The Evening Sun | The Benefits Of Getting Certified In Pet First Aid

Before

I

began

attending

QC

Pet

Studies

to

become

a

certified

dog

trainer,

I

had

never

thought

about

first

aid

or

CPR

for

my

pets.

Before

I

got

my

dog

Penny

last

fall

I

already

had

three

cats,

and

I

had

never

seen

any

of

them

choke

on

anything,

get

injured,

or

really

be

in

any

kind

of

distress.

But,

the

very

first

unit

of

my

dog

training

course

had

a

module

entirely

about

safety,

and

within

that

were

the

basics

of

dog

first

aid

and

CPR.

Not

only

was

it

fascinating,

but

it

made

me

realize

how

woefully

unprepared

I

would

have

been

in

the

event

one

of

my

pets

got

hurt.

While

the

information

on

dog

first

aid

and

CPR

found

within

the

course

were

pretty

detailed,

I

wanted

to

learn

more

and

really

feel

prepared

for

possible

emergencies

with

my

animals.

So,

I

got

certified

in

pet

first

aid

and

CPR!

After

a

quick

Google

search,

I

discovered

the

Red

Cross

actually

offers

a

fully

online

dog

and

cat

first

aid

and

CPR

certification

course.

It’s

only

$25

and

(unless

you’re

like

me

and

take

detailed

notes

on

the

entire

course)

takes

just

35

minutes

to

complete.

The

course

covers

vital

signs,

dehydration,

breathing

and

cardiac

emergencies,

wounds

and

bleeding,

seizures,

pet

first

aid

kit

supplies,

CPR,

and

preventative

care

for

cats

and

dogs.

So,

why

get

certified

in

pet

first

aid

and

CPR?

Obviously,

if

you’re

a

pet

owner,

it

never

hurts

to

have

more

knowledge

on

how

to

keep

your

furry

family

members

safe

and

healthy.

Even

if

you

have

fully

cat-

or

dog-proofed

your

home,

the

possibility

of

accidents

and

emergencies

are

still

possible.

One

of

my

cats

has

managed

to

escape

the

house

a

few

times,

and

on

one

of

those

occasions

she

was

gone

overnight.

Had

she

come

home

with

an

injury,

at

the

time

I

wouldn’t

have

known

what

to

do

besides

schedule

a

vet

appointment.

My

two

other

cats,

Stuart

and

Mongie,

are

siblings

who

love

to

play

fight.

More

than

once

I’ve

found

Stuart

with

a

puffy

eye,

or

Mongie

with

a

scratch

on

her

ear.

While

these

aren’t

serious

injuries,

I

feel

much

better

knowing

how

to

care

for

their

wounds

if

needed,

and

what

signs

to

watch

for

that

indicate

infection.

My

pets

are

also

notorious

for

getting

into

things

they

shouldn’t.

Both

my

cats

and

dog

try

to

eat

things

like

plastic,

plants,

rocks,

string,

and

plenty

of

other

things

they

shouldn’t

ingest. 

Remember

how

I

said

before

I

got

my

dog

I

had

never

seen

any

of

my

pets

choke?

Well,

shortly

after

learning

about

dog

first

aid

and

CPR

at

QC

Pet

Studies,

Penny

choked

on

something.

While

it

was

a

scary

experience,

I

was

so

relieved

that

instead

of

panicking

about

what

to

do,

I

was

able

to

immediately

take

action.

Having

a

solid

understanding

of

pet

first

aid

and

CPR

prepares

you

for

both

minor

injuries

that

don’t

need

veterinary

attention

and

emergencies

that

could

be

life-threatening

for

your

pet. 

A

major

emergency

such

as

your

pet

being

hit

by

a

car

or

attacked

by

another

animal

would

require

an

immediate

trip

to

the

vet,

and

a

pet

first

aid

certification

equips

you

with

the

knowledge

of

how

to

care

for

your

pet

until

you

can

get

them

there,

which

could

potentially

save

their

life.

