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If your dog becomes injured or harmed in some way are you prepared to save your dogs life with first aid? Unfortunately a great many canine owners have absolutely no idea how to administer dog first aid if necessary. It is the intent of this article to provide useful tips which may well mean the difference between, life or death, for your beloved animal.

Perhaps one of the most common injuries which can be harmful to your pet is something as simple as an insect bite. Some of the insects which can cause pain and suffering to your pooch are the ants, hornets, spiders, wasp and other stinging insects. If your animal is going to have a possible reaction it will normally surface within the 1st half hour or so. It is fairly easy to recognize the signs of the dog’s reaction.

Your pet may suddenly start scratching excessively, nibbling or biting at the injured area and whining with pain. In some cases if it is sever enough anaphylactic shock and other forms of shock may occur. It is best if you give the dog first aid as soon as possible.

Find the location of the sting and try to locate the stinger. Many of these insects stingers will break off in your dog and can cause further damage if not removed properly. It is strongly recommended, by Veterinarians, not to use tweezers when removing the stinger. It is best to use the edge of a credit card or a similar object and scrape the stinger out, in lieu of trying to pull it out.

To ease the pain and itching of the bite you can apply things like calamine lotion or other similar salves and lotions. A really fast acting treatment is the blending of water and baking soda, which will form a paste and apply directly to the wound. Another alternative is to apply ice wrapped in a rag or an ice pack to the wound to keep the swelling and pain down. However, as soon as practical after administering the first aid, be sure to call your Vet.

As stated above it is possible for your dog to go into shock if it has received multiple bites and stings. The symptoms for this could be wheezing, high temperature, staggering, losing conciseness, difficulty breathing, very fast and shallow breathing and other symptoms. If your pet appears to be in shock, make every effort to keep it warm and hold its head up, as this may well ease the breathing situation. After administering the first aid it’s critical for you to get the animal to your Veterinarian or an Emergency Veterinarian Service. Without the proper treatment for shock your best friend may die.

These are just a few tips on how you can help your dog if it should get in trouble. Knowing the right thing to do and when to do it may save the life of “man’s best friend”. A very quick search on the internet, using the keyword “dog first aid” with the quotes, will give you tons of other information. In addition your local Vet will have a brochure on pet first aid.

Jerry J. Jansen

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