Re: What to do if Your Pet is Hit By a Car and What to Put in a Pet First Aid Kit

On Apr 3, 2:34 am, saunderssol1...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
As a pet owner, one of my worst fears is having my dog or cat hit by a
car. In the Vet world, we call this HBC.

SIGNS

You may see it, and then its obvious. Often though cats and dogs are
HBC's and the only external signs are a few scrapes. They may be
limping, or have difficulty breathing.

SOLUTIONS:

CALL YOUR VET ASAP.

ASSESS BREATHING.

I often see lung injuries from car accidents. Does your pet appear to
be breathing normally, or is she labored, breathing with her mouth
open. A common injury is pneumothorax, in which a part of the lung
collapses, causing progressive respiratory distress. (Mouth breathing,
large, deep chest or stomach movements in an attempt to get air into
the lungs). In this case you need IMMEDIATE veterinary care.

CHECK HEARTBEAT.

The easiest way is to place your ear against the chest behind the left
elbow. You can also feel for a pulse by placing your fingers in the
groin (inside the thigh of the back legs).

CPR

If your pet is non-responsive, then go through the CPR steps.

1. Assess responsiveness 2. Establish a patent airway 3. Perform
rescue breathing 4. Cardiac massage - establishing circulation

You will have to exert a lot of force with large dogs, but don't worry
about breaking ribs for they will heal.

After every minute, stop and check for a pulse or breathing.

Continue heart massage compressions and the rescue breathing until you
hear a heart beat and feel regular breathing. ONCE your pet is
breathing and his heart is beating, CALL your veterinarian
immediately!

GUM COLOR.

This is a great measure of blood pressure, to determine if shock is
present, and to evaluate for internal bleeding. The gums should be a
healthy pink color. If they are pale, then your pet needs to be
treated for shock and transported to a vet ASAP.

STOP BLEEDING.

If there are obvious areas of bleeding, then stop them NOW. Apply
direct pressure with a clean cloth or gauze. Hold this in place for at
least 5 minutes.

COVER WOUNDS.

Covering open wounds will keep them clean and help prevent infection.
Bandage material is preferable, but a towel will work fine until you
get to the vet.

SUPPORT A FRACTURE.

If your pet is not using a leg, suspect a fracture. If the leg is
dangling, and bent at an unusual angle, then you should attempt to
immobilize it until you get veterinary care. Place a towel around the
leg. Wrap the inside of the leg with material to partially splint the
limb: newspaper, magazine or even bubble wrap. Cover this with tape to
keep the newspaper next to the towel.

MOVE WITH CARE.

Carefully transport your pet. A firm surface works best. If possible,
put your pet on a wooden board. This is best done by first gently
sliding him onto a ***, then sliding the *** onto the board. If
you don't have any of this available, don't worry, the most important
thing is rapid transport to your vet. Lift your pet by cradling him
(left arm around his chest and right arm around his rear).

This discussion about car accidents leads me to the final part of the
day 7 e-course. Every pet owner should have a Pet First Aid Kit.

Here are some basic items that all first aid kits should contain.

1. Rectal Thermometer - the newer electronic kind works best. The
electronic ones beep when they are finished registering a temperature.
They are slightly smaller than the glass kind. They do not break as
easily. They can be covered with thin sleeves to halt the spread of
germs. They can also be used as oral thermometers. They do have a
battery which will need replacing and they are more expensive then the
glass ones. [normal canine temperature - 100.5 to 102.5F]

2. Lubricating jelly to lubricate thermometer

3. Gel packs that can be sued for hot and cold compresses

4. Adhesive tape to secure bandages - both non-stick tape and water
proof tape

5. Blunt tipped scissors (a must for animal first aid - used for
cutting hair away from wounds)

6. Bandage scissors

7. Splints

8. Alcohol swabs to sterilize instruments or small areas of skin

9. Antibiotic ointment for wounds (not for eyes) (ie. Polysporin, for
non puncture type wounds)

10. Contact lens solution for rinsing eyes, to clean wounds (water can
be substituted)

11. Cotton swabs (ie. Q-tips)

12. Hibitane - a mild antibacterial soap for cleaning skin, wounds

13. Sterile cotton or cotton balls

14. Sterile Gauze Pads (the larger 4" size is better since it can
easily be cut smaller if necessary)

15. Rolls of gauze or cling gauze bandage(1-2")

16. Hydrogen Peroxide - 10 ml every 15 minutes to induce vomiting in
animals that have ingested a non-caustic poison

17. Razor Blade can also be used to shave away hair and abrade the
skin following a tick bite.

18. Stockingette to protect bandage on leg or foot

19. Rubber bulb ear syringe - used for flushing eyes, ears, wounds

20. Forceps and/or tweezers

21. Self-adhesive bandage (ie. Vetrap)

22. Numbers for the Animal Poison Hotline & Poison Control for Pets
(800/548-2423 or 900/680-0000 both numbers charge a fee). The National
Poison Control Hotlines for humans should also be included.

I work for a vet. I am an assistant.
I found that information on the net and the vet I work for confirmed
that it was accurate.
.