What To Do When Your Pet Or Farm Animal Is Injured

Photos credit by iMum

This is something that every pet owner or animal owner has to deal with at one time or other and sometimes it is not a pleasant task. You will find that any squeamishness will soon go away as you concentrate on dealing with the problem at hand.

Now I am not a vet and do not under any circumstance profess to be one and therefore any instructions given here are for what would be regarded as minor to moderate injuries and things that I have had to deal with in the field so to speak with no access to a vet. If at all possible get your animal seen to by a qualified veterinarian.

There will be no prescription for drugs, naming drug brands or drug usage here, as the top priority is to see that animal gets back to being normal and healthy once again and as quickly as possible.

The very first thing that is needed to be done is to physically check the animal in question over. You need to assess the problem and the severity of the damage. Wash your hands thoroughly before handling any wounds, as you don’t want to introduce cross infections here. Cleanliness is next to godliness is the key here. Handle the animal firmly but gently as you don’t want to distress the animal any more than is absolutely necessary. They will be far more assured that they are in good hands if you don’t handle them with kid gloves, believe me!

Once the injuries are assessed then you can determine the plan of action to be taken.

 

Keep the animal warm and if it is possible to bring the animal inside to the warmth then do so. If not then place a safe form of heat source near the animal. Remember safety for yourself and the animal is very important.

A few things to get ready:

A bucket of warm salty water made up from 1 tablespoon salt to one cup warm water

Clean clothes plenty of them if the wounds are plenty

Tweezers

Sharp scissors

Cotton wool or cotton wool balls

Cotton buds

Iodine ointment or solution

Antibacterial wash if you have it

A sterilised curved needle

Thin Catgut just in case you need to suture

Long nosed pliers

Now have a bucket of warm salty water at the ready and clean the wound thoroughly. If there is a lot of blood then change the clothes frequently to prevent the salty water from becoming too dirty looking. You want to clean the area thoroughly and not transfer the dirt back into the wound. If possible, it is a good idea to have a second person on hand to help by firmly holding the animal down while the wounds are being cleaned. When an animal is hurt it is instinctive for that animal to lash out and usually bite or claw. It does not mean the beloved pet for instance has become vicious at all. They are just in a lot of pain and this is the only way they know of to communicate this to you. Do not be afraid of them. They will realise that you are trying to help them ultimately. If the wounded animal is small like say a kitten, cat or small dog then a hand on the head and neck and hindquarters at the same time confining the feet is best. If the animal is larger like a large dog, sheep, goat or even larger, a cow or horse then several people are needed to assist as you will want one person at the head end leaning with whole body weight here and then another at the rear end. With a cow or horse, especially if they are laying down is easiest as the person at the rear literally sits on the animal to keep them steady and calm. As I said the more pressure you can administer here will actually reassure the animal that you mean it no harm. This does not apply however if the injuries are in these locations and then you will have to find an alternative position the hold the animal still. The person at the head end needs to make sure that the animal is still breathing. Sometimes a towel over the eyes helps to calm a particularly distressed animal. Always talk soothingly when around the animal and never make sudden loud noises. Remember calmness is what you need at this point.

Okay you have all you might need at hand, the animal is held, and the animal is as calm as possible under the circumstances. If the wound is still bleeding then this must be stopped so apply pressure to the wound as you would with a human that is bleeding. If the blood is squirting out furiously, then I am afraid you have major problems and you cannot deal with this situation, especially if after a few minutes it has not ceased at all. This generally indicates that a main artery has been severed and unless a vet is very close the end result is not a good one and it is kinder to end the animal’s life. A sad thing to do but sometimes this is unavoidable. You don’t want the animal to suffer unduly.

Okay the wound has been cleaned. If there is long hair or fur around the wound then very carefully trim this as short as you can. Making sure that you don’t cut the animal in the process. If you start to feel squeamish then look away and take a few deep breaths. This helps! Trimming the hair or fur away will allow you to see better and also ensure that the area is perfectly clean. Now wash the area again with the warm salty water to ensure that any pieces of hair or fur are removed.

