place a towel soaked in cold water on him.
Overexposure to Cold
Symptoms: Very cold skin, ruffled fur, shivers, weakness, bloody stool, unconsciousness, gums and tongue pale pink-gray in color.
Treatment: If the condition is severe, immediately take the pet to a veterinarian, making sure to keep him warm on the way. If the condition is not severe, wrap the pet in a towel and apply a hot water bottle to him. Also try using a blow dryer on him. If the pet is conscious, offer him some warm broth.
Insect Sting
Symptoms: Stinger marks, weakness, pain, swelling, hives, refusal to walk on leg, heavy panting, breathing problems, vomiting.
Treatment: If the pet is weak, vomiting, or having trouble breathing, rush him to a veterinarian. If the stinger is visible, remove it by scraping it with a dull knife. Do not use tweezers. Then apply an ice pack.
Motion Sickness
Symptoms: Restlessness, panting, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling or swallowing.
Treatment: Stop the car and provide the pet some fresh air.
(Veterinarians can offer medication to administer before traveling.)
Object in Eye
Symptoms: Pain, swelling, redness, squinting, pawing at eye.
Treatment: Try to open the pet's eye. If the object is visible and
easily movable, try flushing it out with warm water. Then take the pet to a
veterinarian.
Poisoning
Symptoms: Heavy salivating, vomiting, weakness, twitching, collapse, strange breath, bluish gums and tongue.
Treatment: Immediately call a veterinarian or poison control center. Then take the pet and a sample of the poison to a veterinarian. Be sure to keep the pet warm.
Shock
Symptoms: Rapid or feeble heartbeat, shallow, rapid breathing, pale pink or white gums and mouth, low body temperature, confusion, unconsciousness.
Treatment: Take the pet to a veterinarian. Loosen his collar, clear
his mouth of all liquids, calm him, wrap him so that he is warm, and keep his
head lower than his body.
Skunk Spray
Symptoms: Offensive smell of skunk.
Treatment: Flush the pet's eyes with lukewarm water and then apply
warm olive oil or over-the-counter artificial tears. Neutralize the smell by
rubbing the pet's body thoroughly with tomato juice. Wear rubber gloves while
doing so.
Snake Bite
Symptoms: Acute pain, swelling, refusal to walk on pained limb, heavy panting, fang marks with blood trickling from them, breathing problems, collapse.
Treatment: Keep the pet calm, wrap him in a towel or blanket, and take him to a veterinarian.
Ticks and Lyme Disease
Symptoms: Cats usually show no signs of ticks, but many kinds of ticks are visible on dogs, especially between their toes and behind their ears and front legs. Deer ticks, which transmit Lyme disease, often go undetected.
Treatment: Soak ticks in alcohol or small amounts of tick spray. Wait thirty minutes, and then carefully grasp the ticks with tweezers. Be sure to pull them straight out. After removal, apply antiseptic to the bites, burn or flush the ticks, and thoroughly wash your hands.
Minor Wound
Symptoms: Small cut or puncture, with or without bleeding.
Treatment: Clean wound with hydrogen peroxide. If there is bleeding, use compression. If the bleeding continues, contact a veterinarian. (Deep wounds may require antibiotics.)
Serious Wound
Symptoms: Excessive bleeding, wound deeper or wider than a small puncture.
Treatment: If there is extensive bleeding, flap skin over or apply
direct pressure to the wound with clean material. Then take the pet to a
veterinarian.
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