Category: Injuries in Pets

Comprehensive Guide to Common Pet Injuries

Ensuring the safety and well-being of your pet involves understanding common injuries they may encounter. This guide provides insights into various pet injuries, preventive strategies, and essential first aid measures to address them effectively.

Animal Bites and Scratches

Pets may sustain bites or scratches from other animals, leading to potential infections. Immediate care includes:

Washing the wound with soap and warm water or a mild disinfectant.
Drying the area with clean gauze.
Covering the wound with a sterile dressing.

For detailed guidance, refer to our article on Animal Bites and Scratches.

Fractures

Broken bones require prompt attention. Signs include limping, swelling, and pain. First aid steps involve:

Keeping the pet as still and calm as possible.
Immobilising the affected area using a makeshift splint, if trained to do so.
Transporting the pet to a veterinarian immediately.

Learn more about fracture management in our Advanced Pet First Aid Level 3 course.

Eye Injuries

Eye injuries can result from foreign objects, scratches, or infections. Symptoms include redness, swelling, and discharge. Immediate care involves:

Preventing the pet from rubbing or scratching the eye.
Flushing the eye with sterile saline solution, if available.
Seeking veterinary care promptly.

For more information, visit our page on Eye Injuries.

Burns

Pets can suffer burns from heat sources, chemicals, or electrical injuries. First aid measures include:

Immediately flush the affected area with cool (not cold) water.
Applying a sterile, non-stick dressing to the burn.
Avoid the use of creams or ointments unless prescribed by a veterinarian.
Seeking veterinary attention promptly.

For comprehensive information, refer to our article on Burns.

Preventive Measures

Preventing injuries is key to your pet’s health. Consider the following strategies:

Regularly inspecting your home and garden for potential hazards.
Supervising interactions with other animals to prevent fights.
Keeping harmful substances out of reach.
Providing proper training to discourage risky behaviours.

Further Resources

Expand your knowledge of pet injury prevention and care with these resources:

For professional training, consider enrolling in our Advanced Pet First Aid Level 3 (VTQ) course.

/Injuries in Pets /

Fractures

Vets do see fractures in dogs and cats. They normally happen in both for the same reason, some trauma, quite commonly road traffic accidents that will cause them being hit by a car. And amazingly they seem to, especially in cats, they seem to have to run off. And then it is only a few […]

Eye injuries

The common eye injuries that we see in veterinary practice day to day are things like conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers we see quite a few of as well and then less so the traumatic injuries such as tears to the eyelid, or tears to the cornea itself. You can get infections of the orbit or of […]

Ear problems in pets

Vets find a lot of animals come in with ear problems, it is quite a common problem. They will often come in, initially, head-shaking or scratching at their ear. With dogs, they love to rub their ears along carpets as well. And the owner will come in, not necessarily saying that it is an ear […]

Nail And Claw Injuries

One common injury that you could come across in your pet is a damaged or broken nail or dew claw. The dew claw is found on the leg and the nails on the end of their toes. Nails can get damaged when they are too long and not cut back or where they are cut […]

Bandage aftercare

There were many cases where a dog or cat will leave the practice with a bandage on. With any bandage, we don’t leave them on for longer than two or three days maximum. The reason for that is because if something is bandaged, the wound is bandaged, we can’t see underneath that bandage what’s happening. […]

Nail and claw injuries

Nail and claw injuries are a common injury that you could come across is a damaged or broken nail or dew claw. The dew claw is found on the leg and the nails on the end of their toes. Nails can get damaged when they are too long and not cut back or where they […]

Eye Problems in pets

Eye problems in pets are often difficult to see, occasionally you will notice that your pet has a problem with its eyes. Symptoms of optical issues include noticing that they are uncomfortable in bright light, that they’re closing or squinting their eyes. There may be a visible discharge from their eyes or you may see […]

Animal Bites And Scratches

Animal bites and scratches are a concern for animals and humans. Although this is primarily a pet site, in this video we are going to look at both pet and human first aid. Remember that simply by having animals in your house, there’s always the risk of you yourself receiving a bite or scratch. If […]