Penny was writing one of her City Paws newspaper columns on High Tech for pets, when she came across Pet First Aid: for Your Dog, Cat, Puppy, or Kitten - Jive Media LLC. She reviewed the options, compared the offerings, and bought this one because it seems to have exactly what we would want in an emergency.
Here is her review ...
While having these instructions in an emergency will be wonderful, it was the time I spent going through the app that will stand me in good stead, if the time comes when I need it.
The app provides instructions for CPR, rescue breathing, and what to do if your pet is choking. It also has sections on safely caring for a sick or wounded animal, what is normal, disaster preparedness, and a host of specific emergency situations.
We do have a complete Doggie First Aid Kit packed into our Poppy's little red travel bag. It has only been used in an emergency situation once. We were staying in Provincetown when we noticed a neighbor trying to deal with a cut paw on the beach in front of the house. I grabbed the bag and offered cleaning solution, gauze, and pet bandages to help with the dog's first aid.
Poppy Tested
As it turned out, Poppy gave the app a trial run a week after we bought it. She was coughing and gagging after eating a piece of a dog treat. Now, we have a lifetime of experience with dogs so we didn't panic. We figured she had a small piece of the biscuit caught in her throat. But it was reassuring to pop up the section on choking and review the situation.
The app takes you through the incident step by step. On the second screen, we had a check list of symptoms that would indicate that a dog is choking. She wasn't drooling, pawing at her mouth, looking anxious, didn't have labored breathing, bluish mucous membranes, and had not collapsed. (When you touch the bluish mucous membranes item on the list, you are taken to illustrations that help you identify normal and abnormal.)
What we had was a simple case of clearing her throat and within a couple of hours she was free of symptoms. But, it was good to have had that checklist right on the phone.
Related Post:
Poppy Says, "Time for Some Emergency Planning"
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Words: Penny Cherubino, edited for BostonZest from her CIty Paws Newspaper Column.
Photography: ©2013-2014 Penny Cherubino