Handling Your Pet's Medical Emergency

What would you do if your dog had a medical emergency? Most dog owners don't give this much thought until they are forced to deal with the situation themselves. The first thought that comes to most people's mind is to call 911- that's smart. After you make that call, the response to your pooches medical emergency is different than you may think. This article discuses what happens after you make that call and different departments that can help in an emergency.

If you have ever been in an emergency situation with your dog you know just how traumatic it can be. There might be blood, broken bones or deep cuts and you are left scrambling to figure out how to transport your best friend to the nearest emergency facility. In some situations rescue is required; however, it is a frustrating situation because 911 does not assist in canine accidents or medical transport. Often you will be responsible for freeing, carrying and driving your dog in your own car to the nearest animal ER. With you driving there is often noting that you can do to help your pet on the way. You will not be able to comfort your dog, administer CPR or apply pressure to any wounds. In response to these needs from pet owners just like you several emergency services specifically for dogs have been created over the last few years.

While most fire departments across the country are facing budget cuts or closing stations altogether, many animal rights activists are raising money to provide canine oxygen masks to stations not equipped with the life saving devices. Most major fire departments are equipped with animal oxygen masks to provide life saving care upon the rescue of a pet from a burning building. Unfortunately, human masks do not fit dogs or cats so they are often vulnerable to complications from smoke inhalation or shock. To make matters worse dogs tend to hide out of fear in the event of a house fire making them more difficult to find thus leaving them exposed to smoke inhalation for longer periods of time. Many local animal activists have rallied to provide fund raising efforts to provide local stations with pet masks while other cities have put these devices in their city budgets.

Fire fighters are also the proper department to call if you need help freeing a tuck or stranded animal. While 911 provides emergency response services to people through police officers, fire fighters are the leaders on the animal front. This means that there is some preparation involved on your part. Rather than depending on the standard emergency catch all number of 911 you will need to research and write down the number of your local fire station(s) in order to ask for help. It is also a good idea to keep this number handy with the names and numbers of local 24 hour animal emergency facilities in the area. As a pet owner you must be prepared to act quickly in an emergency and scrabbling for telephone numbers at the last minute can waste valuable time that could be spent saving your dog’s life.

Other life saving emergency services specifically for dogs include animal ambulance services. These services provide emergency transport to local Veterinary facilities for treatment. These services are very similar to human ambulances in that the vehicles themselves are equipped with life saving first aid equipment and are often staffed with certified animal emergency medical technicians. Animal ambulances can move and restrain injured animals without causing further injury, provide life-saving first aide in route to the ER and have specialized equipment that owners do not have access to.

Animal ambulance services are popping up in cities across the country. For instance, AmbuVet serves New York City. Phoenix's All Animal Rescue & Transportation is an ambulance agency that also helps wildlife. Animal Ambulances of Southern Califo
ia has service from Ventura County to San Diego. Animal Rescue League of Boston operates a few animal ambulances, while the MSPCA operates the nation's premiere equine emergency response service. Washington D.C., Chicago, and many other metropolitan areas have one or several small ambulance companies specializing in pets. If you can not find a company specializing in this service in your area try contacting the largest animal emergency facility in your area to find out if they offer transport services. An internet search will be most helpful in finding services near you. n