Are you Prepared if an emergency happens to your pet?

1. First Aid for French Bulldogsby Dr. Monica Hazelwood D.V.M. Tender Touch Animal Hospital

2. Are you • Prepared • if an emergency happens to your pet?

3. Major Topics • Safety • Allergic Reaction • Painful Abdomen • Bite Wounds/Lacerations • Bleeding • Eye Problems • Foot Pad Problems • Choking • Fractures • Trauma

4. First Aid Kit • Board or blanket to use as a stretcher   • Gauze and bandage material for wrapping wounds   • Rope or soft cloth to use as a muzzle (do not use if vomiting)   • Adhesive tape   • Nonstick bandages (Telfa pads) • Ace bandage • Saline eye flush • Saline wound wash  • 3% Hydrogen peroxide   • Thermometer  • Towels or cloth to control bleeding   • List of Emergency Phone Numbers

5. Safety • Be aware of your surroundings when helping animals • Understand that the animal is in pain and my react defensively and bite. • Don’t get in the middle of dog fights. • Better to muzzle the animal (both conscious and unconscious) or have someone restrain the head before attempting to apply first aid.

6. Safety (cont.) • Safety in surroundings • Muzzles

7. Abdominal Pain • Causes • Intestinal or Stomach Foreign Body • Stomach Bloat/Volvulus –GDV • Blocked Bladder • Symptoms • Whining, listless/restless, lethargic, arcing back, unable to get comfortable, vomiting/ diarrhea, bloated or distended abdomen. • Treatment • Do NOT give your pet food or water—this may induce vomiting and make the condition worse. Abdominal pain can be very serious and is often life threatening if not addressed. Limit your pets activity and seek immediate Veterinary care.

8. Abdominal Pain(Cont)Gastric Dilation –”Bloat”

9. Allergic Reaction • Causes • Insect Bites • Vaccinations • Medications • Pollens (Environment) • Symptoms • swollen face, hives, itching, vomiting, diarrhea, and problems breathing • Treatment • For mild reactions, you can give Benadryl in doses of 1 milligram per pound. However, in most cases you should seek immediate Veterinary care.

10. Disc Disease • Causes • Herniated disc in the spinal cord. More • predisposed in the long low chondrodystrophic • breeds. Can be made worse with jumping on • or off tall furniture. • Symptoms • Painful walking, sitting, standing, etc; mild to severe back or neck pain; weakness; loss of sensation (esp in hind limbs); possible paralysis; in advanced cases-fecal or bladder incontinence. • Treatment • Pain medications • Anti-inflammatory (ie rimadyl or deramax) • Steroids • Rest • Serious cases may require surgery

12. Bite Wounds/Lacerations Symptoms Usually see small or large puncture wounds on body. Sometimes small wounds can actually be quite deep. Treatment Use caution in approaching injured stressed animals—even nice animals can become aggressive or defensive esp. after a bite injury. Muzzle or have someone restrain the head. Examine the entire animal for bleeding, lacerations or pain. If you cannot reach a veterinarian quickly, flush each wound with saline (or clean water). Wrap large wounds as best you can, small wounds can be left uncovered. Do NOT use tourniquets to stop bleeding—use firm pressure if needed.

13. Bite Wounds/Lacerations • Treatment Cont. • Seek veterinary care immediately—bite wounds often need to be clipped, flushed extensively, or sutured to help prevent infection. Wounds that are managed within 6 hours of the injury require less intensive care.

14. Bleeding • Causes • Trauma • Dog Fights/Abscesses • Blood Disorders • Symptoms • Blood, bruising, pale gum color • Treatment • Stay calm and apply constant firm pressure with your hand or towel to the trauma site for several minutes. • Another option is to use a bandage • NEVER apply a tourniquet • Seek immediate Veterinary Care Normal pink gum color Pale gum color

15. Cardiac Emergencies • Causes • Heart Disease • Symptoms • Collapse, weakness, problems breathing, bluish or gray gums • Treatment • Call and seek immediate Veterinary care. Such emergencies should not be taken lightly as they are often life threatening. Limit your pet’s activity, carry them if possible. If your pet stops breathing or loses consciousness, start CPR.

