Pet instructor skill review
Course Content
- Introduction to your Pet First Aid Instructor refresher course
- Course introduction
- Dog First Aid and The Law
- The vet and your role in first aid
- The Role of the Dog First Aider
- When is Veterinary Care Required?
- Keeping your pet safe in an emergency
- Car Accidents
- Car Accidents - Injuries and Treatment
- Pet Proofing your home
- Please rescue my pets stickers
- Hand Hygiene
- Dog Microchipping
- Cat microchipping
- Precautions and Safety
- Pet Anatomy and Physiology
- First Aid Kits and Equipment
- Checking a Pets health
- Initial Assessment
- Checking Your Dog's Health and Finding Out What Is Normal
- Gum Colour
- Collecting a Urine Sample
- How Dogs Show Pain
- How Dogs Show Pain - Vets Comments
- Taking a Pulse
- Taking the Temperature
- Taking the Rectal Temperature
- Vital Signs
- Comprehensive Assessment and Checking Vital Signs Example
- Pet Accidents and First Aid
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation - CPR
- Choking
- Bleeding Control
- Types of Bleeding
- Dressings, Bandages and Controlling Bleeding
- Catastrophic Bleeding
- Dogs and haemostatic dressings
- What is the ideal animal haemostatic agent
- Collaclot - Collagen pad to stop bleeding and promote clotting
- Dogs and Tourniquets
- Commercial Tourniquets for Dogs
- HaemoCap™ MultiSite - Dogs
- Shock
- Shock - vets comment
- Different Conditions you may see
- Breathing and Respiratory Problems
- Loss of Appetite
- Sneezing
- Lethargy
- Urination Problems
- Weakness in Animals
- Weakness and Collapse - additional vets comments
- Hair Loss and Skin Conditions
- Cataracts
- Dehydration in Dogs
- Clinical signs of dehydration in dogs and cats
- Hydration and rehydration in dogs
- Fluid balance in dogs and cats
- Oralade - treating dehydration
- Oralade for cats
- Oralade - The Science
- Injuries
- Suspected fractures
- Types of fractures on animals
- Dog Fractures Treatment
- Spinal injury and moving an injured dog
- Spinal Injuries
- Paw Problems
- Paws and Claws
- Nail and Claw Injuries
- Eye Injuries
- Eye Problems
- Ear Problems
- General Bandaging
- Bandaging the Ear
- Bandaging the Tail and Tail Injuries
- Bandaging the Body
- Fight Wounds
- Puncture Wounds
- Mouth and Dental Problems
- Animal bites and scratches on dogs
- Small Cuts, Scratches and Grazes
- Bandage aftercare
- Stings on animals
- Ibuprofen and pets
- Carbon Monoxide and dogs
- Poisoning
- Vet poison information line
- Inducing Vomiting in a Dog
- Inducing Vomiting - vets comments
- Snake Bites
- Dog Burns
- Chemical Burns
- Electrocution
- Electric Shocks
- Cruciate Ligament
- Falls From Height
- Illness
- Dogs and Illnesses
- Bloat and Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (GDV)
- Why do dogs eat grass
- Why are Onions Toxic to Dogs
- Why is Chocolate Toxic to Dogs
- High Temperatures and Heatstroke
- Hyperthermia - Vets Comments
- Hypothermia Treatment
- Hypothermia - vets comments
- Vomiting in Animals
- Different Types and Causes of Vomiting
- Vomiting - vets comments
- Seizures and Epilepsy
- Diabetes
- Allergies in Dogs
- Allergic reactions
- Pancreatitis
- Cushings Disease
- Nose and Respiratory Problems - Vet
- Breathing Difficulties
- Coughing and kennel cough
- Kennel Cough - vets comments
- Diarrhoea in Animals
- Stomach Conditions
- Possible Causes of Blood in Dog Faeces
- Rabies
- Alabama Foot Rot
- Blue Green Algae
- Hip Dysplasia
- Urinary Tract Infections
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Pyometra
- Vestibular Syndrome
- Parasites that affect pets
- Cats
- Different types and sizes of animals
- Summary and Your Practical Session
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Shock in animals is very similar to people. What happens is, through an illness or some trauma, there will be a sudden drop in blood volume. And what happens in those situations is, if the blood volume isn't as it should be, then the cells in the organs of the body will not be getting the oxygen they require, because the blood won't be a sufficient amount to be carrying the oxygen to them. Your body will then go into shock and that means that the organs start to not function properly and then you get the consequences of that. So, you can feel quite sick, you can feel very weak, you will, in some situations, find that your animal has collapsed quite suddenly just through that sudden drop in the blood pressure and the blood volume. It is a real emergency when that happens, whatever causes it, whether it is illness or some injury that's happened to them, and you must get them seen by the vet quite, quite quickly.It is a good idea to phone your vet in advance and let them