CARING FOR YOUR FUR BABY
Essential first aid tips if your pet is hurt
Seeing your little friend in pain is heartbreaking. From snake bites to broken limbs and everything in between, it’s hard to know what to do in hairy situations.
Rather than stand by feeling helpless, learn how to recognise when something is wrong and what actions to take to give your pet the best chance of making a full recovery.
CAR ACCIDENTS
It’s only natural to want to comfort your pet if they’ve been hit by a car – but it could do more harm than good.
“A lot of animals will bite out of fear and pain,” says Dr Magdoline Awad, RSPCA NSW’S chief veterinarian. “Moving them around too much could result in you receiving a nasty bite or scratch.” So stay calm, keep kids away and assess the situation.
“The first step is to make sure the animal is able to breathe, then check its pulse and heart rate, and assess the level of injuries,” advises Dr Awad.
Is there bleeding? Is there an obvious broken bone? If you see bleeding, apply pressure over the affected area until it stops. Keep the pressure on for about 10 minutes so as not to disturb the clot. If you see a broken bone, immobilise it and restrict the movement of that area by wrapping something soft around it. Then wrap your pet in a doona and get them to the vet.
You should proceed the same way even if your pet seems fine.
“It’s the other injuries that you can’t see that will kill them before fractures, such as internal bleeding and problems with their airways,” says Dr Awad.
SNAKE BITES
Signs of a bite can include shaking or muscle twitching, difficulty blinking, vomiting, loss of bladder and bowel control, dilated pupils and blood in their urine.
“The sort of reaction your pet has to a snake bite is determined by several factors – the type of snake, the amount of venom injected and the site of the snake bite,” says Dr Awad. “Generally, the closer the bite is to the heart, the quicker venom spreads to the rest of the body. At the beginning of summer, snakes’ venom glands are fuller and their bites are more severe.”
Tiger snakes and brown snakes are responsible for most animal bites. Tiger snakes have a bite that can be fatal not only to pets but humans, while a brown snake’s venom is milder.
If you think your pet has been bitten, keep them calm and get them to a vet.
“The chances of recovery are up to 80 per cent greater if they’re treated early,” says Dr Awad. “If you can identify the snake, tell your veterinarian as it will help determine which antivenom they need to administer.”