Your Dog Is Vulnerable, Just Like You
What do you do when your dog is injured? It is critical to identify the cause of your dog’s injury. By knowing its cause, you’ll learn more about what to do, what to expect, and how to prevent further damage.
Accidents and Obvious Injuries
If your dog is injured due to a car accident, there are some general things to watch for. You can check for broken bones, bleeding, and possible internal trauma. Aside from that, what else do you do? Below are some tips to follow to ensure you are giving your pooch the best care you can when it has been hit.
Prevent Further Injury
The last thing you want to do is add more injury to your dog. You should quickly survey the area and see if there are potential dangers around. Move your dog to a safe place, then as carefully as possible assess if they have other injuries. From there, you will need to transport your pet to the vet as carefully and as quickly as possible.
If your dog was electrocuted – turn off the main electrical source, and take your pooch to the vet as soon as possible. Don’t move your dog quickly or forcefully. This may worsen your dog’s injury.
Examine Your Dog
Many dogs who are injured can become anxious, afraid, and stressed out. It is crucial to approach your dog properly. If not, they may panic, escape, bite and scratch you.
Check your dog’s entire body. Look for cuts, abrasions, deformities, bleeding, and other signs of injuries. Your dog may be limping, licking the injured part of his body, whining, or unable to get up.
Take note as much as possible of all manifestations of your dog’s injury and the circumstances that lead to the injury.
Call Your Vet
Your vet is your go-to guy when it comes to dealing with your dog’s injuries. You need to report to your vet what might have happened to your dog. Provide as much information as possible. For emergency purposes, always have your vet’s contact details ready and easy to retrieve.
Remember These Tips
Since there can be different types of injury and severity, it is a must that you remember these tips:
- Always be careful when handling an injured dog. They may be in pain and fear, which can make animals dangerous and unpredictable.
- If your dog is bleeding, stop it first. Loss of blood can easily lead to death. Apply pressure with the use of a bandage or by wrapping a handkerchief around the wound.
- Follow your vet’s directive. If you have any questions or something isn’t clear to you, don’t hesitate to ask.
- Remember that the first aid you provided to your dog isn’t enough, but should be followed by immediate medical care. First aid is only a temporary intervention.
Final Words
We all don’t want our furry friends to get injured. However, accidents may happen and when they do, it is always nice to have basic knowledge of how to take care of them. So, do your research, get familiar with veterinary care, and medical interventions. You never know when you’ll need them.
