April is National Pet First Aid Awareness Month and Pet Tech is its proud sponsor. Our goal is to inform and educate pet professionals as well as the pet owner about the importance of learning the skills and techniques of pet first aid. 

Written materials and videos alone are not a pet first aid class. To learn these life saving skills, you must take a pet first aid and CPR course taught by a properly trained instructor. Pet first aid and CPR is best learned through lecture, demonstration and hands-on skills practice. A proper training course should cover the following: bleeding and shock, restraining and muzzling, primary pet assessment, rescue breathing, CPR, fracture and limb injuries, insect bite and sting, snakebite, seizures, first aid and emergency preparedness kits, poisoning and poisonous substances, choking and snout to tail assessments. A better class will also advocate and address a healthy pet lifestyle. This includes dental care and how to provide that optimally healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, it should also stress the importance of both when to seek veterinary care and of establishing a relationship with your vet.

Pet first aid is exactly what it sounds like. The first aid your pet receives when injured. According to the American Animal Hospital Association, 25% more pets could have been saved if only ONE pet first aid technique was applied before veterinarian treatment. An article in the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association goes on to say that only 10% of pets needing CPR would survive if they did not receive CPR before veterinary intervention. Proper first aid can mean the difference between life and death, between a short recovery and a long recuperation and between short and long term disability. Remember, preventable accidents are the number one cause of death of pre-senior dogs and cats.

To find an Instructor in your area, visit www.pettech.net. or contact Bob Burnell at RobertBurnell@SitMeansSit.com 

For all that our pets do for us, shouldn't we be prepared to help them in an emergency?