When you have a Border Collie accidents are inevitable from time to time. If you have some general knowledge about basic first aid to help your Border Collie if it ever gets hurt, or something happens, it could be the difference between life and death.
Knowing some first aid will help your Border Collie while you get it help from your vet....
What to do in an Emergency
If there is an emergency stay calm and get your Border Collie to the vet as soon as possible. Make sure you call your vet office first, especially if it is out of hours.
Keep all emergency numbers close to your phone.
Quick Tips for Dealing with Minor Injuries
Here are some quick tips to help you if your Border Collie has a common or minor injury:
Stopped Breathing. If your Border Collie stops breathing get it to vet straight away unless you know how to give it CPR.
Bleeding. If your Border Collie is bleeding, apply a pressure bandage to slow or stop the bleeding.
General Injuries. Restrict your Border Collie’s movements and keep it warm by wrapping it in a towel or a blanket and take it to the vet.
Burns. If your Border Collie gets burnt use ice or a cold compress gently on the area while you get your Border Collie to the vet.
Choking. If your Border Collie is choking get your Border Collie to the vet so the item can be removed. Signs of choking include pawing at their mouth, excessive drooling, gagging, or difficulty swallowing.
Frostbite. If your Border Collie suffers from frostbite, warm it up and apply warm, moist clothes to any areas affected by frostbite. Keeping changing the clothes until the frostbitten areas warm up. Make sure you get your Border Collie to the vet as soon as possible as frostbite can have an adverse affect on your Border Collie’s paws and ears.
Poisoning. Call your vet or poisons line immediately for advice. If you can, try and find out what has poisoned your Border Collie but get it to the vet immediately.
This reminds me of a poisoning incident that we had when we were out mustering on a twelve thousand acre property. When our dog Gidgee ate 1080 bait that had been put out for dingoes. When we realized what she had done due to the fact she started to stagger badly. We forced our fingers down her throat to induce vomiting, avoiding touching what was vomited up as the poison is both lethal to not only dingoes but also to humans as well. Then we raced back to the homestead where we forced salty water down her throat to induce further vomiting. After that there was tense hour long race to the local vet. Upon arriving at the vet they did further inducements to get her to vomit, placed her on a drip and did an overnight stay at the veterinary surgery.
If we had not forced her the vomit up the bait we would not have enjoyed her company for the many years following the incident.
Heatstroke. If your Border Collie has heatstroke, get it into a cool, shady area and cool it down with water. Also try to get your Border Collie to drink a little water.
Fever. If your Border Collie’s temperature is over 103 degrees, take your Border Collie to the vet for advice and medical attention.
Always. Always go to the vet and have anything checked out, especially after an accident as there could be internal injuries or something else going on you cannot see.
Have a First Aid Kit for your Border Collie
It is always worthwhile have some basic first aid supplies on hand for those little emergencies. Make yourself up a fist aid kit so everything you need is kept together so you are not searching all over the place for what you need.
- tweezers for removing splinters, grass seeds, ticks
- a blanket or large towel to help immobilize your Border Collie if needs be
- an antibiotic cream and wash for minor cuts and grazes
- pressure bandages and padding
- ear drops
Elkana Border Collies