know that you're coming down, and they will immediately put them on fluids to try and increase that blood volume again. And in most cases, they may need some oxygen as well because that's what they are lacking through the drop of the blood. If you do have access to oxygen and they look like they need that through signs of respiratory distress, very pale mucous membranes, looking under the lip and looking at their gums, if there is any sign of that and there is access to oxygen prior to getting to the vet's, then it would be a good idea to give them additional oxygen before that happens.There are various causes of shock. Some of them may be quite sudden in onset. If you have had a traumatic injury and a sudden bleed, then the drop in blood volume will be quite acute. And then the signs of the shock will come on quite quickly with that. In other cases, such as an illness where your animal has, for example, Cushing's disease or renal kidney failure, then the onset can be more gradual because the shock will come on more gradually as your animal becomes more dehydrated. And as the organs then slowly become starved of the oxen, then the signs will come on more slowly. Initially, you may notice that your animal is just not quite themselves. They may not be falling over, they may not be collapsed, but they're just a little bit sluggish, a bit lethargic, maybe a little bit off their food. But if it's true, shock, that will accelerate quite quickly to the point where they are... You're noticing signs where you really need to get them seen quite quickly by your vet. As a first aider, if you thought that your animal was suffering from shock, you would want to monitor all the vital signs. You would want to be looking at their pulse, know how to measure their pulse, know how to look at their mucous membranes, under their gums, see what colour they are and write it down or note in your head if there's a change. If they are getting paler, then you know you need to be more concerned. Also, if you can, take a temperature. In a lot of cases, shocked animals will become hypothermic, so their temperature will go down, and in those cases, you need to be supplying warmth, be it via holding them or wrapping them up in a blanket, getting them out of the cold if you're outside. You need to monitor that because there are certain situations, such as heat stroke, where actually your animal is going in shock because their temperature has gone too high. So, you need to just make sure that you're doing the right thing. In a heat stroke case, you would treat that completely differently by trying to cool them down with wet towels and possibly hosing them down, if that was an option to do that. But you do really need to just be monitoring those signs and judging whether you think the situation is getting worse or whether it may be improving. Because if it's a very sudden incident, then the body will have an immediate response, then it may, if it can, start to compensate and return the organs back to full function very quickly if the cause has gone away quite quickly.
Understanding and Managing Shock in Animals: A Comprehensive Guide
Similarity to Human Shock
Shock in animals mirrors the condition observed in humans:
- Cause: It typically occurs due to sudden blood volume decrease following illness or trauma.
- Consequences: Insufficient blood volume leads to organ dysfunction and associated symptoms.
Recognizing Signs of Shock
Identifying signs of shock is vital for prompt intervention:
- Acute Symptoms: Symptoms may include sudden weakness, collapse, or feeling unwell.
- Emergency Response: Seek veterinary assistance immediately upon observing signs of shock.
Immediate Veterinary Care
Quick action and veterinary intervention are crucial:
- Communication: Inform the vet in advance and ensure immediate access to medical care.
- Treatment: Veterinary treatment often involves fluid therapy and supplemental oxygen.
Causes and Onset
Shock can stem from various causes with differing onset rates:
- Traumatic Injuries: Acute bleeding can rapidly lead to shock symptoms.
- Gradual Onset: Conditions like Cushing's disease or kidney failure may induce shock gradually.
First Aid Measures
As a first aider, follow these steps when suspecting shock:
- Vital Sign Monitoring: Monitor pulse, mucous membrane colour, and body temperature.
- Temperature Regulation: Provide warmth if the animal's temperature decreases.
Differentiating Heat Stroke
Heat stroke requires distinct treatment methods:
- Cooling Measures: Use wet towels or hose down the animal to lower body temperature.
- Observation: Continuously monitor symptoms to assess improvement or deterioration.