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Tag: AVMA

  • Preparing for an Animal ER Visit

    Would you be ready to take your dog or cat to an emergency animal hospital if you had to do it in the next five minutes? Here are some things you can do to help make that stressful situation a bit calmer for you and your animal.

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    Angell Animal Medical Center is open 24/7/365 (directions & contact information are in the link).

    Be Ready to Go

    First, you should know where the nearest 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital is located and have a transportation plan and route in mind to get there. We are car-free city dwellers and, over the years, have taken taxis, rideshare cars, and accepted offers from kind friends to bring our dogs to the ER.

    When traveling, we always check for the nearest veterinarian and emergency hospital. It's not a bad idea to develop a habit of noticing any signs for veterinary services when you’re on the road. You just never know when you will need one.

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    Do your best to slow bleeding, stabilize injured limbs, and prepare to deal with gastric upsets on the way to get help. (Photo courtesy of the American Veterinary Medical Association.) 

    First Aid

    If your furry friend is hurt or sick, you’ll wish you knew some basic first aid and a bit about caring for a sick dog or cat. Do some reading on these topics ahead of time and consider adding a pet first-aid kit and a Pet First-Aid app to your smartphone. Or, take a course in pet first aid.

    Do your best to slow bleeding, stabilize injured limbs, and prepare to deal with gastric upsets on the way to get help. We recommend that anyone with pets keep a package of puppy piddle pads on hand. These highly absorbent, disposable pads can save hours of cleanup and help reduce stress. Having had a carsick dog in the past, we have a prepacked “barf kit” that holds a few pads, paper towels, a bottle of water, and plastic bags for trash.

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    Poppy was on the way to the ER for a sore paw, but we covered the car seat and protected it in case the ride upset her tummy.

    Moving a Hurt or Sick Animal

    The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) suggests calling the clinic before you leave so they can be ready for you. They may also be able to give you suggestions for the best way to care for the cat or dog until you get there. 

    Your next challenge is moving a hurt animal to a vehicle and keeping everyone safe on the way to the hospital. The AVMA begins its advise on this topic with this warning, “Never assume that even the gentlest pet will not bite or scratch if injured. Pain and fear can make animals unpredictable or even dangerous. Don't attempt to hug an injured pet, and always keep your face away from its mouth. Although this may be your first impulse to comfort your pet, it might only scare the animal more or cause them pain.”

    You might want to improvise a muzzle for an injured animal as long as they are not vomiting. You can use gauze, a bandana, or scarf for this purpose. Small dogs and cats can be wrapped in a towel or blanket and carried or placed in a soft carrier. A blanket can be used to make an emergency stretcher for a large dog.

    In research done with Angie's List members, 65 percent have experienced a pet emergency. We know that we have made a lot of emergency veterinary visits during our years of having canine companions. 

    An animal emergency is the time to accept the help of others in your animal community. Especially if you are facing transport alone. Again, this is best arranged ahead of time. You can set up a reciprocal arrangement with a friend to assist one another, if needed, for an ER run.

    Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

    Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Top photo courtesy of MSPCA.

    (Adapted for BostonZest from one of our City Paws newspaper columns.)

     

  • In Sickness & In Health We Love Our Companion Animals

    You have to admire veterinarians. They have to know how to care for animals of all types from pets to exotic, wild, and working beasts. Their patients can’t tell them exactly what’s wrong and must depend on information from those who provide the day-to-day care for the animal. 

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    We’re fortunate to have a healthy dog in Poppy, but when the time comes that she needs care, we’ll be ready to provide it.

    They also depend on us to follow through with the care they prescribe. That makes you the most important caregiver of your animals. Yet, for many of us, there is a steep learning curve especially in the case of a long-term illness.

    When you learn that friends are dealing with a sick pet, offer them the same support, and perhaps respite, you might give to someone caring for a sick person. They are under the same physical strain, restrictions, and stress that all caregivers face.

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    Here's a photo of our dear, little Maggie Mae in her younger and healthier days.

    Tips for Sick Pet Care

    Over the years we’ve built coping skills that are useful when a dog is sick. We have shared the work. This included sleeping on different shifts as we dealt with our Maggie Mae’s cognitive dysfunction and sleeping in street-ready clothing so we could get her outside fast, if needed.

    If you are not able to share the responsibility with a family member, consider hiring someone to give you time away from the situation. Ask your veterinarian if a vet tech might be available to sit with your sick animal for a few hours. You could also check with your groomer, dog walker, or ask a friend or neighbor you would trust with the task.

    Disposable puppy pads and washable incontinence pads are great stress relievers. If you can avoid cleaning up a mess, that is one less stress adding to a difficult situation. (We also used disposable dog diapers for Maggie.)

    If a dog was vomiting, we placed open pads in every room, ready to be quickly positioned under the dog as it began to gag. If you are not quick enough, the pads are great tools for clean up since they are designed to absorb liquids quickly.

    Written records of all medications given; temperatures taken; symptoms noticed; changes in behavior, eating, drinking, and elimination are key to helping your veterinary team provide their best care. Since the days when our Sassy developed a seizure disorder, we have kept notebooks for all our dogs.

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    It is so nice to watch a group of healthy dogs play together in the park. 

    For Healthy Dogs and Cats

    For all of us fortunate to have healthy animals, deciding what symptoms require a call to a vet is a prime caregiving responsibility.

    The American Veterinary Medical Association publishes this list of animal emergencies that require an immediate veterinary consultation:● “Severe bleeding or bleeding that doesn't stop within five minutes

    • Choking, difficulty breathing or nonstop coughing and gagging
    • Bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum, coughing up blood, or blood in urine
    • Inability to urinate or pass feces (stool), or obvious pain associated with urinating or passing stool
    • Injuries to your pet's eye(s)
    • You suspect or know your pet has eaten something poisonous (such as antifreeze, xylitol, chocolate, rodent poison, etc.)
    • Seizures and/or staggering
    • Fractured bones, severe lameness or inability to move leg(s)
    • Obvious signs of pain or extreme anxiety
    • Heat stress or heatstroke
    • Severe vomiting or diarrhea – more than two episodes in a 24-hour period, or either of these combined with obvious illness or any of the other problems listed here
    • Refusal to drink for 24 hours or more
    • Unconsciousness”

    Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

    Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

    (Adapted for BostonZest from one of our City Paws newspaper columns.)

  • Check the Chip Day for Sunday Dogs & Cats & Birds & All Is August 15th

    This week the American Veterinary Medical Association is sponsoring an official Check the Chip Day to remind all of us who are guardians for companion animals to be sure the microchips that would help return our furry friends to us, if lost, are working. 

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    We have "Check the Microchip" at the top of our list of information and questions we bring to every visit with our veterinarian. Poppy is due for her annual check up and we'll have Courtney, her lovely vet tech, check to see that her chip is working at the start of the visit. 

    This is also an opportunity to write down that ID number in case you need it to update your contact information. 

    Think about anything else that may have changed over the past year that might require an update on the registration form for that chip and make the changes needed with your registry. If you can't remember which it is, your vet can tell you that from the ID number. 

    Here's a video that will help you understand how microchips are inserted into an animal, how they work, and why each animal that could escape from your home should have one. Did you know that your vet can even microchip your birds?

    The Animal Rescue League of Boston is having an August special to encourage you to get those microchips in place. There is also more information about the topic at their link below.

    Special monthly offer August 2015 – 25% off your pet’s microchip!

    Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

    Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: Courtesy of American Veterinary Medical Association

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