Handling , Transportation, First Aid, and CPR of Injured Companion Animals

1. Handling, Transportation, First Aid, and CPR of Injured Companion Animals Unit Standard 5181 and 5183

2. What is First Aid? • Definition: • Emergency care and treatment of an injured patient before complete medical and surgical treatment can be secured.

3. First Aid Three main aims of first aid • 1 To preserve life • 2 To prevent suffering • 3 To prevent the situation deteriorating

4. First Aid • What are the most important things to remember when considering first aid? • How do you decide whether the problem is an emergency? Is it life threatening and requires immediate attention or can it wait until tomorrow? • There are five rules • Don’t panic • Don’t become a victim • Maintain the airway • Control the haemorrhage • Contact the vet (if necessary) as soon as possible.

5. Getting information • On the telephone, there are some basic questions that can be asked: • What type of injury is it? (e.g. poisoning, lame leg, haemorrhage) • What is the degree of the injury? (i.e. how bad is it? E.g. breathing, consciousness, degree of bleeding). • When did the accident occur? Did the owner find the animal in the present state or did the owner see it happen? • Age, sex, breed of patient. • Is it receiving any current medicine? • Where is the animal at the present time? • Owner’s name, address and telephone number. Sometimes you will only be able to get a quick description from the owner as they are quite stressed. Make sure they know how to get to the clinic and collect other information after they arrive.

6. Scenario: HBC Dog - lying in the middle of the road • Approaching the Dog • Your own safety comes first • What is the demeanour of the dog? • Seek help from others – may have to deter traffic • Remove animal from middle of road if safe to do so

7. Muzzles • Tape Muzzle – note there should be a second person restraining the aggressive dog!

8. Tape Muzzle – again need redoing with 2 people holding dog etc

9. Restraint tools

10. Next…………. • Reassess your patient quickly, keep warm & avoid further shock • Transport to Vet Clinic • Cage/box/stretcher/blanket • Assistance from another – as they could drive while you constantly check vitals and monitor patient

11. What first? • If the animal is unconscious and breathing: • Roll the animal over on its right side and extend the head and place it so that it is in a position lower than the rest of the body. This opens the airway and prevents the tongue obstructing the airway. • Vomit and fluid can drain out easily from the mouth • Breathing and heartbeat can easily be observed.

12. What first? • If the animal is unconscious, not breathing and possibly has a blue tongue • apply resuscitation immediately • check for severe bleeding • If the animal is conscious and aggressive • for a dog, apply a muzzle • for a cat – wrap in a towel (only scruff a cat as a last resort). Then assess the animal’s condition.

13. Airway • Need a clear airway • Check for obstruction/finger sweep/visual/ pull tongue forward/pen at back of teeth • CARE: any animal can bite as a reaction to pain. • Signs of obstruction: • Difficulty breathing • Mucous Membrane (MM) cyanosis • Abnormal movement of the chest wall (or no movement) • May get gasping, short/frequent movements of the chest wall, or prolongation of inspiration and expiration (long, slow, deep breaths)

14. Breathing • Is the animal breathing? • Listen/ feel/ look • Ensure there is a clear airway • May need to start artificial respiration (breathing for the animal) • through either nose to mouth ventilation or chest compressions (not heart)

15. Nose/Mouth Breathing: • Lay the animal on the right side with head back and mouth closed. • Place your open mouth over the animal’s nose and breathe into it quickly five to six times (depth of breath is proportional to the animal’s size).

16. Nose/Mouth Breathing • If breathing returns, continue to observe the animal • If breathing is not restored, continue to breathe into the animal’s nose with 1 breath every 5 seconds

17. Circulation • Is the heart beating? • Is there a pulse? • Check for femoral pulse • Check colour of Mucous Membranes • Salmon Pink –normal • What is abnormal?

18. Mucous Membranes • Some examples of Mucous membrane colour • Normal is salmon pink • White (usually caused by circulatory shock) • could be due to dilated blood vessels, heart problems, low blood volume, severe anemia, or acute pain/trauma • Dark red/muddy • Possible sepsis (overwhelming bacterial infection), hyperthermia • Yellow, Jaundice (aka icterus) • usually related to the liver • These animal would all be considered seriously ill and need immediate veterinary attention

19. Mucous membranes

20. Circulation • Check Capillary Refill Time (CRT) • What is normal? • If no response start Heart Massage • In most cases CPR is needed – this is resuscitation of the heart and lungs.

21. ABC – time frame • Assessment should be able to completed in 1-2 minutes • Although all this sounds time consuming, it is carried out very quickly • After 3-4 minutes with no heart or lung function, there is irreversible brain damage to the patient. • ABC is done immediately before thinking of moving the animal.

22. If heartbeat has stopped

23. If heartbeat has stopped • First – lay the animal on the right side • (a) Small animal – have thumb on one side of the chest and fingers on the other side between the 3rd and 6th rib, just below left elbow

24. If heartbeat has stopped • (b) Large Dog – place heel of hand over the area between 3rd and 6th rib, just below left elbow.

25. If breathing and heartbeat have stopped • If two people are present, one person does 15 cardiac compressions then the other person gives 2 mouth to nose breaths. • If one person present, do as above and continue until the animal has been transported to a vet clinic.

27. Choking

28. Heimlich Maneuvre

29. Heimlich Maneuvre

30. Heimlich Maneuvre • If Breathing has Stopped • The animal should be held head down so that the foreign body will fall from the mouth once dislodged • Small dogs and cats can be suspended by their hind legs

31. Heimlich Maneuvre in Pets • larger dogs may need to be suspended from a table edge or over a fence. • Once in position a sharp punch should be administered to the abdominal wall, just behind the sternum and angled towards the animal's head. This should result in a cough that dislodges the foreign body • This procedure can be repeated up to 4 times.

32. Revision • What are the most important things to remember when considering first aid? • Don’t panic • Don’t become a victim • Maintain the airway • Control the haemorrhage • Contact the vet (if necessary) as soon as possible.

33. Revision • What would you do if an animal is unconscious and breathing? Roll the animal over on its right side and extend the head and place it so that it is in a position lower than the rest of the body which opens the airway. • prevents the tongue obstructing the airway. • vomit and fluid can drain out easily from the mouth. • breathing and heartbeat can easily be observed.

34. Revision • What are the signs that the animal’s airway has been obstructed? What would you do to clear the airway? • Difficulty breathing • MM colour cyanotic • No normal movement of the chest wall • Carefully check the back of the throat for objects and remove if possible • How can you tell if an animal is breathing? • Listen/look/feel

35. Revision • How many chest compressions and breaths do you give when providing CPR to an unconscious dog and how many times do you do this before checking the dog? • 15 x compressions/2 breaths twice then check • How would you administer the Heimlich Maneuvre on a cat? • The animal should be held head down so that the foreign body will fall from the mouth once dislodged. Small dogs and cats can be suspended by their hind legs.