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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Pet first aid for our smaller pets, such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, is essentially the same as it would be for dogs and cats, however, they are a lot smaller and so for bandage situations, it may not be possible to put on a bandage on a little leg of a hamster. I think the biggest difference between the small pets, compared to the larger dogs and cats, is the fact that they can go into shock a lot quicker and the reason for this is that their surface area to volume ratio is a lot larger, so they have a lot bigger surface area for their size. So, they can get colder quicker, they can get blood loss and if the blood loss is considerable, it will affect them a lot quicker than it would for a cat or a dog. So, in these situations, if you know, if you have seen an injury, or you have a wound on a small pet, on a rabbit, keep it clean, but look at keeping your animal warm and trying to prevent them from going into shock from the injury they have and get them to the vet as soon as you can.Although the first aid for the small pets may be quite similar as it is for the dogs and cats, the smaller pets can be more susceptible to certain conditions. So, for example, the parasites that can affect them are the same as they can for dogs and cats. They can get fleas, but with rabbits, in particular, fleas are quite a big concern because they can transmit something called Myxomatosis. Myxomatosis is a really horrible virus that rabbits get and can cause lots of different symptoms. They get a lot of discharge; nasal discharge, discharge from their eyes, they get swollen genitalia, that's a very common symptom of the Myxomatosis and sadly, with rabbits that do contract the Myxomatosis, treatment is often unrewarding and they do, unfortunately, get put to sleep.The other thing that rabbits get are two conditions that we can vaccinate against. One of them is the Myxomatosis and the other condition is something called viral haemorrhagic diarrhoea. So, with these rabbits, the vaccination will protect them against that, however, there was a newer strain of the haemorrhagic diarrhoea virus that has started to affect rabbits and this one does not actually cause haemorrhagic diarrhoea in a lot of the cases. It goes and attacks the organs and it causes sudden death in a lot of rabbits. So, this is a vaccine that has recently come out in the last two years and we are now trying to encourage rabbit owners to vaccinate against this, as well, because it's not... If they do contract that virus, we know that we will not be able to do anything about it. So, other diseases that we see more frequently in the smaller pets would be respiratory diseases and also skin diseases. The thing with the respiratory disease is because their lung capacity is lower than it is in dogs and cats, they can become unwell a lot quicker and the disease can go a lot further before they come in to see us at the vet. Often we find that treatment is started too late and, sadly, we can not bring them back from having those respiratory diseases.Skin diseases, as in dogs and cats, can be caused by bacterias, viruses, but parasites as well. Parasites, parasitic infections for small mammals and for small pets tend to be mites; that tends to be the most frequent one, whereas, in dogs and cats, a lot of the parasitic ones will be fleas or ticks.
Pet First Aid and Health Considerations for Smaller Pets
Unique Challenges for Smaller Pets
Size Matters: First aid for rabbits, guinea pigs, and hamsters shares similarities with dogs and cats, but their smaller size presents distinct challenges.
Shock Susceptibility: Smaller pets can enter a state of shock more rapidly due to their higher surface area to volume ratio, making prompt care crucial.
Injury Response: Keep injuries clean, maintain warmth, and prevent shock when caring for wounded small pets before seeking professional veterinary assistance.
Specific Health Concerns
Parasitic Threats: Small pets, like dogs and cats, can suffer from parasitic infestations, with fleas being of particular concern in rabbits due to their ability to transmit Myxomatosis.
Vaccination Importance: Vaccines are available for Myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic diarrhoea, offering protection for rabbits. A newer strain of haemorrhagic diarrhoea demands vaccination to prevent sudden death.
Respiratory and Skin Issues: Smaller pets are prone to respiratory diseases, which progress quickly due to their lower lung capacity. Skin conditions, often caused by mites, are also common among these pets.