What To Do When Your Pet Has A Cut Or Worse Has A Severe Injury.
Do you have a First Aid Kit for your home? Band-aids, antibacterial ointment, gauze roll, cold compress, these are all items you might have in your home for basic first aid care. Did you know that these items are also important in order to assist your pet in emergencies? For example, do you know how to handle a deep cut that your pet may get from encountering a sharp object inside or outside the home? If you live more than 20 min. away from your Vet do you know how to clean a wound and bandage it and get your pet ready for transport to your Vet? Did you know that you can perform not only First Aid, but CPR on your pet?
It is OK if you did not know, because today we are going to talk about creating a Canine/Pet First Aid Kit. A true canine first aid kit should ONLY contain supplies needed in an actual emergency. The goal of a first aid kit is to address life threatening injuries and is focused on massive hemorrhage and the MARCHE algorithm. Your canine/pet first aid kit should be tailored to you and your canine/pet's needs. Here at Black Paw Canine we follow K9 Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (K9TECC) guidelines and recommendations by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
Your canine/pet first aid kit should follow the MARCHE algorithm.
What does MARCHE stand for you might ask:
M move to safety, muzzle and attend to massive hemorrhage
A assess the airway and make sure it is clear
R assess respiration and address chest wounds
C assess for hemorrhagic shock
H provide protection from hypothermia and address head injuries
E address eye injuries and everything else
Depending on your first aid skill level and the activities you do with your canine/pet you can add other items as needed. You could also have a secondary kit that contains important, but less essential items for smaller emergencies. A secondary kit can be stocked like a care kit and should be separated from a true first aid kit. We recommend labeling each first aid kit in order to differentiate your home/personal first aid kit from your canine/pet first aid kit. Black Paw Canine has designed specific stickers to help you differentiate the two types of first aid kits. Please check out our store on our website or contact our Medical Director for more information.
Jessica Koch, RVT
Canine Medical Director
Black Paw Canine