Pet First Aid

[Jenny G]

After Berman's seizure in December, I realized I was in no way prepared for any sort of pet emergency and that I'm absolutely clueless on how to handle things like choking, seizures, etc.  So a friend and I signed up for pet first aid (he has a yellow lab).  Our class was Saturday and was 3 hours long.  The instructor went over the basics and gave us a great Pet First Aid book.  Berman and Lucy were a little less than thrilled when I kept trying to find their pulse for the remainder of the weekend (oh, yeah, and this morning), but I feel much better prepared and confident that I can handle another emergency (knock on wood!).  The class was offered through the local red cross and I recommend everyone take it - especially if you're like me and have never had human first aid. 

On thing that I thought was kinda funny was that the book listed the normal pulse and temperatures of dogs, but the instructor said this may vary from dog to dog so it's best to find out what is normal for your dog.  She suggested taking your dog's pulse and temperature every day for a week or month to figure out what is normal.  Berman and Lucy say "NO WAY!" 

[Barb]

That is very interesting - I never thought about looking into it - but I will !  Thanks !!!!   I don't imagine my 2 will let me take their pulse either 

[Valerie]

Very interesting!  I will definately look into it. 
I can't imagine Cookie letting me check her temperture too often though.  Last time she was at the vet,  the girl said, "let me take your temperature", and Cookie promptly sat down. LOL  I think she knew what was coming next.