Sure, you may be a master of human First Aid. But do you know what to do in a dog health emergency?

Approaching Dog Health Emergencies: Two Steps

1. In any dog health emergency, stay calm and think.

2. Approach the dog cautiously. The dog may become aggressive because of fear or pain. You can’t help the dog if you’re hurt yourself.

Dog Emergency 1: Traffic Accident:

1. If possible, do not move the dog.

2. Call the nearest Humane Society or ASPCA office.

3. If the animal workers can’t or won’t come and you must move the dog, slide a blanket under the animal. Lift the animal to safety with the help of another person.

4. Check for a heartbeat and bleeding. Try to stop the excessive loss of blood by holding a clean cloth or pad over the wound and securing it tightly with a makeshift bandage.

5. Take the dog to the nearest vet, calling ahead to prepare them for the emergency.

Dog Heathcare Emergency 2: Burns

1. Immerse the burned body part in cold running water for as long as possible.

2. If the burn is from a caustic substance, wash it off.

3. Call the vet.

Canine Health Emergency 3: Heat stroke

Warning signs: The dog is overheated and without sufficient air. The dog might be panting, vomiting, frothing at the mouth, or already collapsed.

1. Remove the froth,

2. Place or douse the dog with cold water to lower body temperature.

3. Take the dog immediately to the veterinarian for treatment. Treatment usually consists of more cold water, drugs and observation.

Emergency 4: Dog Poisoning

Warning signs: Look for muscular twitching, vomiting, bleeding, convulsion or collapse.

1. Don’t wait to see what happens. While it may be nothing, you have to take action immediately in case it is poisoning. Any delay could be fatal.

2. Call the vet. (Don’t know the vet’s number by heart? Right now, make sure you have put the vet’s number by every telephone in your house, and in your mobile phone contacts.)

3. Follow the vet’s advice. Different poisoning cases sometimes have to be treated differently.

4. If you know what the poison is, take some of it with you to the vet’s office.

5. If you cannot reach the vet, call the ASPCA’s animal poison control center: 1-888-4ANIHELP (1-888-426-4435). Put this number by your home telephones and in your mobile phone contacts right now. A $50 fee per incident applies for this nonprofit service–it’s worth it. If you don’t have a credit card, they can charge the fee to your telephone bill.

Emergency 5: Dog Choking

1. Open the dog’s mouth carefully and try to see what is causing the problem. It could be anything: a small ball, bone, stick, meat wrapping.

2. Pump the chest by pressing down on the ribs and releasing immediately at 5-second intervals.

3. If this doesn’t dislodge the object within a few moments, rush the dog to the nearest animal hospital to have the foreign object removed under anesthetic.

Dog Emergency 6: Drowning

1. Remove the dog from the water.

2. Try to get the water out of the dog’s lungs as soon as possible by pumping the chest as for choking (see above).

3. Take the dog to the vet to be checked out.

Hopefully, you will never have to handle any of these emergencies. But if you do, you have the dog health advice that you need.

About the Author: Joel Walsh suggests you start here to find more information on protecting dog health: http://i-love-dogs.com?%20dog%20health [Web publication requirement: create live link for the URL/web address using “dog health” as visible link text/anchor text.]

Source: www.isnare.com

This is the story of my dog called Shandy. He was my favourite
pet and he was very lively, lots of fun and very obedient. His
main passion in life was to be taken for a long walk,
culminating with a big run out in his favourite park.

I would try to take him on this walk everyday, weather
permitting. The park itself was about three miles away from our
house. To reach the park we had to cross a number of busy roads,
however he would never pull or misbehave. He knew where we were
heading and seemingly did not want to rock the boat and risk
been taken home before he reached his dream destination.

At the park itself I would throw a ball and he would chase it
and fetch it back to me.

At this stage I was living at home with my parents, however aged
twenty two, I decided to rent my own bungalow near the coast in
Devon. This was nearly two hundred miles away from my parents in
home in Birmingham. This obviously meant I was no longer in the
position to take Shandy on his walk.

I spoke to my parents, who reassured me that they would continue
to take him on the walks.

