Responsible Pet Care Leaflet - First Aid

Poisons

• Keep all chemicals out of reach. 
• If you see your pet eat or come into contact with something poisonous, contact your vet for advice. 
• Help the vet to identify the toxin by taking along the bottle, a label or a sample of the poison. Wear gloves to do this. 
• If your pet is poisoned, your vet may advise you to let it drink as much water as possible. 
• Don’t make the pet sick unless your vet instructs you to do so. 
• If any poison is on the skin, wash it off using lots of water.

Drowning

• Animals can drown if they become exhausted when swimming. 
• When you have pulled your pet out of the water, clear away any debris from the mouth and nose. 
• If possible, hold your pet by the hind limbs and lift upside down to drain out any water from the lungs. 
• Place your pet on the ground, with the head lower than the chest. 
• Do not place yourself at risk trying to rescue your pet.

Accident prevention and preparing for emergencies

• Keep the name, address and telephone number of your vet next to the phone. This should be the telephone number of the branch you attend, not any emergency telephone number you may have used in the past. 
• Keep a pen and paper next to the phone to take down an emergency telephone number on any answerphone message. 
• Add your vets’ telephone number on to your mobile phone’s contact list.
• Always telephone before you take an injured pet to your veterinary practice. 
• Keep a pet first-aid kit with you when you are at home or travelling with your pet. 
• A pet first-aid kit should contain the following: bandages (adhesive and white open-weave), cotton wool, clean pieces of sheeting, swabs, water wash bottle, tweezers and blunt-ended scissors.

Emergency prevention plan – ten top tips

Do

• Keep a dog on a lead when near traffic and only let it off the lead when you are absolutely sure it is safe.
  
• Watch out for dangers in the garden:
  - Uncovered ponds
  - Poisonous plants
  - Slug bait and weedkillers. 
  
• Keep all potentially harmful products safely out of reach and follow manufacturer’s instructions for use. 
  
• Look out for dangers in the home, such as hot radiators or unstable furniture. Enclose any balcony to avoid falls. 
  
• Make sure the whole family knows how to contact the vet in an emergency.

Don’t

• Don’t let pets play with children’s toys, sewing needles or other small objects that could damage their throats or block their intestines; always buy toys that are pet safe and too big to be swallowed. 
  
• Don’t ever leave your pet in a car or, if it is hot, in an unventilated room. 
  
• Don’t let your pet outside when it’s below freezing, or cold and windy. 
  
• Don’t leave rubbish bins unsecured and open. 
  
• Don’t leave doors to tumble dryers and washing machines open; cats can view them as cosy sleeping places!

PDSA vets advise:
“Learning first aid for pets could save an animal’s life. It is something every responsible pet owner should do.”

Find out if you qualify for PDSA veterinary care, or freephone 0800 731 2502.

For more information on PDSA and its work,
email info@pdsa.org.uk
freephone 0800 917 2509

PDSA Head Office
Whitechapel Way, Priorslee
Telford, Shropshire TF2 9PQ

Front cover photograph © John Daniels/ardea.com
SVA0-0161-PDSA © The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals 10/08