How To Handle an Injured Pet

Just like human beings, pets can be hurt in ways that are obvious and in ways that are harder to detect. However, pets do not have the ability or cannot tell you when they`re hurt. Therefore it`s always important to know some of the common signs of a pet that is injured. In most cases, if your pet has been injured, it will exhibits signs of pain and is most likely be confused and scared. In case you notice any of these signs on your pet, you should take certain precautions to avoid further injury to the pet, and also protect yourself from the pet-injured pets tends to have a paranoid attitude and can bite, scratch, or hurt their masters.

Below are some tips that every pet handler should follow if their pets are injured. These tips are from a certified veterinarian and will allow any pet owner to handle their pets professionally, without inflicting further damage to the pet or injuring themselves during the process.

Protect Yourself

The first precaution to take when handling an injured pet is protecting you. An injury can cause even the most docile and kind pets to behave in an aggressive and hostile way. Therefore, it`s always important to take an extra precaution to avoid biting, scratching, etc.
Some of the common ways of protecting oneself include;

  • Avoiding the coming into direct contact with the pet`s face, particularly for the dogs and cats.
  • Muzzling
  • For the canine friends such as dogs, you can cover their heads with a muzzle. If not, wrap the mouth with a towel, gauze rolls, stocking or a soft piece of fabric. The fabric may extend from the snout to under the chin.
  • When muzzling, ensure that the muzzle fabric does not cover the nose, or obstruct breathing. Never muzzle a pet that has chest injuries, as it may exacerbate the injury. Finally, do not muzzle a vomiting pet, it can result in choking.
  • For lighter pets such as the feline family, you can gracefully wrap their whole bodies with a soft fabric or towel to restrain them from acting erratically. Ensure that the cover-towel is not wrapped too tightly around the body.

Avoid Frightening the Pet

The first impulse of comforting injured pets is by hugging them. However, it`s ill- advisable to hug or squeeze the pet. Not only can it cause the pet to react aggressively to your advances, but it can also transmit some airborne infections. When approaching your injured pet, do it slowly and calmly, without having to frighten it more than already it is.

Examine the pet

If the pet allows, you can conduct a medical examination to determine the extent of the injuries. During the examination, ensure that you`re gentle and careful as much as possible to avoid startling the pet. You can do this by speaking gently and caressing the pet to keep it calm. If it`s a bleeding wound, you can try to stabilize the bleeding by gently cleaning the area, removing the hair clipping around and then applying a temporary bandage on the wound. However, if the pet becomes agitated, you can stop the examination.

Call the pet vet

Some of the pet injuries are minor and can wait until a regular veterinary comes to check them. However, if the pet has some life-threatening injuries, it`s wise to call an emergency veterinary or assistance. Some of the life-threatening emergency cases include;

  • Excessive bleeding
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Difficulty in breathing
  • Paralysis

Transporting the pet to the vet

If you`re going to transport the pet to the health center, it`s advisable to keep the pet confined in a small area to avoid further injuries. For small pets, you can use small carton or wooden boxes, and for the big cats such as dogs, you can use a crate.

After treatment

Always keep your pets` medical records in a safe, and easily-accessible place for future references.

Injured pets should be treated with care to avoid escalation of the injury. Also consider contacting a competent vet clinic immediately you notice the injury. Arrowhead Veterinary Clinic offers quality healthcare for injured pets. Contact us today and book an appointment.

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