Pet First Aid for Dogs and Cats

Choking

If your dog or cat has something stuck in their throat, they’ll show one or some combination of these signs of choking:

• Coughing or hacking
• Wheezing, gagging or retching when trying to breathe
• Lips or tongue have turned blue
• Pawing at their mouth or rubbing their face on the ground
• Excessive salivation

What to Do: Look into your pet’s mouth. If you see something, use your fingers or blunt tweezers to gently remove the object. Do not push the item further down their throat and only put your fingers in their mouth if it’s safe to do so.

If you don’t see anything but suspect they’re choking on something, you may need to perform the Heimlich Maneuver:

• With their back against your stomach, stand your pet up on their hind legs (if your dog is too large to be stood up, lay them on their side instead)
• Instead of standing cats on their legs, their feet can be dangling
• Wrap your arms around their abdomen (just below the ribs) and ball your hands into a fist
• Push up into the abdomen towards their ribs a couple times
• If they don’t spit the object out of their mouth, see if you can find it by sweeping your fingers around their mouth
• Keep performing the maneuver until the object has been removed

Even if you remove the item that is causing the choking, we still recommend seeing your veterinarian to make sure no further damage has been done.

Shock

Shock is a whole-body reaction that can be caused by an injury, severe trauma, hemorrhage or sudden blood loss, heart failure or even fright.

Signs of shock include:

• Elevated heart rate/rapid pulse
• Your pet becomes pale, cold and clammy
• Shallow, rapid breathing
• Grey-blue or blue tinge to their mucous membranes (i.e., gums, lips, under the eyelids)
• Vomiting or shivering

What to Do: Call and go to your veterinarian or a pet emergency hospital immediately. Lay your pet on their right hand side, making sure their head is level with the rest of their body. Cover them with a blanket to keep them warm.

Seizures

Also known as convulsions or fits, seizures can be caused by epilepsy or some other neurological disorder.

The symptoms include:

• Shaking, jerking or twitching
• Difficulty walking or standing
• Foaming at the mouth
• Looks dazed or confused, even losing consciousness or control of bodily functions
• Repetitive, odd behavior

What to Do: Call your veterinarian, even if it’s a single episode. Darken the room and eliminate any bright or flickering lights. Make the room quiet and calm. Once the seizure stops, keep your pet quiet and calm as well. Try to time their seizures. If they have an episode that lasts more than 3 minutes, have more than two episodes in 24 hours or have multiple episodes in a row, get them to a veterinarian or pet emergency hospital immediately. Don’t try to restrain your pet; however, keep them from falling or knocking into objects.

Poisoning

After your dog or cat has been poisoned, you may see the symptoms immediately, after a few hours or even several days later.

Regardless of when they show up, act right away once you spot any signs of poisoning:

• Coughing, choking or difficulty breathing
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Excessive drooling or foaming at the mouth
• Pale gums
• Dilated pupils
• Seizures
• Difficulty standing or walking, they may even collapse

What to Do: Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) immediately. If you think you know what poisoned your pet, tell them what it is and how much they might have ingested. If possible, bring the product with you when you go to the veterinarian or pet emergency hospital.

External Bleeding

Whether it’s for a small nick or deep wound, make sure your pet first aid kit includes sterile gauze, a pet-safe antiseptic (don’t use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide) and pet-safe antibacterial treatment. In addition, use pet bandages instead of “people” bandages because the latter will stick to fur and wounds.

What to do for minor scrapes and cuts:
• Clean the wound with water or a saline wound solution and remove all visible debris
• Dry with a clean towel or paper towels
• Apply the antiseptic then the antibacterial ointment or spray
• Cover the wound with sterile gauze and loosely wrap the bandage around your pet
• Clean the wound with the antiseptic 2 or 3 times a day and continue applying the ointment until the wound heals

What to do If the bleeding is serious:
• Clean the wound with water or a saline wound solution and remove all visible debris
• Press sterile gauze or a clean cloth over the wound
• Put direct pressure on the wound and elevate the injured part of their body (if possible)
• After a few minutes, if the blood hasn’t clotted and the compress becomes soaked with blood, put a clean compress on top of the old one and continue to apply pressure
• DO NOT remove the original compress because this can make the bleeding worse
• If you run out of gauze or don’t have another clean cloth, use your finger or bare hand but make sure they’re clean
• If possible, wrap some clean gauze or a clean cloth around the wound and secure it with a pet bandage snugly but not tightly (you don’t want to cut off circulation): however, wrap the wound very tightly if your pet is losing blood rapidly
• Take your pet to the veterinarian or a nearby pet emergency hospital right away (call ahead if you can)

Internal Bleeding

Since it’s happening inside your pets, internal bleeding is harder to detect.

The best you can do is recognize the symptoms of internal bleeding that include:

• Pale gums
• Severe weakness
• Swollen abdomen
• Bleeding from the nose, mouth or rectum
• Collapsing

What to do: Call your veterinarian or nearest pet emergency hospital right away.

Heatstroke

When it gets hot and your pet is unable to lower their body temperature, they may get heatstroke.

The symptoms to look for include:

• Excessive panting or drooling
• Difficulty breathing
• Increased heart and respiratory rate
• Mild weakness or collapsing
• Seizures
• Bloody diarrhea or vomiting

What to Do: If you see any sign of heatstroke, cool your pet down immediately, e.g., get them in front of a fan or by some air conditioning, pour cool or lukewarm water on them (don’t use ice-cold water because that can cause body temperatures to rise). As they’re cooling down, call your veterinarian or a pet emergency hospital as soon as possible.

Put Together a Pet First Aid Kit

A medical emergency can happen during a trip, evacuation or anytime you and your pets are at home. With some help from Pet Supplies Plus, you can make a pet first aid kit that’ll help keep your dog or cat safe until you’re able to see a veterinary professional.

Your kit should include:

• Cotton balls
• Sterile gauze pads/roll
• Pet bandage
• 3% hydrogen peroxide (only use to induce vomiting in dogs if the veterinarian says to, never give hydrogen peroxide to cats to make them vomit)
• Syringes (to flush wounds or administer an oral treatment)
• Styptic powder (can help stop bleeding but not recommended for deep wounds)
• Pet-safe antiseptic
• Pet-safe antibiotic spray/ointment
• Hot spot & itch relief spray
• Tweezers (to remove debris from a wound or an object stuck in your pet’s throat)
• Blunt-end scissors (to cut gauze pads or pet bandages to size)
• Small magnifying glass (to inspect cuts, wounds & splinters)
• Muzzle (just in case they try to bite you as you’re doing first aid)

We also recommend learning pet CPR or getting pet first aid training. Besides your veterinarian, ask a local animal hospital, shelter or American Red Cross chapter if they offer classes or where you can find one.

Conclusion

Since your dog or cat can’t speak for themselves when they’re hurt or ill, recognizing the signs of a medical emergency and knowing pet first aid are very important. You’ll also want a pet first aid kit which Pet Supplies Plus can help you put together. You need to do all this because as a pet owner, you have a responsibility to take care of your dog or cat in sickness and in health.