First aid for pets
By Hallie Arnold, Freeman staff01/10/2005


KINGSTON - Americans as a nation are increasingly obsessed with their pets. We buy expensive sweaters for our poodles, pay for costly grooming for our Abyssinians, and let our beloved bulldogs sleep on our brand new leather couch.

But many pet owners don't know the first thing about what to do if their pet is injured, sick, or unconscious.


That's why the Ulster County Chapter of the American Red Cross began offering certified first aid training for pet owners and pet lovers this fall, the first such program offered in the Hudson Valley.

"It's an adjunct," said instructor Kim Giese-Wilson, who is also a dog trainer. "It's a step between you and your veterinarian. It's not meant to take the place of the vet."


Using a mix of video and verbal instruction and hands-on work with specially equipped faux pets, the course runs through the injuries and mishaps likely to be encountered by pet owners, from broken bones and cut paws to choking, rescue breathing, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Attendees will ideally leave the course with enough information to stabilize their sick or injured pet long enough to get the animal to either their veterinarian or animal emergency room for treatment.

A stuffed tabby cat and Bernese Mountain Dog, as well as a vinyl dog named Casper, made by Woodstock manufacturer Simulaids, Inc., give students a hands-on chance to try out their new-found skills, such as making a muzzle out of a strip of fabric, finding a femoral pulse, and doing the Heimlich maneuver to assist a choking animal.


But it's while doing the cardiopulmonary resuscitation that the practice pets really come in handy. Equipped with synthetic lungs, the animals' chests rise and fall as they're breathed into, and offer resistance to pressure when compressing the heart. Getting a handle on the amount of air an animal needs, and the amount of pressure to apply when compressing the heart, could prevent injuries that could be caused by a more inexperienced practitioner.

"Never practice CPR on anyone that's conscious, especially an animal, because you will get bit," Giese-Wilson advises.

One of the first steps any pet owner should take in learning animal first aid is to learn about their pets first. Knowing your pet's average heart rate, breathing rate, and body temperature will give a baseline to determine if something's wrong.

For instance, if a dog's temperature hits about 102 degrees, it could be a sign of illness, including a simple cold or something more complex and life-threatening, such as Lyme Disease. A temperature of 106 degrees can cause severe damage to a dog if left untreated. But if your dog runs a little warm all the time, an elevated temperature for one dog could be average for your dog.

"Understanding what's normal in your pet is really important," Giese--Wilson said. "No one knows your pet better than you."

In addition to running through the American Red Cross-approved course curriculum, the course gives a rare opportunity to learn more about your pet's specific health issues, by discussing them with both the course instructor and other members of the class. At a recent course, the instructor even went so far as to translate some of the first aid information offered for cats and dogs into equine terms for the benefit of two horse owners in the class.

The pet first aid class offered by the American Red Cross of Ulster County takes four hours to complete, and costs $45 per person or $60 for a couple. The cost of the course includes a pet first aid handbook and set of bandages with which to practice bandaging and muzzling techniques at home. Pet first aid kits, packaged in a bright red fanny pack, are also available at an additional cost.

For more information, call the Ulster County Chapter of the American Red Cross at (845) 338-7020, or visit their site online at www.ulsterredcross.org.

It's great that you can get training for this. I know it can be really dangerous to do CPR to somebody whose heart is in fact beating, so I wouldn't try it on my cats unless I've been trained - you can really damage a person's heart that way.

Although I do not know CPR, I have seen shows where firemen have saved pets. I know the keyword is gentle, and I would not hesitate to try it.