First aid for dogs: what to do in an emergency

It happens faster than you think. The dog cuts itself on a shard of glass in the woods, chokes while playing, keels over suddenly on a hot day in the car. In moments like these, what counts is that you know what to do – and that you stay calm. First aid for dogs is not witchcraft. It consists of a few simple moves that, at the right moment, buy valuable time.

And that is exactly the point you should remember before we go into detail: first aid buys time, but it never replaces the vet. What you do at home or on the go bridges the minutes until your dog is in expert hands. After every real emergency it is therefore always off to the vet or the emergency practice – even if your dog seems lively again afterwards.

Keep calm – the most important first move

A dog reads your mood astonishingly precisely. If you panic, that transfers to it immediately, and an agitated dog is harder to treat. The first move is therefore not a move at all, but a deep breath. Get a quick overview: what happened, is there bleeding, is the dog conscious, is it breathing normally? Talk to it calmly and quietly – those few seconds of order in your head make sure you do the right thing first.

The first-aid kit that belongs in the house

In an emergency you do not want to have to go searching first. A small first-aid kit for the dog, ready to hand at home and ideally as a mini version in the car or the rucksack, takes a lot of the fright out of it. It should contain:

• a tick remover and normal tweezers
• gauze and a self-adhesive bandage (Vetwrap)
• sterile compresses
• saline solution or a wound-rinsing solution
• a digital fever thermometer
• disposable gloves
• a blanket
• the phone numbers of your vet, the nearest emergency practice and of Tox Info Suisse, 145

The blanket keeps a hypothermic or shocked dog warm and, if needed, serves as an improvised stretcher. Check now and then that everything is still there and nothing has expired.

Handling an injured dog safely

You need to know this before you even lay a hand on it: a dog in pain or in panic can bite – even your own, which otherwise would not hurt a fly. That is not ill will but a reflex. Do not hold it against it, and protect yourself anyway.

Approach slowly and speak calmly. Do not move towards it head-on and hectically. Hold it gently but firmly, so that it does not injure itself further while being treated. With a badly injured, panicked dog it is worth improvising a makeshift muzzle before touching it – for example with a gauze bandage looped loosely around the snout – or wrapping it carefully in a blanket. That way you protect it and yourself at the same time. If you are unsure, get someone to help.

The most common emergencies step by step

Every emergency is different, but some come up again and again. Here are the most important ones and what you do in each case – always with the same goal: buying time until the vet.

Severe bleeding

With a bleeding wound you take a clean cloth or a sterile compress, press it directly onto the spot and apply a firm bandage. Keep up the pressure – you stop bleeding above all through pressure, not through constantly checking. If it bleeds through, simply add another layer on top instead of removing the bandage. Then it is off to the vet. Keep your hands off a tourniquet, except in a truly catastrophic bleed on a leg that cannot be stopped with pressure – that is the big exception.

Heatstroke

Heatstroke is a genuine emergency, especially in summer and all the more in a car that has heated up. Bring the dog into the shade immediately, offer it water and cool it with cool – not ice-cold – water, above all on the belly and paws. Ice-cold water or ice is the wrong way, because it constricts the blood vessels too abruptly. And then, in parallel with the cooling, straight to the vet. Heatstroke can still become dangerous even when the dog already looks better on the outside.

Suspected poisoning

If your dog has eaten something toxic or there is a suspicion of it, call your vet or the poisoning number 145 immediately. Take the packaging or a sample of what it got hold of with you – that helps enormously with the assessment. Very important: do not make the dog vomit on your own initiative, unless a professional explicitly tells you to. With some substances, vomiting does more damage than the poison itself.

Choking and swallowing

If your dog is retching, coughing and struggling to breathe because something is stuck in its throat, carefully open its mouth and look. If you see the object clearly and can remove it safely, do so. If you cannot get hold of it or cannot see it, do not try to poke around blindly with your fingers – you will only push it in deeper. Instead give firm blows with the flat of your hand between the shoulder blades and drive to the vet at once.

Seizure

A seizure looks dramatic, and yet the most important thing is that you keep your distance. Do not hold the dog down and keep your hands away from its mouth – during a seizure it bites uncontrollably. Clear hard or sharp objects away from it so that it does not injure itself, dim the light, keep things quiet and speak softly. Note how long the seizure lasts; this information is valuable for the vet. Afterwards it is off for a check-up in any case.

Broken bones and internal injuries

After a fall or a car accident a dog may have broken something or suffered internal injuries that you cannot see from the outside. Move it as little as possible, keep it warm and calm and transport it carefully on a firm, stable surface – a board, a stiff blanket, at a pinch the folded-down tailgate. Avoid turning or bending it. And even if it is only limping and otherwise seems normal: after an accident every dog belongs at the vet for a check-over.

What you must never do

Sometimes not doing something is the better first aid. A few things make matters worse, however well meant they are:

• No painkillers meant for humans. Ibuprofen and paracetamol are toxic to dogs, even in small amounts. What helps us can poison your dog. Painkillers come exclusively from the vet.
• Do not induce vomiting yourself – as said above, only on explicit instruction.
• No home remedies on the off chance. Milk against poison, butter, oil, salt in the mouth, toothpaste on wounds: tips like these from the internet often do more harm than good. When in doubt, give nothing and call.
• Do not treat wounds with harsh agents. To rinse them out you use saline solution or clear water, not high-strength disinfectant.

Vital signs and when it is always off to the vet

It helps to know your dog's normal values, so that in an emergency you can judge whether something is wrong. A dog's normal body temperature is around 38.0 to 39.0 °C, measured with a digital thermometer. Clearly above or below that is a warning sign. Also pay attention to the breathing and to whether your dog is responsive and reacts to you normally.

You go to the vet or the emergency practice in any case if:

• bleeding cannot be stopped quickly
• your dog is barely breathing or breathing only with difficulty
• it has lost consciousness or is not properly responsive
• you suspect a poisoning
• it has had a seizure
• it was involved in an accident – even without a visible injury
• heatstroke is involved

When in doubt, the rule is always: better to call once too often than once too little. A quick assessment over the phone costs nothing and can achieve a great deal.

Be prepared before it gets serious

The best emergency is the one you are prepared for. Save the number of your vet and the nearest emergency practice in your phone today – in an emergency you do not want to have to google. And find out now where the nearest animal clinic with an emergency service is. Knowing where you are driving before you need to saves crucial minutes when it matters.

If you want to do it really properly: some animal welfare and animal rescue organisations offer practical first-aid courses for dog owners. There you practise the moves once with your own hands, instead of only reading them – and in an emergency much of it then comes automatically.

In the end, first aid is above all this: buying time and staying calm until the professionals take over. You will find an overview of vets and emergency services in your region with us – it is best to check now where your nearest emergency service is. How to recognise and avoid poisonings you can read in our guide to toxic foods. And anyone wondering how to cushion unexpected vet costs will find the most important answers in our article on dog insurance.