Two weeks after I had left, I had a phone call from my mother.
She was panicking, stating that Shandy had managed to escape
from the back garden and that she could not find him. She
insisted that she had been looking for hours but that there had
been no sign of him.

I was quite worried and thought about where he may have gone to.
“Have you been taking him on his walks to the park everyday?” I
asked.

She replied: “Most days” I asked her to try at the park, telling
her that he loves that park etc. “He would not be there, its
miles away.” She said.

I again asked her to try there. Luckily he was there quite
happily sniffing around, unaware of the panic he had caused.

Even with the best care, cats can become ill. Sometimes this
means a simple “kitty cold,” at other times the disease might
have a more lasting or even fatal result. The following are some
of the more common causes of serious illness in cats.

An upper respiratory infection (URI) is the medical term for
what many cat lovers call a “kitty cold.” Indeed, the symptoms
match those of a human cold, sneezing and discharge from the
nose. While they seem similar, the human and cat version of this
infection are different, and one species cannot be infected by
the other. However, URI is highly contagious among cats. If you
have a multi-cat household and notice URI symptoms, isolate the
cat immediately.

The best treatment for URI is time and loving care. Use a warm,
moist cloth to keep your cat’s eyes and nose free of discharge.
You might need to warm her food to enhance the smell to
encourage your cat to eat.

URI symptoms, which include a decreased appetite, can last
anywhere from a few days to several weeks. Watch your cat
carefully; not eating or drinking can lead to dehydration. Also,
if your cat becomes extremely lethargic, it may mean the URI has
turned into something more serious.

The symptoms of URI may last a few days to several weeks. Cats
with URI may also be lethargic and have a decreased appetite.
Monitor the cat carefully; a growing lack of appetite and fever
can lead to dehydration. Not eating can lead to liver problems.
Lethargy can mean a minor URI has become a more serious problem,
such as pneumonia. If you notice this occurring, or if the
discharge becomes very thick and yellowish-green, contact your
veterinarian. Severe URIs may need to be treated with
antibiotics.

Chlamydia is a type of bacteria that has many variations.
Usually, each variant is species specific; feline Chlamydia is
not transmitted to humans. In cats, the bacteria usually infects
the eye, causing conjunctivitis. Chlamydia can be treated with
antibiotics.

Symptoms of Feline Chlamydia

* Anorexia (loss of appetite; may occur as the disease
progresses) * Coughing * Difficulty breathing * Fever (may occur
as the disease progresses) * Pneumonia (in young kittens 2 to 4
weeks old, which could be fatal) * Runny nose (rhinitis) *
Sneezing * Watery eyes due to conjunctivitis (either one or both
eyes)

Panleukopenia is a condition in which a cat’s white blood cell
count drops dramatically. Since white blood cells are vital to
the cat’s defense against disease, this condition leaves cats
vulnerable to deadly infections. The virus is transmitted via
body secretions. Feces are particularly common transmitters. It
can be carried in water or on shoes.

Panleukopenia is often referred to as a number of different
terms, such as

* Panleukopenia (often shortened to “Panleuk” in verbal
discussion) * FPV (Feline Panleukopenia Virus OR Feline Parvo
Virus) * FP (Feline Panleukopenia) * Feline Distemper * Feline
Infectious Enteritis * Feline Infectious Gastroenteritis *
Feline Agranulocytosis * Cat Plague * Cat fever * Show fever *
Psuedomembranous Enteritis * Maladie du jeune chat * Feline
Typhus * Feline Tyfoid * Colibacillosis * Agranulocytosis

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) causes a variety of diseases, one
of which is leukemia, or cancer of the white blood cells.
Infected cats often appear healthy in the early stages of the
disease. The illness may take months or years to cause death.
For a long time, FeLV was the most fatal disease among cats.
Today, although vaccinations are available to protect cats from
this disease, it continues to be a leading cause of death, as
there is no treatment.

FeLV is usually transmitted through cat fighting with each
other. Because large quantities of the FeLV are shed in puncture
wounds and cat saliva associated with fighting result in the
injection of PeLV into other cats. Other less frequent routes of
viral spread include sharing food and water bowls, cats grooming
each other, and transmission from mother to kittens before birth.

