What dog lives without injuries? The following suggestions will help you with first aid in cases of minor injuries. If, however, your dog was involved in an accident you need to take the animal to an over the counter pet wound care or have an office visit in order to diagnose any potential internal injuries.
Wound Dressing
Examine your dog for any skin lesions Clip the hair carefully around the injury. A small lesion can be cleaned with diluted Calendula essence. Allow the tincture to dry, and follow with a thin coat of Dr. Schaette’s Wound spray for disinfection.
All bleeding wounds must be bandaged after you have cleaned them. The best way is to place a gauze pad over the lesion, then, using a gauze bandage, wind it crosswise toward the heart.
You must make sure that the bandage is not too tight
As first aid in all cases of injuries you need to administer Bach Flower Rescue drops (three, five, or ten drops) and, as homeopathic medication, one tablet of Arnica C30. This will prevent the animal from lapsing into a dangerous shock condition.
In all cases of pain give your animal one Trammel tablet every fifteen minutes.
Lymphomyosot drops (three, five, or ten drops) increase the dog’s own defense mechanisms this will help the dog to fend off infections at the site of the injury.
A gaping wound must be stitched up by a veterinarian.
Bite Wounds
Any time your dog is bitten by another dog you must inspect you pet immediately for bite wounds. These bites are prone to infections from the teeth of the other dog. Abscesses form quickly if the bite is not attended to.
It would be a better idea if you had your dog looked over by a veterinarian in case the bite is so small that you did not find it.
Treat your dog immediately with Rescue drops and with one Trammel tablet every fifteen minutes.
Profusely Bleeding Injuries
If you observe blood spouting from a wound, it is a sign that an artery was cut. In order to prevent excess loss of blood you will need to place a tourniquet bandage on the affected area. Take a clean cloth and fold it several times, then press it on the bleeding spot. While holding the cloth down tightly, bandage it in place with strips of rags or with a proper bandage. While you tie the bandage, you must keep the pressure strong enough to suppress the bleeding.
Immediately take your animal to an emergency clinic!
If the bleeding is located on a pa w or on the tail, you should tie off the injured vessel above the bleeding point without placing a bandage on the injury itself. If it takes a long time before you can reach the veterinarian, you need to loosen the pressure bandage for a short time every half hour.
If the bleeding is located along the belly, you need to hold a pressure compress on the bleeding spot until it stops bleeding. Then, wind a gauze bandage around the body to keep the compress in place until you reach the veterinarian.
Burns
First, cool the affected area with cold water or with ice cubes. Ice cubes are best applied by crushing them and wrapping them in a cloth or handkerchief.
