*These are only immediate, temporary procedures.  Get your dog to the vet!!!

1. Allergies:
Allergies can manifest themselves through a huge range of symptoms.  Skin problems can occur, as well as breathing difficulties.  If your dog is acting strangely, especially after a new medication has been given, contact your Vet immediately.

2. Bee Sting:
Don't pull stinger out with tweezers.  Instead, scrape stinger out with a credit card or playing card, something to that effect.  Apply mud, ice pack, or MSG if you have it.  MSG neutralizes the poison.  Children's Benadryl may be given to reduce swelling, ask your Vet, and watch the animal closely for signs of a severe reaction.

3. Burns:
Symptoms - Look for blisters, singed hair, slight swelling, redness and pain when area is touched.  Help - apply cold water compresses for at least 10 minutes, apply antibiotic cream (not ointment – never a greasy or oily substance), then cover with non-stick gauze pad and bind with gauze roll.  Treat dog for shock if burn is severe (see Shock, below).  If the mouth area is burned, flush mouth with cold water (from the side, using a hose is good, but use a gentle stream facing towards the front of the mouth - don't choke the dog by forcing water down the throat).

4. Cardiac Arrest:
Symptoms - Dog may be unconscious, not breathing, and no pulse (see last page of this section for feeling the pulse) or heartbeat sound.  Help - Start CPR (ONE PERSON):  Put dog on it's right side, kneel down behind head, grab dog's muzzle, extend the head and support it on your knee, check throat and mouth for anything lodged there, remove it being careful not to push it further down throat, then seal your mouth around the nose and GENTLY inflate the lungs, about 15 times per minute.  Give one breath, then 4 chest compressions, repeat.  Chest compressions are given about 60 times per minute by placing your hand on the chest cavity just below where the foreleg and elbow meet the body), and pushing down on the chest wall.  With small dogs, use your fingers instead of the entire hand.  Compress chest about 2 to 4 centimeters. Stop when a regular pulse is felt.  (TWO PEOPLE):  This is much better.  Again, place dog on it's right side, extend head, grab muzzle and cover nose with your mouth, check mouth and throat for obstruction, remove it, use the same rhythm of 15 breaths per minute and 1 breath for every 4 compressions.  The second person performs the compressions by pushing down on the chest using hands (or fingers) after the breath is given.  Stop when a regular pulse is felt.

5. Choking:
Symptoms - Difficulty breathing, blue lips, violent pawing at face, or collapse.  Help - Pull tongue forward to see if anything is lodged in the throat or if the tongue is swollen (plants such as Dumbcane and Diffenbachia can cause this), remove if possible but be careful not to push it further down the throat.  If you can't get to the object, place the dog on his/her side, then strike the chest wall forcibly with the palm of your hand.  Do this 3 or four times.  With larger dogs, give 3 or 4 chest compressions.  Remove the object once it has been dislodged. If the dog is still not breathing, start mouth-to-nose respiration (see Cardiac Arrest, above).

6. Coat Contamination:
Use no solvents, paint strippers or thinners, concentrated detergents or fabric softeners to clean fur.  For paint or tar, soften with petroleum jelly and remove, or cut off in bad areas.  Wash dog with dog or baby shampoo.

7. Diarrhea:
Symptoms - The dog's stool will be soft and watery, and you'll notice that the dog has to go to the bathroom frequently.  Also look for loose stool stuck in the fur around the tail and hind quarters.  Sometimes dark or red blood will appear in stool.  This can be caused by minor irritation or something more severe.  Help - Give Pepto Bismol or Kayopectate (better) according to the dosage per weight of the dog, and the frequency instructions.  Feed boiled white rice mixed with unseasoned boiled lean hamburger or boiled chicken, using much more rice than meat, for the next few days until the stool is normal.  Have fresh water for the dog at all times to prevent dehydration.  If diarrhea is explosive, or dog is very weak, get to your Veterinarian immediately.  Severe tail chasing or wiping rear on ground can be an indication of rectal problems, or even worms.

8. Distended Abdomen:
Symptoms - A swollen, painful abdomen, retching, vomiting, groaning and difficulty breathing.  Can be mild or serious.  Help- If the dog simply ate too much, no treatment is necessary except preventing it from happening next time.  A real bloating, called “gastric torsion" can be fatal, and is a real emergency.  The only thing you can do is get your dog to the Vet immediately.

