MEDICATIONS

Liquid medicine is the easiest to give to unwilling pets. Often a needleless syringe will accompany the liquid. Draw up the designated amount, then insert the tip into the corner of your pet’s mouth and slowly squirt the medicine into his cheek. Keep his head tipped up so that gravity prompts the medicine to flow in the right direction. Stroke his throat until you see him swallow. You may need to give just a few drops at a time to be sure that he gets it all. If you do not have a needleless syringe, you can use an eyedropper.

PILLING

Dogs often take pills willingly when they’re hidden in a tasty treat, but, some dogs and most cats will swallow the treat and spit out the pill. You must make sure your pet actually swallows for it to do any good.

HOW SHOULD I DO THIS?

FOR A DOG

To give a dog a pill, circle the top of his snout with your hand, pressing both sides of his jaw along the gum line just behind the large pointed canine teeth. This action will prompt your dog to open wide. When he does, push the pill over the hill of his tongue with your other hand, then close his mouth; gently stroke his throat until he swallows. Follow the pill with a treat to chase it down so that he’s distracted and forgets to spit it out.

FOR A CAT

The same technique works with many cats, but if it doesn’t, grasp the loose fur at the scruff of your cats neck and pull his head back until his nose points to the ceiling. His mouth will automatically drop open. Just pull down the jaw with one finger and drop the pill into his mouth at the back of the tongue. (It helps to put some butter or margarine on the pill to help it slide down.) Aim for the `V` shape in the centre of the cats tongue. Close his mouth and watch for him to swallow. Cats usually lick their noses after swallowing a pill. You can also crush the pill with the bowl of a spoon, mix it into a piece of strong smelling cat food, and feed it to your cat.

MEDICATING YOUR PETS EARS

Pets ear canals are long and curved, so it takes a special technique to get medicine where it needs to go. Usually, ear medication is a liquid or ointment. To apply it, tip your pets head so the opening of the effected ear points upwards. Put several drops of the medicine in the ear canal, then firmly grasp your pets ear flap so that he doesn’t immediately shake his head and put the medicine all over you. Use your other hand to massage the base of the ear. You should hear a `squishing` sound as the medicine spreads through the inner canal.

MEDICATING YOUR PETS EYES

Eye medication is usually a liquid or ointment, and you apply both the same way. Tip your pets head so he is looking at the ceiling. Gently pull down the lower eyelid on the effected eye and drip or squirt several drops of the medicine into the cupped tissue. Then, release the eyelid and let your pet blink several times. This will naturally spread the medicine over the eye surface wherever it’s needed.

FOREIGN OBJECTS IN THE MOUTH

Dogs often get objects stuck in their mouths because they have to chew and play with everything they pick up. The most common items are broken sticks or pieces of bone. Cats are less likely to have these problems, but like dogs, they can get parts of toys stuck in their teeth, string wrapped around the bases of their tongues or grass seeds penetrating their tongues or gums. Pets with longer fur might get painful burrs stuck in their mouths when they nibble out the foreign material that gets caught in their toes or coats.

A Pet with something caught in its mouth acts frantic. He shakes his head, paws at his mouth, drools, cries and races around. When the object cuts tissue, the saliva may be blood-tinged. Sometimes, the pet further injures himself by biting his tongue while trying to get rid of the object. Sometimes though, the only signs will be a reluctance to eat and bad breath. A foreign object in the mouth isn’t dangerous unless it blocks breathing,, but it can be painful and scary.

CALL A&NRD

If its left in place for longer than a day, it can cause infection. Some pets become so hysterical that they must be sedated before the object can be removed. Objects embedded in tissue need medical treatment.
You also need to call A&NRD if: you can’t remove the object yourself or if your pet won’t let you look in its mouth; your pet has injured his teeth, lips, tongue or the inside of his mouth; if there is a sting or sting like material caught or wrapped around the base of his tongue; if it appears that the object has been there for a while,(Your pet may have a poor appetite or worse breath than usual)the item may be embedded and A&NRD may have to remove it surgically. But often, first aid is all that’s needed to get rid of a foreign object in the mouth.

