5 Important Ways to Save Your Dog's Life in an Emergency – by Dr Alex Hynes

We’ve got a special guest on the blog today, Dr Alex Hynes, a vet from our hometown Brisbane (you might know her from her appearances on Bondi Vet) shares her 5 tips to save your dog's life in an emergency. I love connecting with other dog lovers and because Dr Alex is so passionate about helping dog owners look after their pets, I jumped at the opportunity to share her article with you.

Some more information about “First Call”:

• a must-have guide for every dog owner
• contains 24 chapters on the most common illnesses, injuries and emergency situations for dogs
• includes prevention tips and vital info on symptoms, causes, treatment and recovery
• has a lifesaving guide on how to perform CPR on your dog
• get to know and understand your precious pooch better and help them to have a happy and healthy life
• acting with knowledge, calmness and confidence can make all the difference in a critical situation
• presented in a simple and concise way with gorgeous dog photos throughout

I feel honoured to have her on the blog today as someone who has dedicated her life to helping pets, sharing knowledge with pet owners and advancing the area of Emergency & Critical Care in Australia.

And as promised, here are her top 5 tips on how to prepare for an emergency involving your dog:

 Five Ways To Help You Prepare for a Doggy Emergency

As dog parents we never want to think of our precious pups being in a critical situation, or in need of emergency care. There is a common misconception that treatment for your dog starts only when you get to the vet, but there are many things that owners can do to prepare so that if an emergency situation arose, they could act with knowledge, calmness and confidence, which would make all the difference to their dog in their time of need.

The top five things I advise owners when I am asked how they can prepare for an emergency are:

CPR:

Learning CPR for dogs is a vital skill that all dog owners should know, it could just save your dog’s life in a critical situation. My book First Call for Dogs contains a step-by-step guide on how to perform CPR on both adult dogs and puppies. There are also organisations who run CPR training for pet owners, ask your vet to see what’s available locally.

Prevention:

A part of keeping our dogs safe is using vet approved preventative medications and keeping vaccinations up-to-date, that will protect them from life-threatening illnesses.

It is also important to know what foods and products are harmful for dogs. Ensuring they are kept out of reach, and in doggy-safe containers could just save you a trip to the emergency vet. In my book I have a chapter dedicated to the most common items that are harmful to dogs including food, medications and household products. Rule number one: Never underestimate what our beloved pooches can get into, and eat.

Also think about your surroundings. When heading for a walk or going somewhere new, think ahead about what possible dangers could be lurking.  If you’re heading to the beach, will there be shade, enough fresh water, and can your dog swim? If you’re catching up with friends who have a dog in the household, you should introduce the dogs slowly under supervision, and remove all food and toys to avoid fights - this is one of the most common emergencies we see at the hospital.

Knowledge:

I believe education is so important - you cannot prevent an accident but if you can act with knowledge, calmness and confidence, that could make all the difference in the life of your dog. That is exactly why I wanted to create First Call for Dogs - it is to give owners peace of mind and to ensure they are able to make informed decisions at a time when their dog needs them the most.

I always recommend that pet owners observe their dog’s normal habits and behaviours - breathing patterns, toilet habits, eating habits etc - that way they are able to pick up very quickly when something isn’t right.

Transport:

Getting your dog to the vet for treatment, is of course important, however nothing is more important than getting there safely. Consider doing a test journey to the nearest emergency vet, so that you can become familiar with the route and get an idea on how long the drive will take. There is nothing worse than getting lost, when you’re already in a stressful situation. Ensure you have your vet and local emergency hospitals phone numbers easily accessible, so you can call ahead to prepare them for your arrival. There are many valuable tips - which I cover in First Call - that will make the journey easier and safer for both you and your dog. Don’t drive? Research if there a local pet ambulance service, or a reliable taxi company that is happy to take pets.

First Aid Kit:

Just as you would have a first aid kit at your home for your family, having a dog first aid kit means you will have access to all the materials you may need during an emergency situation. First Call lists all of the essentials that you should include, and I would suggest having one in the home and one for the car, as often accidents happen when we are out and about.

EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT We also have an exciting promo to share: simply use the code YOSHI at the checkout when purchasing Dr Alex Hynes' book "First Call" and receive 15% off the regular price. The book is packed full of useful information on the most common emergency illnesses, dangers and injuries for dogs. View the book here.