June 24, 2009
One of the reasons for taking the DOGSAFE Canine First Aid course was to be prepared in case of an emergency when we are at our beach house on an island in Washington State.
Sure enough, this past weekend, our neighbour's Havanese had a door slammed against his back leg. The owner was in great distress and was convinced the leg was broken. With no vet on the island and knowing I had taken the DOGSAFE course, he asked me to look at it.
Although it had been several months since I'd taken the course, I was surprised how much clicked in, starting with taking a deep breath myself. Although the dog was trembling and held his leg up he was also quite relaxed about being gently examined and didn't appear to be in any real pain. I reviewed the section on bone and join injuries in the DOGSAFE course manual (I'm so glad to have a second copy for the island!) and decided to apply an ice pack as a first step.
Happy outcome. Within 20 minutes, this little guy was up and about as if nothing had happened. A minor incident to be sure, but it makes me feel more confident about staying calm and remembering the DOGSAFE lessons should a more serious situation occur.
And you'll be pleased to know, that when my neighbour was finally able to reach his vet, the veterinarian said I had done everything right and commented how amazing it was that such a canine first aid course existed. So kudos to the DOGSAFE course!
Mary Lou Gazeley
DOGSAFE Graduate, April 26, 2008
