First aid for dogs can save lives in tricky situations and, therefore, important to know and learn. Dogs are not like humans and do not understand sentences like “pass on” or “be careful”, which can lead to accidents and injuries. We want to introduce you to the most important first aid procedures … just in case.

Overheating/Heat stroke

The forthcoming summer can create some dangers for your furry friend. With too strong sunlight and extreme heat, there is a danger of overheating and heat stroke. In this case, your dog might vomit or gets massive diarrhea. If this seems to be the case, the four-legged patient should be removed from the heat immediately and should be cooled gently with a damp cloth and cold water. Start carefully with the limbs and move step by step towards to the center of the body until the dog is completely cooled down.

ATTENTION: Do not give the dog an ice-shock (e.g. with ice water), as this may lead to a cardiac arrest.

Read more about heatstroke in dogs.

Acute bleeding

High blood loss can be a life-threatening situation for animals and must be stopped immediately! To help quickly, a compressing dressing would be the best solution in this case. If there are no bandages available at the moment, you can also use a scarf, belt or shirt instead. The most important thing is to stop the bleeding. A veterinarian should be consulted immediately as the blood loss should be treated professionally. If  any foreign objects enters the wound, they should not be torn in any way. The foreign object must be removed when the bandage is used to avoid pushing the object deeper into the wound.

Cardiac arrest

In case of cardiac arrest resuscitation should be initiated immediately, regardless of cause! The steps of a standard resuscitation procedure: Respiration, ventilation, circulation and drugs (medicine).

Psychological first aid for your dogs

Dog owners should act confidently in accidents and support the injured pets instead of being hysterical. Compassion and hysteria can confuse the dog. A strong companion would help much more in such situations. However, in an emergency situation it can be difficult to stay calm but, it must be borne in mind if you want to do something good to your fluffy friend.

First aid for dogs can safe lives

Catch up with first aid measures before it is too late and be able to help your dog in case of emergency!

Do you know any first aid  information and treatments for dogs? We would love to hear your tips!