vet advice

[dogz25]

hope this is usefull.

 

As a veterinarian and avid waterfowler, McGee has given thousands of hunters advice on how to care for injured dogs in the field _ and the first thing he always tells them is to "please, please, please keep it simple."

"First-aid doesn't have to be rocket science," said McGee, a veterinarian at the Collierville Animal Clinic. "You can use simple household items _ stuff that you already have _ to take care of a lot of problems."

McGee conducted a program on first-aid for hunting dogs at his clinic recently for the Wolf River Chapter of Quail Unlimited. With the help of his 12-year-old black lab, Carter, McGee demonstrated some of his simple techniques for treating common injuries.

Cuts, scrapes, gashes

McGee said the injuries he sees most frequently among hunting dogs are cuts and abrasions. His recommended method of treatment varies, depending on the seriousness of the ailment.

For arterial bleeds that are pumping blood, he said pressure must be applied immediately. Dogs with such injuries to their lower limbs can lose enough blood to go into shock in just four minutes. Arterial injuries to a dog's chest or arm pit can induce shock in about one minute.

For less serious cuts or scrapes, McGee suggests removing hair from the area, flushing the wound clean with sterile saline and using duct tape _ that's right, duct tape _ for a bandage.

"It's one of the best things to use because it will stick and stay in place," he said. "If you have a more serious injury, you want to bandage it as tightly as you can to keep pressure on it until you can get the dog to an emergency facility. But for less serious cuts, few things work better than simple duct tape."

McGee said he also sees a lot of hunting dogs with foot pad injuries _ and those injuries almost always look worse than they really are because they bleed so heavily.

No matter how bad it looks, he said it's easy to care for most foot pad injuries with a piece of gauze, a cleaning agent and a Ziploc bag.

"You have to be sure and clean it because they'll be walking on it and packing dirt down into it," McGee said. "But once you've got it clean, just put the gauze on it, stick the dog's foot into a Ziploc bag and tape it up. It's not going anywhere."

Though most foot pad injuries will bleed for eight to 12 hours, McGee said he rarely uses sutures to close one. A visit to the vet is usually necessary, however, because the injuries require pain medication and antibiotics.

McGee said Super Glue is good for closing "ear splits" _ a common injury that occurs when dogs gash their ears on briars on barbed-wire. He said with all seriousness that it's also possible to use underwear as a makeshift bonnet for a dog that has injured its ears in the field.

For heat exhaustion, which occurs when a dog's body temperature reaches 104 degrees, he said common rubbing alcohol poured on the dog's feet, arm pits and groin area will help the cooling process. But he was quick to warn against pouring alcohol on the dog's entire body _ and once the dog's body temp reaches 107, he said it's imperative for the owner to seek emergency help.

"We have a thermometer that measures up to 108 degrees," McGee said. "I've seen dogs with body temperatures so high that our thermometer wouldn't measure it. Heat stroke is probably the most common preventable emergency that I do see dogs die from."

McGee also recommends using hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting in the event of accidental poisoning and Benadryl (one milligram per pound) to treat bug bites and bee stings.

To splint broken bones, he said one of the best things to use is rolled-up newspaper.

"Hunters should always keep a good medical first-aid kit for their dogs," McGee said. "But by adding a few other simple items _ things that most people already have anyway _ you can make things easier for yourself and for your dog."

[apache]

There is some good advice there. A decent human first aid kit just requires a few extra items as most things can be used for people and dogs. A decent pair of curved scissors and a couple of cohesive [like Vetwrap] bandages. Sterile saline ideal for cleaning wounds, but if you could drink it you can use water from a tap, hose or bottle.

 

Make sure you don't get yourself bitten when dealing with any wounds, learn how to improvise a muzzle from a non-stretchy bandage. Hydrogen peroxide is very irritating when swallowed and I wouldn't suggest it to induce vomiting. You can use washing soda [NOT CAUSTIC SODA] which is available in the Co-Op. Don't give your dog human medicines [eg Benadryl] without speaking to your vet. There may be more useful drugs in this country, as the article is clearly American.

 

If you want a good book, I can recommend http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gundog-Veterinary-Bible-Harvey-Carruthers/dp/1846890500/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1293382865&sr=8-4 he's the chap with a column in Shooting Times.

[darren m]

You can use washing soda [NOT CAUSTIC SODA] which is available in the Co-Op

 

how would you administer this please??

 

Also for bug bites/stings and nettles would piriton be a better choice.

 

lastley whats your opinion on useing a tornaquet

 

thanks

[apache]

You can use washing soda [NOT CAUSTIC SODA] which is available in the Co-Op

 

how would you administer this please??

 

Also for bug bites/stings and nettles would piriton be a better choice.

 

lastley whats your opinion on useing a tornaquet

 

thanks

Washing soda is placed on the back of the tongue, can be repeated if needed. Usually effective, but very safe.

 

There are many anti-histamines available for people, but none have a licence for use in pets. Vets tend to find steroids much more effective and if you have a good relationship with your vet they may prescribe you a couple. Nettles and minor stings often resolve just as quickly despite treatment!

 

A tourniquet is a last resort when pressure alone can't control bleeding. It's quite a difficult thing to improvise effectively and almost always not needed. That said if you are in a situation where you can't apply pressure or the injury is severe then it's the only option. All I can think of would be a traumatic amputation. I have stopped severe arterial bleeding with pressure dressings many times.