What is an emergency?

Needs to be seen as soon as possible:

• Snakebite
• Most poisonings
• More than three seizures in an hour
• Bloated abdomen in large dog
• Male animals which can’t urinate
• Birth difficulties
• Breathing difficulties after an accident
• Broken bones with bone exposed
• Severe bleeding which doesn’t stop with bandaging

Can wait a few hours or overnight, with help from the owner:

• One seizure with no other signs of trouble
• Broken leg, as long as no bone is showing
• Depressed, lethargic
• One or two vomits with no other signs
• Constipation
• Skin laceration unless bleeding uncontrollably
• Most sore eyes
• Head shaking
• Drooling with no other signs

Emergency telephone numbers

Glenelg Veterinary Services
0429 812400 or 03 55 812000

Western District Veterinary Services (Hamilton)
03 55 711330

South East Veterinary Services (Mount Gambier)
08 87 255 855

Glenelg Shire Council Ranger (stock on road, dog attack)
03 55 222 282

Wildlife Victoria (statewide)
1300 094 535

Approaching an Injured Animal Safely

It is easy to panic when you see an injured animal but it is essential that you stay safe if you are going to help.

• Check the environment – where is the snake now? Is the electricity disconnected? Can other cars approaching see this part of the road? Is it safe for you to enter the water?
• If there is blood, and it may be human rather than animal blood (eg a car crash) then wear gloves.
• Collect or make a muzzle and a blanket and, if spinal injuries are suspected, a board.
• Dogs should all be muzzled if injured. Under extreme provocation or escalating pain, any dog can bite. If two people are available, lift the dog onto a blanket for transport. If only you, then hold the scruff and slip one arm under an area of the dog which is not injured (maybe the belly). Lift slowly and talk a lot. If the dog is coping, it may be possible to shift your grip away from the scruff and hold around the neck/shoulders instead. Be careful. Take your time.
• Cats are difficult to muzzle. Try taking a firm grip on the scruff, and slip an arm under the chest. If the hind legs are injured, let them dangle and tuck the cat’s body under your arm.
• Think about transport. It is safer to have two people in a car so one can hold or monitor the animal.
• If the animal found injured is not yours, try to find the owner, but also transport the animal to a vet. Any vet will take in an injured stray.

How do I….?

1. Take a temperature

• Make sure the animal’s head is restrained by another person
• Make sure the thermometer is shaken down below 37 degrees
• Gently insert the thermometer into the animals anus about halfway (in cats, might like to coat the thermometer with Vaseline first)
• Point the thermometer upwards until you feel the tip of it touch the bowel wall
• Wait two minutes. Remove and wipe clean. Read the result.

2. Check capillary refill time

• Lift the upper lip and find and area of non-pigmented gum
• Press on the gum firmly with your thumb
• Lift your thumb and count how many seconds it takes for the whiteness created by the pressure of your thumb to become pink again

3. Measure heart rate

• Rest your hand lightly on the animals chest, low down on the left hand side, behind the elbow
• Count the number of beats you can feel in 15 seconds, then multiply by four for beats per minute

4. Detect breathing

• Watch chest OR
• Hold a mirror or fluff of cotton wool in front of the nose or mouth
• Count the breaths over 15 seconds and multiply by four OR count for a full minute

5. Detect pulse

• Curve your hand around the front of the hind leg, and rest the tips of your fingers in the groove between the muscles
• Count the pulses over 15 seconds and multiply by four

6. Assess for concussion

• Shine a bright light, first in one eye and then in the other. Both pupils should be the same size, and both should get smaller in response to light

Normal values

Dogs:

• Temperature – 38.5 to 39.2
• Heart rate – Small dogs…. 90-120 beats per minute
• Medium dogs 70-110 beats per minute
• Large dogs 60-90 beats per minute
• Respiratory rate - 10-30 breaths per minute
• Capillary Refill Time – 1-2 seconds
• Assessing Hydration - Are gums moist?
• Are eyes sunken?
• How fast is the skin return?

Cats:

• Temperature - 38.0- 39.0
• Heart Rate - 110-180 beats per minute
• Respiratory rate - 20-30 breaths per minute
• Capillary Refill Time - 1-2 seconds
• Assessing Hydration - Are the gums moist?
• Are the eyes sunken?
• How fast is the skin return?

Hit by A Vehicle or Run Over

• check that it is safe to approach the animal. Where is the rest of the traffic?
• is the animal able to walk, even if it is on three legs? It may be most comfortable for a dog which can walk, to be put on a lead and walked to safety.
• collect some basic safety equipment for yourself – a blanket, a tie or a muzzle, and possibly a board if the animals appears paralysed.
• talk, talk, talk. Most pets are soothed by low repetitive talking.
• restrain the animal safely by a scruff and/or a muzzle, plus a blanket if required.
• check capillary refill time. Pale gums and a CRT more than 1-2 seconds means shock. Warm the animal up and transport to a vet as soon as possible.
• check breathing patterns. It is normal for an animal in pain to have an increase in the respiratory rate. Is it easy for the animal to breathe? If not, transport the animal to the vet as soon as possible. This also applies if the gums are purple or blue.
• check for obvious skin wounds or points of heavy bleeding. Consider bandaging these if appropriate.
• check for chest injuries. If any injuries are found, recheck breathing patterns and capillary refill time. If necessary, bandage the chest, but beware of tight bandages.
• check for leg injuries. If a fracture is identified, avoid touching this area.
• If no significant injuries are found, and the capillary refill time stays at less than 1 second for two hours after the accident, it is reasonable to look after the patient at home and visit the vet on the next day the clinic is open.

