Dog First Aid - What You Know Or Don't Know Can Make a Big Difference

There is a well-known saying that "Curiosity killed the cat." But dogs are just as bad since they are extremely inquisitive and have a habit of going places and getting into things that they shouldn't. While this doesn't always end badly, they often do end up hurting themselves in one way or another.

When my Lhasa Apso was about three or four months old she managed to find a previously unknown patch of burrs in the backyard and decided to play in them for awhile. By the time she came back inside the house the burrs had worked themselves firmly into spots on her face, her ears and her little fluffy butt.

It was evening so the Vet was closed and a trip to the animal hospital would have been very expensive. So she endured my tearful yet laughing efforts as I managed to one by one work those burrs out of her hair as she squirmed and yelped for well over two hours. They were matted so bad and close to the skin that cutting them out was not an option.

A tranquilizer of some sort would have been nice to have but I didn't have anything for her. And there was no blood or serious injury so going to the emergency hospital was an option... that time.

That is a sad yet entertaining story to tell and hopefully an experience she has forgotten about over the years. It was also a minor thing although very painful and frustrating for both of us. But it could have been a whole lot worse.

As a responsible dog owner you need to know at least the basics of dog first aid so that you can be prepared for emergencies that are more serious. You can often save on Vet costs for smaller problems like the one I had. But you may also need to be able to help ease your pet's pain or perform life-saving actions until you can get to the Vet.

Having a dog first aid kit is definitely a good thing but you also need to know what to do and how to react in an emergency. Be sure to keep phone numbers handy for both your regular Vet as well as the closest emergency animal hospital. And learn basic dog first aid yourself.

I've never needed to provide life-saving medical actions for my dog and maybe you haven't either. But would you know what to do if faced with a life-threatening situation involving your dog?

Learning dog first aid is one thing... but learning how to act and react in a life-threatening situation with your dog is a totally different matter. Visit http://Dog-First-Aid.blogspot.com to find out more about how you can be more prepared for a pet medical emergency.