First Aid for Pets

/in /by

Happy March. March is the beginning of spring and people are starting to enjoy the great outdoors in the warmer weather. When families get outside they usually include all of the family including those beloved. I am a mother to a four legged fur child and I do all I can to make sure he is safe and out of harms way. Knowing some basic first aid tips for pets can help you handle some of the issues that we pets parents face.

This month I would like to remind you that there is such a thing as Pet First Aid. The American Red Cross has a great curriculum that is accompanied by a manual specifically for dogs and one specifically for cats. When we are outside and enjoying this nice weather our pets can become injured as well as daily maintenance people need to know about to be the best pet parent they can possibly be.

The American Red Cross curriculum covers dog topics such as: Protect Your Dog’s Health, Giving Your Dog Medications, Be Prepared, How to Know if It’s a Medical Emergency, Respond to a Breathing or Heart Emergency, First Aid Reference Guide: Allergies, Bite Wounds, Bone, Muscle and Joint Injuries, Choking, Ear Problems, Poisoning, and 63 other common canine medical emergencies

Similar to the Cat training the Dog First Aid is a valuable resource for dog owners, as well as dog handlers for therapy dogs, police K-9 units and search and rescue units. This guide provides information on:

  • Symptoms and care for nearly 70 common canine ailments and emergencies
  • Instructions for creating a pet first aid kit and giving medications
  • How to recognize and respond to a medical emergency until veterinary care is available
  • Tips for maintaining your pet’s health and well-being
  • Includes a DVD demonstrating how to perform many of the first aid steps demonstrated in the book; running time: 30 min

Topics covered include:

  • Chapter 1: Protect Your Dog’s Health
  • Chapter 2: Giving Your Dog Medications
  • Chapter 3: Be Prepared
  • Chapter 4: How to Know if It’s a Medical Emergency
  • Chapter 5: Respond to a Breathing or Heart Emergency
  • Chapter 6: First Aid Reference Guide
    • Allergies
    • Bite Wounds
    • Bone, Muscle and Joint Injuries
    • Choking
    • Ear Problems

The American Red Cross curriculum specifically for cats includes similar topics for dogs such as: Protect Your Cat’s Health, Giving Your Cat Medications, Be Prepared, How to Know if It’s a Medical Emergency, Respond to a Breathing or Heart Emergency, First Aid Reference Guide: Allergies and Allergic Reactions, Bone, Muscle and Joint Injuries, Fever, Insect Bites, Poisoning, and 55 other feline medical emergencies.

These topics seem trivial for some people but a fur parent, they are real issues and emergencies that can occur and we need to know what to do in the event we cannot immediately get to a vet to get the pet the care it needs and knowing when something isn’t quite normal and needs advanced medical care just like humans.

One great thing about this class is it can be taught in multiple settings to make it extremely fun! Encourage local vets to advertise and participate as well as doggie day cares and pet spas.  People will definitely be willing to know what to do to get the knowledge and take home book that can better help them help their fur children.

 

Read more here

CPR Essentials for Swim Instructors

/in /by

When swim instructors are working with children and those that maybe afraid of water and getting used to the process of sticking their face in water in preparation to learn how to swim can be extremely overwhelming for them. Individuals can easily become overwhelmed and get excited when  learning new things in the water. It is extremely important for swim instructors to be proficient in CPR.

This is a personal story below to give you an idea of the importance:

Growing up in Arkansas one of the things we always did in the summer time was go to a creek or a pond to go swimming and many times this was a family adventure. And in the middle to late 1970s, all the kids in our community would take swimming lessons in preparation for these adventures. As a young child taking these lessons, I experienced the excitement of learning new things in the water and learning how to swim and how tiring it became. We often times got a little brave and went deeper in the pool than we were supposed to and one of my swim mates got a little too tired and swam away from the group, my mother saw this and jumped in after the child and pulled him to safety. The swim coach came running and realized that if the child had drowned no one would have known what to do. Since the late 1970s, it has become mandatory for swim instructors and lifeguards to become CPR certified.

Check with the Red Cross:

The first stop for anybody in search of information on lifeguards should be the organization that oversees training, certification and continuing education for most lifeguards throughout the U.S.: the Red Cross. The Red Cross explained that every lifeguard needs to be properly taught and certified in several techniques. It takes at least 25 hours and 20 minutes to complete a traditional in-person training course, though some prospective lifeguards can take a hybrid online course that takes slightly longer. The Red Cross has other courses that have been reconstructed as late as the middle of 2017 with the most recent guidelines. They now have the following courses:

  • Lifeguarding
  • Junior Lifeguarding
  • Waterfront skills
  • Waterpark skills
  • Shallow Water Lifeguarding

There are courses for all age groups from young children to adults and all levels of swim instructions for swim instructors to waterpark lifeguards. The biggest question one has to ask, “do I know what to do if I have a potentially drowning victim?” If not properly trained a lay person can become a victim of drowning before a rescue even occurs. There are proper protocol and procedures to follow when helping a drowning victim. Reach or throw – don’t go!! Reach or throw a life line to the person rather than go in for them unless you are specifically trained to do so. ALL of the classes listed above will teach you the skills to do such life saving measures for someone in distress.

We see a lot of teenagers as lifeguards and swim instructors and they need comprehensive training to keep those learners safe at all times. Find a class today and become trained. #beprepared

Read More Articles here

CPR vs BLS Comparison 2018

/in /by

What?  There’s a difference between CPR classes?????

Yes, there are different levels of CPR Training.  Let’s look at some of those differences and discuss the meaning of those differences.

The most common BLS (Basic Life Support) for healthcare providers is through the American Heart Association and here is the course description: (aha.org)

The BLS Course trains participants to promptly recognize several life-threatening emergencies, give high-quality chest compressions, deliver appropriate ventilations and provide early use of an AED. In the Instructor-led course, students participate in simulated clinical scenarios and learning stations. Students work with an AHA BLS Instructor to complete BLS skills practice and skills testing. Students also complete a written exam.

The American Red Cross is less common but also available: (redcross.org)

Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (BLS) uses a scenario-based approach to develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that drive better patient outcomes. It is consistent with AHA Guidelines for CPR/ECC, and covers breathing and cardiac emergencies – including CPR, AED, and obstructed airway – for adult, child, and infant patients. Courses are delivered nationwide by our expert instructors, and give you the flexibility to complete part of your training online through our dynamic Simulation Learning experience, which combines online coursework with in-person skills sessions, so you can earn your BLS certification your way..

This is the Description of the American Heart Association HeartSaver Course that is for Lay responders: (aha.org)

Heartsaver courses are designed for anyone with little or no medical training who needs a course completion card for job, regulatory (for example, OSHA), or other requirements. These courses can also be taken by anyone who wants to be prepared for an emergency in any setting. For many Heartsaver courses, students receive a course completion card that is valid for 2 years.

Look at other CPR Blog Postings here