Domestic Pets

Injury Guide

SERIOUS INJURIES

CAUSES

Collision with motor vehicles: How serious the damage is, hinges on many factors - size of animal,type and speed of vehicle and the part of it that hit the animal

This is the most common cause of death from injury in animals and it is important to try and prevent it.Train your dog to obey commands and keep it on a lead.Do not allow it to wander alone.As to cats, you can only protect them from dangerous traffic by keeping them in

FALLS FROM GREAT HEIGHTS: These generally involve cats or puppies falling from windows, down stairwells, off roofs or out of trees.How grave the damage is - hinges on the animal's weight,height of fall - at over 8-10m i.e. 2-3 stories, serious damage is very likely

OTHER COMMON CAUSES: Fights between animals, forceful blows, firearm accidents or mishaps with dangerous tools - chain saws,motor mowers etc

Always be on the lookout for escalators, glass doors,open washing machines,fireworks

ASSESSMENT

CHECK FOR VITAL SIGNS: When the animal is badly hurt, the first thing to ascertain is, whether it is still alive.This is easy if there is spontaneous movement, but can be hard if the animal is completely still.In this case look for the following signs

BREATHING MOVEMENTS: In animals you can examine for signs of breathing by seeing if there are slight rises and falls of the chest,abdomen and the last ribs - often these can be very slow and slight and therefore difficult to see with any certainty

HEARTBEAT: The heartbeat is felt by putting your hand or finger tips,depending on the size of the animal on the left side of the chest - behind the elbow joint.In this area you will be able to fell beneath the ribs a rhythmic pulse corresponding to the heartbeat

ARTERIAL PULSE: In animals, this is felt in the Femoral Artery by placing the index,middle finger and ring finger together on the inside of the thigh

In the central part of the inner thigh there is a depression between the muscles running vertically, near the upper part of which you will feel the beat with your finger tips

ASSESSMENT OF THE STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS: If the animal is alive - it may be lying still in shock.You should then establish whether it is conscious or not

RESPONSE TO CALL: Call the animal and see if it moves its head or eyes,even if only slightly, dogs sometimes wag their tail a little

ASSESSMENT OF VISION: Pass a hand in front of the animals eyes about 20cm away and try to see whether they follow your movement

If not,make a quick movement of the hand towards each eye,stopping just short of the lids, without touching the eyelashes.If the animal has conscious vision, it will react by closing the eyelids

SERIOUS STATE OF COMA: If you have found the animal is unconscious, you should assess how serious this is,namely whether the animal is suffering from the grave depression of brain activity called 'coma'.This can be done by observing the reflexes of the eyes and the state of the pupils

CORNEAL REFLEX: Lightly touch the corneal surface with your fingers. The normal reaction would be the eye shutting at once. The absence of this reflex in an animal, even if the stimulus is repeated, indicates that it is in a serious state of brain depression

LIGHT REFLEX: Take a torch and point it at the animal's eye with the beam well-focused on the pupil

In normal conditions the stimulation of strong light will cause the pupil to contract.If you see tis does not occur,there is probably serious brain depression. This test is similar to the previous one,but is harder to assess,especially if the surroundings are well lit.This is easier to observe and varies with the intensity of light reaching the eye

Strong light produces a strong contraction of the pupils

Darkness will cause dilation

Daylight without strong illumination (such as sunlight,or strong artificial light) - the pupils is of medium diameter

Carefully examine the eye

And if you find Contraction (Myosis) or Dilation (Mydriasis) of the pupil in an animal after a serious injury,particularly if it is present in one eye only - this can indicate brain injury

EXTERNAL EXAMINATION: Having established whether the animal is alive and conscious, you should assess the extent of its injuries by a rapid external examination for wounds or fractures

While examination try to avoid unnecessary movements and carry out unavoidable ones, very gently

Do not forget to inspect the abdomen for possible wounds in the abdominal wall - if the injury is very serious and the Viscera have protruded it will be clearly evident