9. Drowning:
Small dog: Lift dog up by its hind legs, and swing gently in circle, to allow the water to run out of the lungs.  Administer CPR.  Large dog: Pick up behind ribs with one arm around abdomen, drape over shoulder while opening mouth and pumping chest.  Don't swing larger dogs, as this can dislocate joints.  Administer CPR.

10. Ears:
Check ears periodically for redness and/or discharge, excess wax or ear mites.

11. Eye Injuries:
Symptoms - The dog will persistently scratch or rub the eyes.  Eyes may be swollen or shut, and a discharge, bleeding, redness or eye spasms may be seen.  The eyeball can even hang from the socket.  Help - First thing to do is to prevent the dog from scratching or rubbing the eye further.  Remove any foreign object, that is easily removed, by using a damp tissue or cotton swab, or by flushing with water or saline solution.  Do not remove any foreign object that is difficult to extract or is embedded in the eye. If the eyeball is out of the socket, keep it moist by surrounding it with a gauze square soaked in saline solution (contact lens solution).  If the problem is a chemical irritation, flush the eye with water.  Never touch the eyeball directly with your fingers or anything dry, and never use sharp objects near the eye.  Permanent blindness can result from eye injuries, so get to your Vet immediately.

12. Heatstroke:
Symptoms - The dog will exhibit excessive panting and seem in distress, being disoriented and weak.  There will be bright red gums, vomiting and shock, and a rectal temperature of more than 105.8 degrees Farenheit.  Help - Immerse the dog in cold water or spray with a hose.  Take the rectal temperature on a regular basis.  Hypothermia from the cold water can occur, so dry the dog off as soon as the temperature begins dropping. Never leave your dog in a hot car, even with the windows cracked.  Never leave your dog outside in the yard on hot days.  Even in the shade, temperatures can be life-threatening.

13. Lameness:
Symptoms - The dog will be unable to use it's leg or have pain when using a leg, may have difficulty on stairs, and will limp and Whimper or yipe.  The leg can also be at an abnormal angle, be swollen, bruised or bones could be showing.  Help - Control any bleeding or shock first (see Wounds, or Shock). Apply a splint if there is a fracture, but don't try to set the bone.  Apply a sterile dressing to any exposed bone.  If the dog severely struggles, stop treating, and get the dog to the Vet.  If there is paralysis, it can indicate possible damage to the spine.  Immobilize the head, neck and back, and get to the Vet immediately.

14. Poisoning:
Symptoms - Signs include seizures, excessive diarrhea, vomiting, lesions of the face or paws, excessive salivating, weakness, depression and shock.  Help - Do not induce vomiting if the poison is caustic, such as acids, alkali, or petroleum-based products. Induce vomiting with Ipecac syrup if the above doesn't apply.  Hydrogen Peroxide or salt water, 1 teaspoon per cup, can also be used to induce vomiting.  Keep a sample of vomit for the Vet.  If poison has contacted the skin, wash thoroughly. Get to your Vet immediately.  Some toads, lizzards and caterpillars can be poisonous also.

15. Pregnancy and Birth:
Contact your vet for care, delivery, and puppy care.

16. Respiratory Arrest:
Symptoms - The dog is not breathing, but the heartbeat and pulse are strong.  Help - Check the mouth, nose and throat for foreign matter and carefully remove.  Start mouth-to-nose respiration (see Cardiac Arrest).  If drowning is the cause, elevate hind legs to let water drain out, then start mouth-to-nose respiration.

17. Seizures:
Symptoms - There may be extreme restlessness before a seizure, then muscle twitching, head shaking, dilated pupils, increased salivation, loss of consciousness, mild to violent muscle movements, increased breathing rate, loss of control of bodily functions, all followed by an almost normal state. Help - Prevent the dog from hurting himself/herself during the seizure, like banging into furniture, or falling down stairs.  Protect your dog with blankets or padding, and keep the dog quiet and in dim light.  Don't put your hands in or near the mouth.  Get to your Vet.

18. Shock:
Symptoms - Shock can be caused by many things.  Signs include rapid heart rate, weak pulse, noisy and rapid breathing, pale (even white) gums, severe depression, limbs are cool to the touch, dilated pupils.  Help - RUSH the dog to your Vet.  Control any bleeding.  Keep the dog warm with blankets, and give CPR or mouth-to-nose if needed.