Most injuries to animals will only require a good cleaning and then dry the area as well as you can with a cotton ball or a piece of cotton wool that has been formed into a ball. Never just pull cotton wool from the roll and use as the fibres will get all over the place and make your task a whole heap worse to do. By tucking the edges over each other you have a more stable surface to clean and dry with.

Once the area is as dry as possible then apply the iodine ointment or solution, making sure that it is spread out past the wound site. If possible move the animal to a safe place in a box or basket. If the animal is a pet and used to sleeping in a basket then place an old towel in the basket and place the animal on this. It will help keep the animal warm and prevent any blood from getting onto the animals bedding.

Provide food and water or milk within reach of the animal and if at all possible place another towel lightly over the body of the animal. Do not cover the head! Now leave the animal in peace in a darkened place to allow total rest and natural healing. Repeat the warm salt water bathing three times a day and reapply the iodine. Within a couple of days you should see a remarked improvement. The animal may not feel like eating for the first 24 hours and this is okay. Provide the food and clean water or milk anyway so that when they do feel like it, it is there for them. If there is no improvement within 48 hours then a vet will need to be called.

For sprains then apply the same things that you would if it was a human, cold packs.

If a broken limb is obvious then a vet needs to be called or if this is not possible the animal needs to be destroyed unless you are confident of securing a splint This takes great skill in making sure that the broken bones are properly aligned and if done wrong can actually cause your animal far more stress than is warranted. If in doubt consult a vet immediately.

Suturing is something that not too many folks can attempt. But if you are up to it then shave the area as best you can with ordinary hair clippers and clean the area thoroughly. Any cut under 2 inches should be just fine left alone with just the cleaning and iodine applications. I am not sure what sorts of disinfectant you have there. Just use a good one. Here we have ones like Savlon and Dettol of which both are excellent. Now these are not the disinfectants that you use to clean the toilet with. They are medicinal ones used for cleaning scraps and wounds in humans. Soak the curved needle, pliers and the catgut in a clean bowl covered with the disinfectant and allow to soak for at least ten minutes. If you do not have any disinfectant, then soak in a quite heavy salty water solution to sterilise. Have your pliers at hand as generally an animal’s skin is very tough. Make your first stitch about ¼ inch from the end of the cut and about a 1/16th of an inch in from the edge of the cut going from the top to the underside of the skin. Use the pliers to get the needle through the skin if necessary. Now insert the needle under the skin at the same 1/16th inch in and out the other side, opposite the first incision. Tie this off with a secure knot firmly pulling the two edges together. Cut the catgut leaving about a ¼ inch tassel. Repeat every 1/2-inch along the wound. Wipe the wound with disinfectant if you have it otherwise use warm salty water again. Pat dry and apply iodine. It is not necessary to bandage as the animal will soon tear it off anyway and it is best left to dry and allowed to heal. Remove the stitches after seven to ten days depending on how the wound has healed.

Suturing should only be done in severe cases and if done as quickly as possible after the injury occurred the animal will feel little pain. It will simply feel a little discomfort. Calmly talk to the animal the whole time and reassure them everything is okay. Again leave the animal in a darkened place to recover and keep them warm. Shock is one of the primary killers and not always the injury.

Chest injuries can be very serious indeed, especially if the lungs have been punctured. One way to know if this has happened is the sound of air escaping from the puncture wound, or pinkish to reddish bubbles coming from the wound in the chest. This is very, very bad and cannot be dealt with by you so do not even attempt this. If at all possible take the animal immediately to a vet or again if not at all possible destroy the animal as quickly and as humanly as possible. It is suffering greatly with this type of injury.

I have a hard briefcase that I have that contains all my emergency animal requirements. Such as the list given above along with any vet issued ointments etc. It is always handy if needed. As with humans, accidents happen and the quicker that you can respond the better it is for the patient. Most medical procedures that you would perform at home on a human can be performed on animals safely. And this goes for using human antiseptic ointments and lotions too. Just stay clear of heavily perfumed products as these can cause irritation to the animal and an allergic reaction just as it can with humans.

Caution: Never attempt to perform medical assistance to an injured animal if you suspect the injuries to be severe or out of what you can handle. Remember that the animal’s wellbeing is very important here and you certainly do not want the animal suffering un-necessarily. If in doubt call a veterinarian immediately.

Happy animal care!