DO THIS NOW

Restrain your pet, A pet with something caught in his mouth will be understandably upset and may not hold still for you to help. You’ll need to carefully restrain him otherwise you may hurt him while trying to remove the object, and he may bite you.
For a cat or a small dog, grasp him with one hand by the loose skin of the neck and shoulders and gather the rear paws with your other hand. Gently stretch him out on one side on a table or counter top, then a second person can carefully open his mouth to look inside.
For a larger dog, kneel on the floor beside him and hug him to your chest with one arm reaching around his neck. Put your other arm under and around his chest. Have a second person examine his mouth.

OPEN HIS MOUTH

To open your pets mouth place one hand over his head and circle his muzzle with your thumb and middle fingers so the fingertips press his lips against his teeth just behind the long canine teeth. This will prompt your pet to open his mouth. Use your other hand to gently press down on the jaw and open his mouth wider. Never put your fingers between your dogs teeth to force him to open up.
You can sometimes remove a piece of feather or piece of toy with your fingers. If you can’t reach it, try using blunt tipped tweezers. You’ll probably need something stronger like needle nose pliers for bones or other larger objects.

FOR OTHER STICKS OR BONES

Dogs who play with sticks or chew long bones typically get sections wedged horizontally across the roof of the mouth between the upper molars. Sometimes a stick or bone gets caught vertically and levers the mouth wide open so that your pet can’t shut his jaws. You can use a dull butter knife or the handle of a spoon to pry the object off his teeth or the roof of his mouth.

FOR STRING OR RIBBON

For ribbon, tinsel or other string type material, check to see if any part of it has been swallowed, and if so, leave it for A&NRD to remove. Pulling string out of the throat could cut tissue deep inside and even kill a pet. However, if the material is loose in the mouth, remove it slowly and carefully. STOP if you feel any resistance and get to A&NRD RIGHT AWAY

FOLLOW –UP CARE

For any kind of injury to the mouth, you will be prescribed antibiotics. For dogs you can usually hide the medication in their food. Cats tend to take liquid antibiotics more easily than pills. Tilt your cat’s head back, fit a needleless syringe or eyedropper into her cheek at the corner of her mouth, and dribble in the medication. Hold her mouth closed until you see her swallow, then immediately offer her a tasty treat that she won’t refuse. Often, the cat forgets to try and spit out medicine while enjoying the treat.
If the inside of your pet’s mouth has been scraped, or if it has bitten its tongue or cheeks, it may need stitches inside its mouth. Usually absorbable sutures are used; these won’t need to be removed. (Check with A&NRD to see if these are available) but the mouth can be so sore that it will hurt your pet to eat its regular diet.
Pets should be fed a soft diet for several days, until the worst of the cuts have healed. Use your pet’s regular food and mix it with low fat, no salt chicken broth in the blender to make a watery gruel that’s easy to lap up.



FIRST ALERT- CHOKING

When a foreign object gets caught in the back of a pets mouth or throat, he will gag, retch and cough. He then becomes frantic when his air supply is cut off. Choking is a life-threatening emergency that needs immediate first aid.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

It can be nearly impossible to reach and grip objects stuck in a pet’s throat.
You can use a modified “HEIMLOCK MANOEUVRE ” to try to pop
the blockage out of the airway; Hold a cat or small dog like a human baby, with his head up, his hind legs swinging down, and his back against your stomach. Place your fist in the dip below the rib cage and use it to pull sharply inward and upward toward your chin. Repeat this two or three times quickly, then check to see if the object has been dislodged. Remove it if it has, If it hasn’t moved, you can continue this manoeuvre in the car as someone else drives you to A&NRD.

LARGER PET

For a larger pet, lay him on his side as you kneel behind him with your knees against his backbone. As you lean over him, place your fist in the dip below the ribcage and push sharply up and in toward the dogs head and your knees. Repeat two or three times quickly; Check to see if the object has come up, if so remove it. If not, continue the manoeuvre in the car as someone else drives you to A&NRD.