There is a dangerous problem that horse owners should be very aware of. It’s when a horse stands up on his back legs. It’s called “rearing.” This problem can be quite dangerous and cause severe injuries to the rider and/or horse.

Rearing is perhaps a horse’s most effective defense against the rider. It is dangerous in that the horse can fall over backward onto its rider. Because of a horse’s enormous weight this can cripple and even kill the rider. Thus, it is good to know why, if possible, a horse rears. But even more importantly, how to stop it.

If your horse ever does rear with you on him, there isn’t much you can do. If he rears suddenly, he could lose his balance and fall or he could rear so explosively that he can throw himself back to the ground with the rider under him. If you’re on him while this is happening and you use the reins to pull on to keep from falling, you’re likely to pull the horse over.

Although it’s not one hundred percent infallible, the best way to protect yourself when a horse rears with you is to lean forward immediately and put your hands forward so you have loose reins. If you have to, you could even put your arms around his neck, let go of the reins and slide off. For my money, there aren’t any other safer ways to deal with a horse if he suddenly rears.

Why do horses rear? There are several reasons why. Here are some examples.

I’ve read where a rider was on an obedient horse while trail riding. They came upon cows and it scared the horse because the horse was not used to cows. The rider tried to get the horse to go toward the cows to get it to learn that cows are not spooky. The horse obeyed and went forward but finally became so frightened that it reared up, lost balance, and fell on its rider. The rider suffered numerous broken bones.

The rider later understood the horse felt trapped. The horse obediently went forward even though it was frightened. As it got closer, fear overpowered the horse and it had nowhere to go but up.

Some horses rear because as colts they were too young to be ridden. Another reason rearing happens is because training may confuse the horse. The horse may be asked to do too much at one time and not know what to do.

Sometimes a horse will rear if it is forced to yield to the bit. Other horses may rear if you try to get them to put out more energy than they can. On the opposite end, some horses may rear because they want to go and you don’t let them.

So how do you stop a horse from rearing?

First, let’s take a look at the anatomy of a horse while it rears. A horse cannot rear while running. A horse must stop (or be barely moving) to be able to rear. If a rider has had enough experience on a horse he can feel when the horse gets light in the front. In a way, it would be a bit like sitting in the middle of a teeter-totter where you can feel one side getting light.

So, if a horse has to stop to rear up then it makes sense to keep the horse moving so it cannot rear up. Thus, if you feel your horse getting light in the front then you move him forward and do it with meaning. Not just a patient “cluck” from your mouth. Do it like you mean it. And it’s also important he has a place to go forward - don’t have him blocked in by anything.

If your horse rears up and you weren’t ready for it then lean forward and give your horse loose reins. As soon as your horse’s feet are almost back to the ground then make your horse go forward. Let the horse know, with no doubt whatsoever, to go forward. Boot the horse “hard” into going forward. When your horse has gone forward a little ways then double him and drive him forward out of the double. Then double him the other way and drive him forward from it also. Then bring your horse to a stop.

What does it mean to “double” your horse? Essentially, you will pull his head back one way towards his hind quarters. The moment he is committed to the turn then boot him forward. This impresses upon your horses mind that you can control him.

Other so-called “schools of thought” to stop rearing are to hit a horse over the head with a two-by-four when he rears up. I’ve even read where people break beer bottles over the horse’s head. Some people use the handle end of a riding crop. Not only are these inhumane ways to stop rearing, they are rarely, if ever, effective. They don’t teach a horse anything except to fear the rider. Hitting a horse over the head when you are trying to build a trust relationship will destroy all you’ve worked for.

As is almost always the case, the best way to get a horse to do what you want is to use psychology of the horse. Get him to move and you can accomplish miracles.

About the Author

Andy Curry is a nationally known horse trainer and author
of several best selling horse training and horse care books.
For information visit his website at www.horsetrainingandtips.com.
He is also the leading expert on Jesse Beery’s horse training
methods which can be seen at www.horsetrainingandtips.com/Jesse_Beerya.