Additionally,

incidents

that

may

warrant

a

vet

visit

but

aren’t

an

emergency

may

require

you

to

care

for

a

wound

for

a

few

days

before

you

can

get

in

for

an

appointment.

Although

I’m

sure

a

vet’s

office

would

tell

you

what

to

do

in

the

meantime,

being

certified

in

pet

first

aid

would

definitely

make

me

feel

more

confident

in

caring

for

my

pet’s

injuries

until

they

saw

the

vet.

Knowledge

of

pet

first

aid

and

CPR

can

benefit

other

pet

owners

as

well.

You

may

be

out

for

a

walk,

at

the

dog

park,

or

even

visiting

a

friend

or

family

member

when

another

person’s

pet

gets

injured.

While

a

human

experiencing

an

emergency

can

ask

if

anyone’s

a

doctor

or

knows

CPR,

it’s

probably

less

likely

that

anyone

around

would

know

how

to

help

an

injured

or

choking

animal.

But

a

certification

in

pet

CPR

and

first

aid

would

give

you

the

skills

and

knowledge

to

step

in

and

help

if

someone

else’s

pet

has

an

emergency.

You

could

even

save

that

animal’s

life.

There

are

so

many

benefits

to

getting

certified

in

pet

first

aid

and

CPR,

and

it’s

so

easy

to

do.

It

takes

less

than

an

hour

of

your

time,

but

the

knowledge

you’ll

walk

away

with

is

invaluable.

The

Red

Cross’

course

does

cover

a

lot

of

material,

which

can

be

hard

to

remember

–

especially

things

like

the

normal

breathing

rate

of

cats

and

dogs.

Fortunately,

they

have

a

great,

free

app

available

on

the

Apple

App

Store

and

the

Google

Play

Store,

simply

titled

“Pet

First

Aid.”

The

app

provides

quick

and

easy

access

to

everything

covered

in

the

course,

and

more.

From

normal

vital

signs,

to

allergic

reactions,

burns,

drowning,

frostbite,

poisoning,

smoke

inhalation,

and

more,

the

app

is

a

fast

way

to

double

check

information

or

find

what

to

do

in

specific

emergencies.

It

also

splits

care

instructions

into

cat

and

dog

categories,

and

has

sections

on

preparedness

and

preventative

care,

emergencies,

quizzes

to

test

your

knowledge,

and

an

area

to

add

your

pets

and

their

information.

Even

if

you

don’t

take

the

certification

course,

I

highly

recommend

downloading

the

app,

so

you

have

the

information

on

hand

in

case

you

ever

need

it.

If

you

have

cats

or

dogs

at

home,

it’s

also

a

good

idea

to

start

your

own

pet

first

aid

kit.

Even

if

you

just

start

with

a

few

items

and

build

it

up

over

time,

it’s

another

invaluable

resource

that

pays

to

have

at

the

ready

in

case

you

ever

need

it.

Some

recommended

pet

first

aid

supplies

include

rolls

of

gauze,

vet

wrap,

medical

tape,

sterile

eye

wash,

non-stinging

antiseptic

wash,

styptic

powder,

rubbing

alcohol,

cold

and

heat

packs,

latex

gloves,

tick

twisters,

hydrogen

peroxide,

pet

thermometers,

telfa

pads,

tweezers,

and

antibiotic

ointment,

among

others.

For

more

information

on

the

Red

Cross’

pet

first

aid

and

CPR

certification

course,

and

to

register,

visit

RedCross.org/take-a-class/first-aid/cat-dog-first-aid.

To

download

the

app,

search

“Red

Cross

Pet

First

Aid”

on

the

Apple

App

Store

or

Google

Play

Store.

Let

me

know

if

you

get

certified

in

pet

CPR

and

first

aid!

Or,

if

you

have

any

questions

about

dog

training,

send

me

an

email

at

[email protected]

for

the

chance

to

have

your

question

answered

in

a

future

column.

Please

note

as

I

am

still

earning

my

dog

training

certification

I

may

wait

to

respond

to

certain

questions

until

I

feel

I

have

the

knowledge

and

skills

necessary

to

provide

an

accurate

response.