With April as National Pet First Aid month, now is a perfect time to ensure that you are fully prepared in the event of an emergency with your pet. Your veterinarian should always be your first line of defense in case of an emergency, but there are a few proactive steps that all pet guardians can take to set their canine family members up for success:
- Post the numbers and addresses of your primary veterinarian, local emergency veterinarian, and pet emergency contacts in a clear place in your home (like on your refrigerator!) so that any family member or pet sitter can easily locate them.
- Put together a First Aid Kit and familiarize yourself with the uses of each supply inside of it. Be sure to regularly check your supplies and replace items as they expire.
- Consider taking a Pet First Aid class where you can learn basic wound dressing, CPR, and other emergency first aid.
Keep in mind that prevention is the best medicine! Ideally, we want to prevent emergencies before they ever happen. Bowel obstructions from eating unsafe objects and accidental poisonings can typically be prevented by using child locks on cabinet doors with dangerous items inside, using heavy metal garbage cans that your pup won’t be able to get into, and careful management of your space. Accidents can happen, but it is important to set our pets up for the highest likelihood of success and safety.
Another key factor in keeping your dog safe is to be sure that you know what is (and is not) safe for them to eat. See our Poison Prevention blog to learn more about keeping your environment as safe as possible for your dog. Be sure that any food item that you give your dog will be safe, both in variety and in quantity. Moving to a new neighborhood or bringing home a new dog? Research the plants in your yard to confirm that the varieties will not be harmful if ingested.
Keeping our pets physically and emotionally happy and healthy is a pet parent’s lifelong goal, and we are thrilled to support you here at Central Bark.
