Canadian Red Cross launches online first-aid course for pet owners

Crystal Garrett finds out how to take a pet first-aid course through the Red Cross.

The Canadian Red Cross has launched a new online first-aid course for dog and cat owners who want to know what to do with their furry friends in the case of a medical emergency.

Red Cross spokesperson Steve Malone says the course came about because the organization realized there was a need for safety courses for animals, though the tips are often similar.

“Basically, we will talk about choking, which is fairly common with someone’s pet, so we’re going to talk about looking for the signs and symptoms, but we’re also going to talk about looking at how we can care for these emergencies,” he said during an interview on CTV Morning Live.

“We’re also going to talk about what’s normal, because it’s very important people realize that if you know what’s normal in your pet, same thing with a human being, when it goes aside a little bit you can start looking at, ‘OK my pet is not eating well, is not drinking well, they seem to be lethargic,’ and so on and so forth, then we’ve kind of got a bit of a clue on what’s going on.”

The course also talks about how to look for an animal’s heart rate, taking their temperature and what to do in a trauma situation.

Malone also trains service dogs in PTSD support and has a service dog of his own named Mika. He once had to use his animal first-aid skills on her during a hike in the woods together.

“Some of the areas you go may have some sharp objects on the ground or even thorns from the trees and Mika one time had a thorn in her paw,” he said.

“It was in the wintertime, and so I could see there was a bit of blood on the snow, so I was quick to realize there was something wrong and I was able to stop, look at her, remove the thorn and wrap her paw and we were able to get some medical attention from the vet. She had to be put on an antibiotic in case of infection, so it all turned out well, but having the knowledge on what to do, that’s what’s important.”

Malone says first-aid kits for pets are very similar to a human’s.

“As long as you have some gauze, something to wrap the injury with. And also one other one I would strongly recommend is having a tick puller. As we know now we have ticks everywhere… so prevention obviously, having the dog on medication for the prevention of ticks and fleas,” he said.

“They should be removed as soon as possible… that’s why we talk about the importance of grooming your dog and your cat, that way you can find these ticks, or we can find dry skin, what’s causing what, making sure that you have a good assessment of the animal once in a while.”

Malone says anyone who owns a pet should take the Red Cross’ first-aid course.

“If people want to take the course, it’s only one hour of your time and it’s all done online so you can do it from the comfort of your home and it’s very inexpensive,” he said.