Pet Care & Protection Laws @ Grassroots Animal Rights

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.

Veterinarians in private or clinical practice often work long hours in a noisy indoor environment. Sometimes they have to deal with emotional or demanding pet owners. When working with animals that are frightened or in pain, veterinarians risk being bitten, kicked, or scratched.

In large-animal practice spend time driving between their office and farms or ranches. They work outdoors in all kinds of weather and may have to treat animals or perform surgery, under unsanitary conditions.

Working in nonclinical areas, such as public health and research, have working conditions similar to those of other professionals in those lines of work. These veterinarians enjoy clean, well-lit offices or laboratories and spend much of their time dealing with people rather than animals.

Often work long hours. Those in group practices may take turns being on call for evening, night, or weekend work; solo practitioners may work extended and weekend hours, responding to emergencies or squeezing in unexpected appointments.

Veterinarians care for the health of pets, livestock, and animals in zoos, racetracks, and laboratories. Some veterinarians use their skills to protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct clinical research on human and animal health problems. Others work in basic research, broadening our knowledge of animals and medical science, and in applied research, developing new ways to use knowledge.

Most veterinarians diagnose animal health problems; vaccinate against diseases, such as distemper and rabies; medicate animals suffering from infections or illnesses; treat and dress wounds; set fractures; perform surgery; and advise owners about animal feeding, behavior, and breeding.

According to the American Medical Veterinary Association, more than 70 percent of veterinarians who work in private medical practices predominately, or exclusively, treat small animals. Small-animal practitioners usually care for companion animals, such as dogs and cats, but also treat birds, reptiles, rabbits, ferrets, and other animals that can be kept as pets. About one-fourth of all veterinarians work in mixed animal practices, where they see pigs, goats, cattle, sheep, and some wild animals in addition to companion animals.

A small number of private-practice veterinarians work exclusively with large animals, mostly horses or cattle; some also care for various kinds of food animals. These veterinarians usually drive to farms or ranches to provide veterinary services for herds or individual animals. Much of this work involves preventive care to maintain the health of the animals. These veterinarians test for and vaccinate against diseases and consult with farm or ranch owners and managers regarding animal production, feeding, and housing issues. They also treat and dress wounds, set fractures, and perform surgery, including cesarean sections on birthing animals. Other veterinarians care for zoo, aquarium, or laboratory animals. Veterinarians of all types euthanize animals when necessary.

Veterinarians who treat animals use medical equipment such as stethoscopes, surgical instruments, and diagnostic equipment, including radiographic and ultrasound equipment. Veterinarians working in research use a full range of sophisticated laboratory equipment.

Veterinarians contribute to human as well as animal health. A number of veterinarians work with physicians and scientists as they research ways to prevent and treat various human health problems. For example, veterinarians contributed greatly in conquering malaria and yellow fever, solved the mystery of botulism, produced an anticoagulant used to treat some people with heart disease, and defined and developed surgical techniques for humans, such as hip and knee joint replacements and limb and organ transplants. Today, some determine the effects of drug therapies, antibiotics, or new surgical techniques by testing them on animals.

Some veterinarians are involved in food safety and inspection. Veterinarians who are livestock inspectors, for example, check animals for transmissible diseases, such as E. coli, advise owners on the treatment of their animals, and may quarantine animals. Veterinarians who are meat, poultry, or egg product inspectors examine slaughtering and processing plants, check live animals and carcasses for disease, and enforce government regulations regarding food purity and sanitation. More veterinarians are finding opportunities in food security as they ensure that the Nation has abundant and safe food supplies. Veterinarians involved in food security often work along the Nation’s borders as animal and plant health inspectors, where they examine imports and exports of animal products to prevent disease here and in foreign countries. Many of these workers are employed by the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service division.