Canine First Aid Made Easy

By Andi Dencklau

Every dog owner knows their furry friend isn't just a pet; they're a beloved family member. In "Canine First Aid Made Easy: Saving Dogs, Saving Money, and Easing Your Stress - Your Essential Pet First Aid Guide" you'll find essential knowledge and skills needed to be your dog's first responder in times of crisis.

Whether you're a seasoned dog owner or a new puppy parent, this comprehensive guide is your indispensable companion for ensuring your canine companion's health and safety. This invaluable resource takes you on a journey through the world of canine first aid, offering expert advice and step-by-step instructions to handle a wide range of emergencies and health concerns.

 

You'll learn how to assess your dog's vital signs, recognize distress, and take immediate action when it matters most. Discover the secrets to building a well-equipped canine first aid kit, tailored to your dog's unique needs, and learn how to use it effectively in emergency situations. From common injuries like cuts and sprains to critical issues such as choking, poisoning, or even cardiac emergencies, this guide provides clear and concise instructions to help you stay calm and make the right decisions under pressure.

 

• Inside "Canine First Aid Made Easy," you'll find:
• Detailed guidance on assessing your dog's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, and respiration.
• Easy-to-follow instructions for handling common emergencies such as choking, poisoning, and heatstroke.
• Wound care and bandaging techniques to minimize infection and promote healing.
• Insights into gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems, cardiovascular emergencies, and more.
• Tips for identifying and responding to neurological, eye, ear, skin, and dental problems.
• Guidance on reproductive and urinary issues, as well as special considerations for working dogs.
• Practical advice for disaster preparedness, preventive care, and maintaining your dog's health.
• Helpful appendices featuring first aid kit checklists, emergency contact information, and common medications.

Written by experts in veterinary care and first aid, "Canine First Aid Made Easy" is your go-to resource for becoming a proactive and confident caretaker of your beloved canine companion. With this book in hand, you'll gain the knowledge and skills to provide essential care and potentially save your dog's life in critical moments.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Natural Paws Publishing LLC
• Release date: Oct 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9798989202515

Book preview

Andi Dencklau

Canine First Aid Made Easy

Saving Dogs, Saving Money, and Easing Your Stress - Your Essential Pet First Aid Guide

First published by Natural Paws Publishing LLC 2023

Copyright © 2023 by Andi Dencklau

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

Andi Dencklau asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Andi Dencklau has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

First edition

ISBN: 979-8-9892025-1-5

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To my amazing husband, Gary.

In every twist & turn of our journey, you’ve been my unwavering support & the love of my life. Through everything, your patience & understanding have been my rock. This book is a testament to your belief in me & your commitment to Us, our family, and our fur babies.

With every page, I hope to convey my gratitude for your sacrifices, steady presence, & the extraordinary love that fills our lives. Your love is my inspiration and my strength.

With all my love, Andi

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

~ Benjamin Franklin

Introduction

Have you ever experienced that heart-stopping moment when your dog gets into a sudden scrape or an unforeseen mishap? I have, and let me tell you, it’s a feeling that sends shivers down your spine. Yet, in those moments of panic and uncertainty, I’ve also witnessed something truly remarkable – the power of quick thinking and canine first aid.

Picture this: A serene afternoon in the park, the sun casting a warm glow over everything in its path, including your furry companion, who’s bounding with joy. Suddenly, a misstep, a yelp, and your dog is writhing in pain. You rush to their side, fear and helplessness washing over you. But then, with a steady hand and the knowledge of canine first aid, you take immediate action, providing the care that saves their life. This isn’t just a hypothetical scenario; it’s a reality I’ve faced more than once in my four decades of loving and caring for dogs.

Welcome to Canine First Aid Made Easy: Saving Dogs, Saving Money, and Easing Your Stress – Your Essential Pet First Aid Guide. I’m Andi Dencklau, and I’m here to be your trusted guide on this journey to equip you with the essential first-aid skills every dog owner should possess.

