In cases of sudden illness, accidents and injury to pets, very often the efficiency of the first aid rendered by owners, while waiting for the vet, makes all the difference between a speedy recovery and serious trouble.
If an animal is injured or shows symptoms of serious illness, the vet should be called immediatly and the animal kept as quiet as possible. If it shows a desire to be left alone, by all means allow it to retreat into a dark corner if there is nothing constructive to be done. Get people out of the room and take all steps possible to decrease noise in the house, even to the extent of turning off doorbell, provided there is someone on the look-out for the vet.
Sometimes, injured or sick animals will have to be restrained. Injuries and some diseases cause the animal to hurl themselves about. If you have to deal with a pet in this condition, think of yourself first and put on whatever you can find in the way of protective c1othing, a heavy overcoat and gloves, for example. If the animal is biting and scratching, throwing itself blindly into furniture and otherwise showing signs of severe shock, the best thing is to throw a blanket over it and then wrap it in the folds, leaving only the head uncovered. The animal, if small, can then be held until the vet arrives and will thus be prevented from knocking itself senseless on the legs of tables and chairs. Cats in a state of violent shock, can be dangerous. The blanket method is the best with cats but if nothing is available to use as a wrapping and the cat has to be picked up, it should be grasped firmly by the scruff of its neck, held well away from one’s person and then carefully deposited in a basket, box or similar container. If broken bones are suspected, the animal should not, of course; be moved unless it is in danger of further injury from passing traffic or other causes.
Really big dogs, in a state of frenzy, are also dangerous and may bite owners and bystanders. If the animal is capable of running, it is doubly dangerous and before it can take. off and disappear into the distance, it should be secured. Often this is more difficult than one would imagine. In the first place, any attempt to muzzle it brings the hand within biting distance and secondly, any attempt to hold the animal by the neck and bandage its mouth is a job for two people and there may be no volunteers. The best method of restraining a large dog is to grasp it quickly by the scruff, get its head between one’s knees and hang on.
In cases of poisoning, telephone the vet immediately and if you are fortunate enough to know definitely the substance that has caused the trouble, tell the vet, who may advise you to administer the appropriate remedy. But if you do not know what the animal has taken, give an agent to induce vomitting before doing anything else. A strong salt solution should have the desired effect. Do not give oils or fats if phosphorus poisoning is suspected.
Fits are fairly common among puppies and the symptoms, the mad dashing and shrieking, the leaping and contortions can be frightening. A vet should be called but first, doors and windows should be closed and guards placed in front of open fires. Best advise is to leave the animal alone if it is indoors when the fit occurs and allowing it to retreat into a dark corner. However, to the untrained eye, a fit is not easy to disgnose: the same symptoms could be caused by injury or poisoning, foreign bodies in the throat and many other misfortunes: it is best to call a vet even if the animal appears to have succumbed. It is better to treat a dead body than not to treat a live one.