ASSESSING MOBILITY OF LIMBS: Before starting to move the animal, it helps to carry out a series of checks to determine whether it is able to move its limbs If the animal is conscious, observe the limbs and try to discern voluntary movements

PEDAL REFLEX: If you cannot be sure,then movement can be provoked by the Pedal Reflex

This is easy to test

Simply squeeze the largest pad (Carpal or Tarsal), or a digit of the paw, or pinch the skin between the digits with some force.If the stimulus is strong enough,the animal normally withdraws its paw

Try this on all four limbs.If you find the hind limbs or the forelimbs are immobile or insensitive, the spinal column may well be damaged

SPINAL EXAMINATION AND PALPATION: Serious damage to the vertebrae can sometimes be detected by simply observing the back and carrying out a gentle examination of the spine

Gently palpate the sharp vertebral projections, which you will feel as small bony bumps along the centre of the spine.If you observe hollows,steps or lateral deviations, it might mean a fracture or a bad dislocation of the spinal column.However much will depend on the animal's position and condition - so if you suspect something unusual, seek immediate professional opinion

TREATMENT

After an accident, above all remember that a badly hurt animal will be in shock and that this lowers blood pressure

COMFORT:Try to think of the comfort of the animal.If the accident happens in cold weather,bring the animal into a warm place with good air circulation as soon as possible.Similarly if the temperature outside is high,find a cool ventilated place

BREATHING: If the animal is unconscious or finds breathing difficult

Lay it down on its side

Extending its head and opening its mouth for easier breathing

Check that the tongue is not too far back - and if it is, pull it gently forwards, out of the mouth

ESSENTAIL FIRST AID: Carry out only essential first aid and treat wounds or fractures - ONLY IN THE FOLLOWING CASES

1. If the wounds are large and dirty - clean and disinfect them, unless the injury is so serious that there is no time or possibility of dioing this

2. If blood flows copiously,check with a gauze pad or pressure bandabe on the wound, or if essential - a tourniquet

3. If fractures are exposed, cover and bandage them to avoid infection during transportion

Do not waste time setting splints or giving treatment if there is imminent danger of death

4. If you find there are deep wounds to the abdominal wall and protrusion of the abdominal organs

Clean and Protect them as best as you can before transportation

To clean Viscera, drip or spray them with water - using a sterile syringe without the needle.As there will be little time to act, you can use the cold water already boiled that remains in a kettle or just clean tap water.With some of the water moisten a piece of clean cloth

Pass the cloth under the exposed abdominal contents

And cover them by wrapping the cloth very gently around the animal

It is important that the exposed part of the Viscera is kept moist and covered to prevent the surface drying out and becoming contaminated during transportation

Do not attempt to replace all the producing Viscera in the abdominal cavity - it will not be possible and will cause considerable bruising

TRANSPORTATION OF THE ANIMAL: Always choose a suitable container to transport an injured animal so you do not risk it be being harmed or escaping

SMALL DOGS & CATS: can be carried in baskets or cardboard boxes with solid,rigid bottoms and edges at least 15-20cm high - provided the size is adequate and the wounded animal is not forced to assume a cramped position Pass one hand under the animal's neck & shoulders,holding your fingers wide and squeezing a fold of skin at the top of the neck with your thumb so that your hand will not slip,with the other hand hold the back of the body at the hip

MEDIUM SIZED DOGS: Should be transported on a blaket or a sufficiently big and strong cloth. You may even need to use a plank or something similar as a stretcher

Place the cloth along the backbone and pass one end under the forelimbs,head and neck - while the other end is moved under the flank, abdomen and hind legs

Gently lift the shouolders and chest and spread out the cloth completely.You can then carry the dog by holding the four corners of the cloth and forming a sort of hammock- then if you have a plank big and strong enough, use it as a support to keep the animal in a more comfortable position

To check any sideways slipping of the animal, grasp the plank not at the ends but towards the center

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