First aid can literally mean the difference between life and death in both humans and animals. Dogs are no different, and knowing some basic first aid procedures and having some simple equipment at hand if your dog gets injured or becomes ill is the first line of defense they’ll need before further medical treatment (from a vet for example) can be accessed.

Seeing your own family pet in pain or witnessing the injury of somebody else’s dog in the street can be a shocking and upsetting experience, but having the knowledge and knowhow of what to do in an emergency can make a painful and scary situation a calm and safe one.

Although there are no official courses that grant dog owners the right to be first aiders, there are several simple procedures and techniques that can save the life of an animal. For example knowing about foods and their toxins, what to do if your dog has been stung or attacked and what to do and not to do if there has been a car accident.

Like humans dogs have feelings and emotions, so they can become agitated, angry or sacred if they become injured or ill in some way. If a caring, knowledgeable and confident person is at hand you can relieve their stress and comfort them until professional help can be obtained.

Dogs are man’s best friend and sometimes you need to repay that friendship with first aid help when problems might arise.

The Basics of Dog First Aid

What is first aid for dogs
First aid kit
Physical examination
Moving an injured dog
How to muzzle a dog
When to contact a veterinarian

Conditions & Injuries - Symptoms, prevention and treatment

Abrasions
Abscess
Allergic Reactions
Artificial respiration (CPR)

Bandaging
Bleeding
Bloat
Broken toenail

Chemical Burns
Choking
Collapsing
Convulsions, fits & seizures – single
Convulsions, fits & seizures – repeated

Dehydration
Diarrhea
Dog Bites
Drowning

Electric Shock
Eye Injuries – Foreign object in the dog’s eye

Fainting & Dizziness
Falls
Fever
Fishhook Wounds
Fly Bites
Fractures
Frostbite

Gunshot Wound

Heat Burns
Hot Spots (moist eczema)
Hyperthermia (Heatstroke)
Hypothermia

Impalement Injuries
Incisions – Serious cuts
Incisions – Simple cuts & nicks
Insect Bites

Lacerations
Lick Sores
Limping

Nose bleed

Poisoning
Porcupine Quills
Punctures

Shock
Skin Irritation
Splinters
Strains
Strangulation
Sunburn

Unconsciousness
Urinary blockage

Vaginal prolapse
Vomiting

Whelping (birth, queening)