Bleeding

There is a difference between bleeding from an artery, and bleeding from a vein. Arterial bleeding is much more dangerous and can be identified by rapid, sometimes pulsing, loss of bright red blood.
Arterial bleeding is frequently seen with lacerations to ears or lower legs and feet.

• firmly place a clean (preferably sterile) pad over the bleeding point. Push firmly, even if it is a little uncomfortable.
• consider whether a bandage is possible. Bandages work well on front legs below the elbow and back legs below the knee. Bandages can also be used on the body or chest and sometimes on the ears. Bandages are difficult to use on the ears, the face and the upper limbs. Adhesive “Bandaids” like the ones used on people don’t stick to hairy animals. The only way to hold bandages on is to wrap it around a body part.
• when bandaging, the golden rule is start at the bottom and work up. If the cat has a bleeding wound near the elbow, your bandage must start at the foot and wind up the whole leg. I have had to amputate legs which have had the blood supply cut off because the owners did not obey this golden rule.
• the bandage layer over the wound should be sterile, or at least very clean. Follow this with a layer of cotton wool wrapped loosely around the whole leg. Follow this with a stretchy layer of bandage, starting at the foot. Put some tension on the bandage while you are rolling it on, but not too much. A final layer can be added if required. Bandages must be able to breathe. If you need to use waterproof material (eg duct tape) in an emergency, get it changed for something more suitable within a few hours.
• wounds which do not have excessive bleeding can also be bandaged if in a suitable place, but it may be best to wash a dirty wound first. Clean tap water out of a hose will do. Dam water and sea water are not suitable. Best of all is sterile saline, if you have any.
• after you have administered first aid, call your vet. It may not be necessary to see the patient until the clinic is open again if the bandage is a good one, and blood is not soaking through.

Difficulty Breathing

The aim of first aid for an animal which can’t breathe well is to help it stay alive while you get to a vet as soon as possible.
Breathing difficulties include; wheezing, breathing through an open mouth (especially in cats which will rarely breath this way unless desperate), restlessness and rapid breathing, blue or purple gums, sitting with elbows rotated outwards, stretching the neck forward, increased effort to suck in or push out air.

• call the vet and organise transport
• stay calm and quiet. Deliberately avoid anything which upsets the animal (eg the cat cage)
• help the animal stretch its neck out straight, and open its mouth if unconscious.
• check gum colour and capillary refill time.
• try and adjust the temperature of the environment to suit – ie on a hot day, use fans and cold water. If it is cold, use blankets and heaters.
• keep the animal calm during transport. Patting and talking are essential, so you will need a second person in the car if possible.
• transport to the vet as soon as possible.

Broken Bones

Animals cope with broken bones much better than people do. They will seldom cry or whimper, and can usually make themselves comfortable.
A broken bone which has the bone visible is an emergency.
Other types of broken bones, provided there are no other complicating injuries, can be managed at home until the clinic is open.

• check capillary refill time looking for signs of shock
• make sure you don’t get hurt when you handle the patient. Use muzzles, blankets and a second person holding the scruff.
• check for other injuries. Carefully and gently try to ascertain whether there are wounds associated with the broken bone. If so, contact the vet.
• transport the patient to a warm and safe environment. Check the capillary refill time every 30 minutes for two hours.
• if the animal appears stable after two hours, offer food and water. Once the animal eats, you can give a single dose of aspirin if required. DO NOT use any other type of human painkiller (most of them are poisonous in animals). DO NOT give the aspirin if it is possible to see the vet that same day. The dose of aspirin is 10mg/kg ie one tablet per ten kilograms. A big cat weighs five kilograms. A Jack Russell terrier weighs about seven kilograms. A kelpie weighs between 15 and 20 kilograms. DO NOT give the aspirin if; you are uncertain about the weight or the dose, if the animal appears to not need it, if the animal is old or sick or has other problems or is on other medication.

Poisoning

Most poisonings are emergencies. Common poisonings are; rat and mouse baits, 1080 (Foxoff etc), organophosphate (Lucijet), snail bait, dog flea products on cats.
Other common household poisons are; lilies in cats, chocolate, onions, cigarettes, marijuana, human medications.
In cats and dogs, most poisons are eaten, and making the pet vomit is the best first aid.
Some poisons are through skin absorption and the best first aid is washing the pet.
Cats are less frequently poisoned because they are more fastidious but beware of cats cleaning their paws after walking through chemical spills on the floor.
The most common victims of poisoning are young, curious puppies and the most common poisons are rat/mouse baits or snail bait.

• identify the poison if possible. Bring the packet with you to the vet clinic if you can. If not, write the active ingredient on a piece of paper.
• if the poison has been swallowed and you can get to a vet within 15 minutes, do this. If the trip to the vet is longer than 15 minutes, and the poison is not caustic, induce vomiting by giving one pellet of washing soda into the mouth. Vomitting should occur within two minutes. If it does not, DO NOT repeat the dose. Take the pet to the vet. Caustic poisons are anything likely to burn sensitive tissues, eg acids, alkalis, fuel etc.
• if the poison is on the skin, wash the animal in warm water with detergent. Dry as thoroughly as possible and keep warm. Take to the vet.
• Signs of poisoning vary with the poison eg; rat baits cause an inability to clot blood so the animal can bleed to death (internally or externally) within six weeks of eating the bait. Snail baits cause violent convulsions, trembling, drooling, vomiting, diarrheoa, muscle twitches.