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It is our job as dog owners to make sure that our pets are happy and healthy. However, it is not always an easy job given that our dogs are curious and intelligent creatures with a tendency to get themselves into all kinds of trouble. And when they do get in sick or hurt, it is up to us to examine them and find out exactly what the problem is.

While there is no substitute for veterinary care, especially when your dog is seriously hurt or injured, there are many things you can do to save your dog's life and make him feel comfortable. The care and attention that you give to your dog during the first few minutes of an emergency can make all the difference between life and death.

Having the basic knowledge of giving first aid treatment is crucial in that time between the beginning of the emergency and upon arriving at your vet's office. However, do not use first aid treatments as a way of delaying much needed professional help. A more prolonged treatment can only be applied if you cannot reach medical care immediately.

In order to properly administer first aid treatments, it is important to plan ahead and have the necessary supplies on hand placed in a convenient location. Do not wait for the emergency to happen before you start putting together tools and remedies or to start reading �how to do it� manuals. By being prepared, you can help keep small problems from turning into big ones.


First aid supplies

The following are list of supplies that you need to have available in case of an emergency. You can either buy first aid kits at online catalogs or pet stores, or you can stock up on your own.

Here is what a first aid kit should include: Ammonia water, Hydrogen peroxide, Antibiotic treatment, Hydro cortisone ointment, Eyewash, and Antihistamine liquid.

The following are basic materials that you may need: adhesive tape, absorbent cotton, gauze rolls or pads, scissors (preferably with rounded tips), tweezers, a rectal thermometer; syringes (without the needle) for giving oral medications; two blankets (thick and strong), elastic bandages, an enema bag, soap, and a plastic bowl for preparing dilutions.

It is also important to have your vet's phone number available as well as the phone number of an emergency weekend visit or nighttime vet. You will also need a veterinary first aid manual to know exactly what to do in time of crisis.

A very early discovery about canine learning is the dog's tendency to generalize responses to strong stimuli. Therefore, the first stranger who must create stress and discomfort for a puppy, even if it is mild, can do a big favor for other strangers if the experience has a happy ending.

Most dogs tolerate veterinary treatment well; these dogs generally have an inhibitable type of nervous system and/or passive defense reflexes. However, the excitable and/or active defense reflex types may not tolerate treatment well can be a threat to the personal safety of those who must handle them. How can a veterinarian and staff members spot potential problem dogs and avoid the behavioral consequences of stimulus generalization? The solution lies in the practitioner's handling of the pet, and the client's behavior relative to treatment.

That dogs, and even people, can learn to tolerate painful stimuli is well known. If a painful stimulus is reinforced quickly with one that is strongly pleasant, the expected defense reactions are replaced by responses appropriate to the pleasant stimulus. Several veterinarians have put this principle into practice by sticking a doggy treat into their patient's mouth immediately after inoculations or treatment. This helps immediately replace a noxious stimulus (pain) with a positive stimulus (pleasant taste). Though not 100% effective, it has proved helpful.

However, the strongest forces acting on the pup or older dog commence well before treatment, and continue to affect the animal long afterward. These forces are social, emotional, and they are controlled for the most part by the pet's owner. For this reason, the owner's overall attitude toward the pup, its health, and veterinary care must be considered the primary determination in how a dog responds to veterinary treatment.

When an owner goes to a veterinary hospital with a dog that has just been hit by a car, the emotional prelude to treatment is usually steeped in concern, if not outright hysteria. Few clients have the insight to control their emotions in these situations - adopting the calm approach of a trained technician. In these cases it is generally wisest for the veterinarian to treat the injured pet without the owner present, thereby avoiding further emotional stimuli and their influence on the dog.

On the other hand, a dog or puppy experiencing its first visit for routine veterinary care can be conditioned to perceive the entire procedure as one of pleasure when properly handled by the owner. If, during the trip to and arrival at the hospital, waiting in the reception area, meeting the staff and veterinarian, during and (especially) following treatment, the owner is careful to display only happy behavior toward the pet and the external circumstances, the experience will be positive and socially rewarding for the dog. This behavioral routine is not easy for owners predisposed to overly sympathetic reactions toward the pet. However, when the importance of their behavioral example is explained, they usually comply.