16. Choking • Causes • Obstructed Airway • Symptoms • Panic, gums turning blue, distressed breathing • Treatment • Heimlich maneuver • Perform a Finger Sweep

18. Heimlich manuever • If your pet is small and you cannot easily remove the object, lift and suspend him with the head pointed down. For larger animals, lift the rear legs so the head is tilted down. This can help dislodge an item stuck in the throat.Another method is to administer a sharp blow with the palm of your hand between the shoulder blades. This can sometimes dislodge an object. If this does not work, a modified Heimlich maneuver can be attempted. • Grasp the animal around the waist so that the rear is nearest to you, similar to a bear hug. • Place a fist just behind the ribs. • Compress the abdomen several times (usually 3-5 times) with quick pushes. • Check the mouth to see if the foreign object has been removed. • This maneuver can be repeated one to two times but if not successful on the first attempt, make arrangements to immediately take your pet to the nearest veterinary hospital.Even if you are successful in removing a foreign object, veterinary examination is recommended. Internal injury could have occurred that you may not realize.

19. Cold Emergencies Symptoms Shivering (excessive, relentless), lethargy, weakness, inability to use limbs. Treatment Wrap your pet in warm (woolen) and dry blankets or clothing. DO NOT rub your pet with the blankets, this can damage cold tissue and make frostbite worse. Raise body temp over the course of 20 minutes. Hot water bottles (wrapped in towels to avoid direct contact with skin) can be used under blankets to increase pet’s temp. Normal temp for dogs is 100 to 102.5. Do NOT use electric heat in any form!! Seek immediate Veterinary care.

20. Eye Problems • Causes • Allergies • Infections • Corneal Ulcers • Eye Trauma • Penetrating foreign body • Blood or Infection inside the eye • Symptoms • squinting, swollen eyes, redness, irritation, yellow or greenish discharge • Treatment • Rinse eye with Saline solution and/or cool water and seek immediate Veterinary care

21. Foot Pad Problems • Causes • Trauma • Burns/Blisters • Torn Toenails • Foreign Bodies (cactus, stickers, pins) • Symptoms • Limping • Licking paws • Red, sore paws (check underside of paws between toes) • Treatment • Visually exam paw to remove foreign body, if present. If bleeding, apply pressure or bandage. • In all cases, seek Veterinary care and prevent licking wound.

22. Fractures • Causes • Trauma • Symptoms • Limping and possibly exposed bone • Treatment • Try to keep the animal as still as possible. • If exposed bone, wash with sterile saline and seek immediate Veterinary care. If animal is too upset, don’t try splinting or cleaning • If unable to seek immediate Veterinary care, place bandage (preferably sterile dressing) and stabilize fracture above and below with splint. • Be careful, fractures are very painful and you may need to muzzle the animal before trying to treat.

23. Heatstoke • Causes • Overheated from exercise • Locked in car • Predispostions • Brachycephalic breed, age, heart or lung disease, increase humidity • Symptoms • Panting (excessive), lethargic, bright red gums, unable to stand, vomiting diarrhea, Body temp of over 104 • Treatment • Move your pet to a cool area as soon as possible. Seek shade of the indoors. Encourage your pet to drink cool water. Place wet towels over the pet’s torso. Do NOT immerse in water. Do not cool too rapidly. Should take 30 minutes to cool down. Seek veterinary care Immediately!!

24. Poisonings • Causes • Anti-freeze • Household Chemical • Rodenticides (De-con) • Drugs/Medications • Symptoms • Disorientation, vomiting, seizures, weakness, retching, salivating excessively • Treatment • Call your veterinarian or poison control IMMEDIATELY. If the source of the poisoning is known, have the container when you call or see your vet. You will need the information on the package to determine the appropriate treatment. If the source is unknown seek vet care immediately. Anti-toxin treatment should be started as soon as possible to minimize absorption of the poison.

25. Trauma • Causes • Hit by Car • Dog Fights • Stepped on/doors • Symptoms • Bleeding, lacerations, problems breathing, shock, fractures • Treatment • Keep animal calm and seek immediate Veterinary care. • Be cautious, the animal is in pain and could bite.

26. Vomiting • Causes • Dietary indiscretion • Eating Foreign objects • Metabolic disease (Kidney problems, liver, etc) • Bacterial or viral • Treatment • Look for signs of foreign material or strange food in the vomit. When you call the vet, let them know of any recent history of your pet eating foreign objects or new foods (trash). Rest the stomach for 6-8 hours by offering no food and water. Then try small amounts of water nd bland diet every two hours. If there is no further vomiting you can return pet to a normal diet. But if the vomiting persists, or if you pet shows other signs of illness, then seek immediate Veterinary care.

28. Thank You • Questions?

29. Tender Touch Animal Hospital 350 Kalamath Street Denver, Colorado 80223 (303)733-2728 www.tendertouchvet.com