As some of you may know, April is National Pet First Aid Month, and here at the Wirral Woof Pack, we are proud to say that all of our staff are qualified in Pet First Aid and CPR. To raise awareness, in this blog post I am going to talk about Pet First Aid Boxes and what you should have in yours as well as the importance of knowing basic Pet First Aid.
I would recommend to any pet owner that they should have their own Pet First Aid box, as although many pet-related injuries and illnesses require veterinaries qualified medical help, first aid is meant to be the first response in an accident before vets. This can help you be able to attend to your pet in an emergency and possibly help save their life depending on the severity of the accident or illness.
Pet First Aid boxes content is quite similair to that of a normal First Aid kit. In a generic Pet First Aid box, you should find;
- Saline – to wash away a wound or affected area.
- Medium sized bandages – to cover an injury.
- Foil Blanket – to retain body heat.
- Gauze – to clean up fluids.
- Microporous Tape – to help hold dressings in place.
- Gloves – to avoid using hands.
- Alcohol Free Cleaning Wipes – to clean wounds.
- Scissors – for cutting dressing or trimming fur away from a wound.
- Tweezers – for removing small objects from a wound.
- Tick and Flea Remover.
Some first aid kits may have additional items but this is the guideline for a first aid box. Of course you can collect these materials yourself and put together your own box or buy an already made one on Amazon or a pet store.
Learning Pet First Aid isn’t difficult and can be undertaken by anyone, if you are surrounded by pets a lot of the time then you should consider undergoing a course to learn the basics which could save your pet in an emergency. If you work with pets then you should definantly under go the nessacary training to keep them safe. You can do course online, or in a local centre to your area. Some pet charities offer training for a donation, or a small fee.
I hope this article has helped some of you understand the importance of pet first aid and possibly made you consider undergoing a course to obtain the knowledge needed in a pet related emergency. I would highly recommend it and wish you all the best in your studies. Don’t forget to spread the word during this National Pet First Aid Month.
Wirral Woof Pack 