Nobody wants to need this, but it happens. The dog chokes, eats something toxic, gets hurt. And in these moments, what you do in the first minutes can make the difference between life and death.
First aid doesn't replace a veterinarian. The goal is to stabilize the animal and buy time until reaching professional care. Always have a 24-hour veterinary emergency phone number saved on your phone.
Choking
A choking dog makes forced coughing sounds, drools a lot, may have bluish gums, puts paw in mouth. It's desperate to see, but you need to stay calm.
- Open the dog's mouth and see if you can see the object. If visible and accessible, try to remove with fingers. Be careful not to push it further in.
- If you can't see or reach it, in small dogs: hold by hind legs head down and shake gently. Gravity can help.
- In large dogs: do the canine Heimlich maneuver. Stand behind the dog, place arms around belly just below ribs, and press upward and forward, like a strong hug. Repeat up to 5 times.
- If the dog faints, lay it on its side and check the mouth again. Start mouth-to-snout breathing if necessary.
Even if you manage to unblock it, take it to the veterinarian afterward. The object may have caused internal injuries that aren't visible.
Poisoning
Dogs eat things they shouldn't. Rat poison, chocolate, human medications, toxic plants, cleaning products. Each substance acts differently, but general rescue principles are similar.
Signs of poisoning vary: vomiting, diarrhea, excessive salivation, tremors, seizures, dilated or overly constricted pupils, difficulty breathing, bleeding (anticoagulant poison), fainting.
Call veterinarian or emergency immediately. Describe what the dog ingested, how long ago, and symptoms it's showing. They will guide whether you should induce vomiting (and how) or go directly to clinic.
While waiting or traveling: keep the dog calm, don't offer food or water (unless instructed), and if it's convulsing, protect it from hurting itself but don't try to hold the tongue.
Injuries and bleeding
Cuts happen. Fights with other animals, sharp objects, various accidents. The first thing is to assess severity.
Light bleeding: clean with clean water or saline solution, apply pressure with clean cloth for a few minutes. Small wounds usually stop bleeding on their own. Keep clean and watch for signs of infection in following days.
Moderate to intense bleeding: continuous pressure is key. Use a clean cloth and press firmly for at least 5 minutes without removing to look. If cloth soaks, place another on top without removing the first. Go to veterinarian maintaining pressure.
- Strong direct pressure on site
- If on limb, elevate paw above heart level
- Tourniquet only as last resort (risk of losing limb)
- IMMEDIATE veterinary emergency
Bite wounds are treacherous. Look small on outside, but can have deep damage. Always take to veterinarian even if it seems superficial.
Fractures
You'll notice: the dog doesn't support the paw, there's swelling or visible deformity, it cries in pain when touched. Sometimes the bone pierces the skin (open fracture).
The main thing is to immobilize and not make it worse. Don't try to "put it in place". Don't force the dog to walk. If possible, improvise a splint with cardboard or rolled magazine, tied loosely with cloth, just to avoid movement during transport.
Transport carefully: small dogs can go in your arms, supporting the fractured area. Large dogs may need a board or stretched blanket as improvised stretcher. Any sudden movement causes extreme pain.
Open fracture: cover exposed bone with clean moist cloth. Don't try to clean or push it in. It's a surgical emergency.
Seizures
Seeing your dog convulsing is frightening. It may fall on its side, make pedaling movements, salivate, urinate, defecate, become unconscious. Most seizures last less than 2 minutes, though it seems like an eternity.
- Don't put your hand in its mouth. It won't swallow its tongue, and you'll get bitten.
- Move away objects that could hurt it (furniture, stairs)
- Don't hold or try to immobilize. Let the seizure follow its course.
- Mark the time. If it exceeds 3 minutes, it's an emergency.
- Reduce light and noise if possible.
After the seizure, the dog is confused, may not recognize you, walk in circles, appear temporarily blind. This is normal and passes in minutes to hours. Stay close, speak calmly, don't force interaction.
A single seizure isn't always an immediate emergency, but needs investigation. Repeated seizures (more than one in 24h) or a seizure that doesn't stop are emergencies.
Heatstroke (hyperthermia)
Dogs don't sweat like humans. They regulate temperature mainly by panting. On hot days or if trapped in unventilated environments (closed car is the classic), body temperature rises dangerously.
Signs: excessive panting, very red or purple tongue, thick salivation, disorientation, vomiting, fainting. Rectal temperature above 40°C is dangerous, above 41°C is emergency.
Why not ice water? Because it causes vasoconstriction, which paradoxically hinders heat loss. Cool or room temperature water works better.
Drowning
Yes, dogs can drown. Pools with high edges they can't get out of, strong current, exhaustion in water.
If you rescue a drowned dog: hold by hind legs head down for 10-20 seconds to drain water from lungs (in small dogs). In large dogs, lay on side with head lower than body and press chest rhythmically.
If not breathing: mouth-to-snout. Close the dog's mouth, place your mouth over its snout covering nostrils, and blow until you see chest expand. One breath every 3-5 seconds. Continue until it resumes breathing or until reaching veterinarian.
First aid kit
Worth having one at home:
- Sterile gauze and bandage
- Adhesive tape
- Saline solution
- Round-tip scissors
- Tweezers
- Rectal thermometer
- Disposable gloves
- Thermal blanket (those thin ones)
- Syringe without needle (to give liquids)
- Veterinary emergency phone number
Medications only with veterinary guidance. What works for humans can kill dogs.
Most important
Stay calm. Your desperation passes to the animal and makes everything worse. Breathe, assess the situation, act methodically. And never, never skip going to the veterinarian after an emergency, even if everything seems fine. Some complications appear hours later.
Consider taking a pet first aid course. Some clinics and NGOs offer them. Practicing techniques in a controlled environment helps a lot when you really need them.