19. Snake bite:
Never use a knife or razor to make an X shape cut over the wound.  Apply an ice pack, and tightly wrap the area.  Try to keep your dog calm, and reduce activity to a bare minimum.  Get to a Vet.  Bring snake, or a detailed description, if you can.  Ask your Vet about the Rattlesnake Vaccination now available.

20. Stool:
Check stool periodically for worms, even if your dog is on a once-a-month wormer.  Also check stool for dark or red blood.  Some red can be minor irritation.

21. Vomiting:
Dogs can vomit for many reasons.  Some are minor, like when they eat grass, or throw up a fur ball (yes, dogs, too).  Sometimes it is more serious. If vomiting is severe, take your dog to the vet immediately, along with a sample of the vomit.  If more severe, allow water, but give no food for 24 hours with adult dogs.  For puppies, allow water, but no food for 8 hours.  
Give antiemetic medication as per your Vet's instructions.

22. Urine:
Check for blood.  It can indicate an internal infection or injury.

23. Wounds:
Symptoms - Wounds can be punctures, cuts, scratches, abrasions, or tearing of the skin.  Help - First, control the bleeding by applying direct pressure to the wound by using your hands, a pad, diaper, towel, or anything you can find.  Sterile is better.  Once the bleeding has slowed or stopped, cut fur around wound, place a non-fibrous pad or gauze over the wound and bind it with gauze roll and tape.  If there is severe bleeding of a limb, apply a tourniquet above the wound, just tight enough to allow an oozing from the wound.  A tourniquet MUST be released every 10 minutes, and should only be used only as a last resort, if direct pressure doesn't work.  Then clean the wound with an antiseptic liquid, and remove any foreign matter with tweezers or pliers.  Dress the wound with an antibiotic ointment, and cover with a bandage.  See your Vet right away because your dog may require sutures or internal antibiotic treatment.

The easiest way to:

1.  give liquid is with a medical syringe (buy at drugstores or your Vet).  Remove the needle.

2.  give a pill is hidden inside of some cream cheese, or pushed inside of a small piece of hard cheese or treat; or place pill on back of tongue, and hold the mouth up and shut, while tickling the neck, until the dog swallows it;

3.  give eye drops is to hold the dog's head up and eyelid open, drop liquid directly onto eyeball;

4.  give ear drops is to pull ear back, drop into ear canal, then drop ear back into
position and massage the ear. Don't let dog shake head until done;

5.  give eye ointment is to apply a thin line along inside of lower lid;

6.  remove a tick is to grab the tick by the head or mouth parts using a pair of fine tipped tweasers.  Do not squeeze or crush the tick’s body as that might release harmful bacteria into your pet’s bloodstream.  Without jerking, pull firmly and steadily directly outward.  Do not twist as you are pulling.  Make sure you kill the tick afterward.  Put antibiotic ointment on the bite area;  

7.  carry a dog is to grasp the dog with your arms on the outside of it's legs, around it's rump and chest; a severely injured dog, or one too heavy to carry, should be carried by two people in a box, sheet or blanket;

8. feel the pulse is inside of the hind leg; the heartbeat can be felt on the chest behind the elbow;

9. observe breathing is to watch the chest movement.

In case of any emergency, the best thing you can do is to keep a cool head so that you are able to think of what to do, and do it.  Never panic!  Keep these instructions in your First Aid Kit, or wherever you can quickly get to them.  Seek out the help of a family member, neighbor or stranger by shouting for help, but don't waste precious time looking for that helper.  Begin treating the injured animal immediately, and get to a Vet as soon as you possibly can.  Even if the injury may seem minor to you, it may not be!

Treat symptoms in order:

1. Always treat severe bleeding first by applying direct pressure to the wound, and get it under control.

2. Next, treat for shock by keeping the animal warm with a blanket or jacket.

3. Then begin your CPR and mouth-to-nose treatment, after checking the airways for obstructions and removing them.

4. Get to a Veterinarian as soon as possible!

Even the sweetest and friendliest of dogs can become terribly frightened when injured and in pain. The dog can easily bite you if you touch a sensitive or injured area. Take precautions by binding the dog's muzzle with gauze roll, or even your tie, belt or scarf.  Simply holding the muzzle won't assure protection, the dog will most likely break away from your grip when it struggles.  Be careful, though, with short-nosed breeds, you don't want to cut off their air supply.  The more you can restrain the animal, without hurting it further, the better able you'll be to treat it. I hope you never have need of this information, but if you do, I hope it helps you.
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BASIC FIRST AID GUIDE