I have always loved black and white tri-colored border collies. My first border collie was a tri, and because we had such a great bond, my brain decided that I would never have another kind of dog. Well, after 17 years of life, she went to the rainbow bridge. I had a couple of other border collies between her and Jack, one of them was named Sampson. He was a great dog, too, and when I lost him, it took about a year before I could bring myself to bring another dog into our lives.

I ended up with my girl, Gadget, who, at the time of this writing, is still with me at the age of 15. She’s a great dog; she just has never been a lap dog, a snuggler, like Sampson was, and to be honest, she favored my husband more because he was home with her more than I was. So, I started searching for our next family member.

I found Jack on a website. When I saw his picture and the name they had given him, I knew it was fate. He was the cutest black and white tri-colored border collie I had ever seen. He had this adorable white spot on the top of his head. My heart melted. Then I saw the name. They were calling him Samson. I knew at that moment that he was meant to be my dog.

So, in my sweetest wife’s voice, I told my amazing husband how much I loved him and how much I appreciated all he did for me and our family. I explained to him that I thank God every day for having put him in my life. His response was, What do you want?

I showed him the picture of Samson, and he quickly and very loudly exclaimed, NO PUPPIES!!!!

I sighed heavily and went about my day. He went off to work and a few hours later called to tell me, Get him if you want him, and the rest is history. I don’t think a puppy could have been on a plane to us any quicker. We lived in California at the time, and Samson was located in Kansas. I got all the important test information, and questions answered that I felt I needed, paid the breeder, and he was on a plane to us in a couple of days.

My husband drove us to the airport to pick him up. When they brought the kennel out to us, I did not hesitate to rip it open and grab my boy. Didn’t even let my husband love him. He was going to be MY dog. MY snuggle buddy. MY shadow. And from that day on, he was.

Of course, he loved every person on the face of the planet equally, but let’s not burst my bubble.

We name all our animals after Disney characters, so we decided on Captain Jack. He loved to be up against me when he slept, on my lap, in my face. He was a licker. I didn’t mind him licking my arms or feet, for that matter, but I can’t stand to be licked in the face. So, we taught Jack to give beeps. This allowed him to give us love without his tongue. He would touch our cheek with his nose.

Jack was that dog that was in tune with me. He could tell exactly how I was feeling, even before I could. I have migraines, and he would alert me that a migraine was coming on, by beeping my cheek. If I was down, he would come and lay on my lap, give me the snuggles I needed, and do something silly to make me laugh. I remember one time when he was a puppy. My youngest child was a baby, and we were doing our nightly routine of reading a book in the rocking chair, and out comes Jack, running from the bathroom, around the corner, dragging the toilet paper, which somehow did not rip from the roll. He was so proud of himself.

One day, I was at work in the middle of a major software migration launch, and my husband called. I can remember the exact words that he said, Where’s the emergency vet you take the dogs to? Of course, I asked why, and he told me Jack had been hit by a car. I gave him the address and told him I would meet him there, grabbed my keys, and ran out of the office.

When I arrived at the vet, they had already taken Jack to the back. I kept asking my husband how bad it was, and he kept telling me it wasn’t good. I paced the hospital waiting room, people came and went, and still no word on Jack. My heart was breaking, my hopes were waning. My best friend was unable to come to the hospital herself, so she sent her husband to see what they could do to help. When he walked in and hugged me, I lost it. Tears started running down my face, and right then, the vet came out to talk to us.

He took us into a room closed the door behind us, and my heart dropped. He told us that Jack was still with us, but the prognosis was not good. They had given Jack all the medications they could to help him recover from the brain trauma, but he wasn’t responding. They were moving him to a place where we could come in and say our goodbyes to him.

When we got back to the treatment area, Jack was lying on an exam table, hooked up to all kinds of monitors, with IVs in him. He barely lifted his head and moved his eyes towards us when we got to him. I could tell that he had many broken bones, but unless they could get his brain to heal, none of the breaks mattered. We were told that, more than likely, he would not make it through the night.

In my rush out of the office, I had the forethought to grab a couple of natural products that I use on my family. I immediately started petting them on Jack’s head. Within 30-45 minutes, Jack started looking around more, lifting his head more. The