Pet First Aid

Have you ever wondered what to do if your dog was in the middle of a dog fight?  How about if you were on a hike and he broke his leg?  Did you know that your dog sweats through his paws?

Mommy and her friends were educated on all of these things in our Mutt-gyver class taught by Arden Moore of Four Legged Life and Pet First Aid 4 U.

Leash Your Fitness is all about being active with your dog but we want to be safe and smart about it too so we asked Arden to come in and teach her new Mutt-gyver class to us.  Most of the gals in Leash Your Fitness are already Pet First Aid Certified but they wanted to know some easy things to do if they were caught off guard in a scary situation with their pup because they may not always have their first aid kit with them.

Arden used me (Jack) for a model and I was a trooper about it.  I know that Aunt Arden always has yummy treats so I was willing to let her do anything to me.  She showed the gals how to muzzle a dog with whatever they have available at the time:  a shoelace, bandana, belt, dog leash, etc.  Your dog may be the sweetest creature in the world, but if he is hurting or scared, he may lash out at you if you try to touch him.  It is better to be on the safe side for everyone involved.

And what about a dog fight.  You are taught to pull the dogs apart by the back legs but it is also important to break eye contact.  Throwing your sweatshirt or a towel over the attacking dogs head will do the trick.

Another cool tip is that if your dog is stung by a bee, take out your credit card and scrape it over the stinger. You aren’t supposed to use your fingers or tweezers as that may cause the venom sac to burst and spread the venom inside your dog.  YUK!!

Did you know that us dogs sweat through our paws?  Well we do so if you are on a hike and we are panting excessively that is your cue to put our paws in cool water as soon as possible.  If you only have a plastic water bottle you can use a poop bag or even your hat for a bowl to soak your dogs feet in.  You should always carry something for your dog to drink in during outdoor activities.  Mommy uses the lid of her water bottle for me but Kurgo makes a collapsible water bowl that works great!

The girls weren’t the only ones interested in Arden’s talk. I was very intrigued myself especially with the slide that I was on!  Arden’s dog, Cleo is one of my many girlfriends and she is my surfing partner!  Arden even addressed water safety!  Of course the first rule is to wear a doggy life jacket.

We learned a lot in the class and Arden even had a bunch of cool raffle prizes that  included one of her many books that she has written, Fit Dog.  She recommended to  download the Red Cross Pet First Aid app on your phone so you are ready in case of any emergency.

We want to THANK everyone who came to the class.  Mommy can’t remember everything so its good to know that there are others in our group that know what to do in an emergency!

The main thing is DON’T PANIC!  Your dog needs you to STAY CALM and IN CONTROL!

If you want to follow what Arden is up to and learn some tips and tricks on Pet First Aid, follow her on her First Aid 4 U Facebook page or Arden Knows Pets Instagram page.

And if you want to keep up with all of the cool activities that we do in Leash Your Fitness, follow our Leash Your Fitness Facebook  and/or Instagram Pages.

Have a SAFE and ACTIVE weekend!  We hope to see you soon!

Thanks for reading!