Emergency first aid

A dog in pain bites, including yours, including a dog who has never bitten anyone. Muzzle before you handle an injured dog if there is any way to do it safely — a strip of bandage, a tie, a sleeve. The exception is a dog who is vomiting or struggling to breathe; never muzzle those.

· Press. Firm, direct pressure with the cleanest cloth available, and keep pressing.
· Do not lift it to peek — you break the clot. Add another layer on top instead.
· Raise the limb above the heart if you can.
· A tourniquet is a genuine last resort for a limb that is otherwise unsurvivable, and it costs the limb. Pressure first, always.
· Go, while someone keeps pressing.

· If they are coughing forcefully, let them cough — that is working better than you will.
· If they cannot breathe: open the mouth and look. Remove an object ONLY if you can see it and grasp it. Blind finger sweeps push things deeper.
· Small dog: hold with the head down and give five firm blows between the shoulder blades.
· Large dog: lift the hind legs like a wheelbarrow, head down, and give five firm blows between the shoulder blades.
· If that fails, abdominal thrusts — hands just below the ribcage, sharp inward and upward pressure.
· Go to a vet afterwards regardless. Throat swelling and lung injury follow.

When: Only if they are unresponsive AND not breathing. A dog who is breathing does not need this and it can cause harm.

Compressions: Lay them on their side. Hands over the widest part of the chest, arms straight, and compress about a third to a half of the chest width. 100 to 120 compressions per minute — the tempo of ‘Stayin’ Alive’. For barrel-chested breeds, compress over the sternum with the dog on their back.

Breaths: After every 30 compressions: close the mouth, seal your mouth over the nose, and give two breaths until you see the chest rise.

The honest part: Survival rates from canine CPR are low. Do it anyway on the way to a vet — but understand that this is about giving them a chance, not a likely save.

Get trained properly: Reading this is not training. Several organizations run pet first aid and CPR courses, and a few hours in person is worth more than any page.

· Gauze pads and a roll of self-adhering bandage
· Blunt-nosed scissors and tweezers
· A digital thermometer (normal is roughly 101 to 102.5°F) and lubricant
· Saline for flushing wounds and eyes
· A muzzle, or a strip of soft fabric
· A tick removal tool
· Styptic powder for a nail cut too short
· A blanket that can act as a stretcher
· Your vet's number, the nearest emergency hospital's, and both poison lines, written on paper

Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661. ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435. Both take calls around the clock and both charge a consultation fee that is worth paying.

Knowing this is free. The kit costs about the price of one dinner out.

· American Red Cross Pet First Aid — courses and reference
· RECOVER Initiative (recoverinitiative.org) — the evidence-based veterinary CPR guidelines, published and free
· American Veterinary Medical Association (avma.org) — pet first aid basics
· Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661 and ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435