BLEEDING

Bleeding often looks more serious than it really is. Clotting usually begins in 60 to 90 seconds and a scab will appear in a few hours. Some of the “safest” wounds in fact, are those that bleed heavily at first, because the blood flushes away debris and bacteria.
Deep wounds however, and wounds involving a severed vein or artery are more serious. Neck and leg wounds tend to be the worst because large veins and arteries lie near the surface in these areas. Blood from a damaged vein is dark red and flows evenly. Blood from a damaged artery spurts with each heartbeat, is bright red and is generally much more serious.
Bleeding from shallow cuts and scrapes can be stopped with simple First Aid. Deeper wounds always need medical attention, even when you’re able to stop the bleeding at home.
Control the Bleeding

Don’t wash wounds that are bleeding heavily, it will make it harder for clots to form. You need to control the bleeding first. Apply a gauze pad on a clean piece of cloth to the wound, or use a sanitary towel, it’s perfect because the material is highly absorbent. If blood soaks through the towel, apply a second towel on top of the first one and continue the pressure,(Removing the first one will remove the clot that’s trying to form)the bleeding should stop in 5 minutes or less.
When you can’t stop bleeding with finger pressure alone, you’ll need to apply a pressure bandage. With the original pad still in place, wrap it with several layers of roll gauze, an elastic bandage like an `Ace` bandage or even duct tape or meshing tape. The pressure bandage should be firm but not tight. If you can’t easily slip the end of a cotton swab under the bandage, it is probably too tight. For smaller pets cover the absorbent pad with plastic wrap and keep pressure on the pad.

Look for signs of shock

Pets who have lost a lot of blood also lose their ability to retain heat, and they may go into shock- a condition in which the bodies organs shut down. Shock can kill a pet in as little as 10 to 20 minutes. Wrap him/her in a towel or blanket and get them to A&NRD immediately. You can also put a drop or two of Karo syrup or honey on your pets gums to help keep it conscious.
If he has gone into shock, you may need to perform artificial respiration. Wrap your hand around his muzzle to close his mouth and blow into his nose with two quick breaths. Watch for his chest to rise, and then give 15 to 20 breaths a minute until he begins breathing again on his own or until you reach medical help. After each breath, watch for his chest to rise, and then remove your lips and let the air escape.

Raise the injured part

Elevating the injured area will help slow bleeding. This isn’t essential; in fact, it could be harmful if a bone has been broken. If your pet holds one of his limbs in an awkward way or doesn’t move it at all, if one of his limbs dangles at a strange angle, if he seems to be in extreme pain when moving or if you can feel his bone crunch has he moves a limb, he may have a broken bone and needs to see A&NRD right away.

If your pets ears are bleeding

Ears have a vein near the surface that can bleed a lot, and since pets shake their heads when an ear is injured, the bleeding gets worse. To put pressure on the ears, first apply an absorbent pad or cloth. Cut a length from a pair of tights and slip it over your pets head, behind the ears, then move the tights forward over the absorbent bandage to hold it in place. Make sure his eyes and mouth are not covered. Use the thigh part of the tights for big dogs and the toe end for smaller pets.

Follow-up care

Whether or not a wound requires stitches, it’s essential to keep it clean for at least a week afterwards. Sponge off discharge and crust from around the wound edges several times a day. Do not disturb the wound itself unless directed by A&NRD. Follow this with an application of antibiotic ointment.
Dogs and cats instinctively lick their wounds, and in some cases, this can reduce the risk of infection, but, more than a few gentle licks may be too much. Pets who lick their wounds too much can dramatically slow the healing time. If the area around the wound seems moist or wet and the scab never seems to dry out, you may need to fit your pet with a cone shaped restraint collar called an Elizabethan Collar, which will keep him from licking his wounds. The collar may make it hard to eat, so you may need to remove it at mealtimes.