A dog’s breathing and heartbeat can suddenly stop after being in a traffic accident, drowning, poisoning, or from shock. When this happens, it is crucial to administer an immediate cardiac massage as well as artificial respiration in order to save his life. As soon as you notice that he has stopped breathing, have someone help you call the vet for advice while doing your best to resuscitate the dog. It is very important to get oxygen rich blood to the brain as quickly as possible to prevent brain damage. His heart needs to be restarted within a few minutes in order for him to survive.

If you are not sure whether or not the dog is breathing, press your ear firmly on his chest and listen for a heartbeat. Once you hear a heartbeat, you may go ahead and begin mouth-to-nose resuscitation. However, if you cannot hear the heartbeat, then you need to start administering cardiac arrest immediately.

When starting the mouth-to-nose resuscitation, have the dog lie down on its side, making sure that the neck is stretched forward. Clear any obstructions from the mouth and pull the tongue forward. If you see any damage to the nose, an unconscious dog will breathe through the mouth and the tongue may block its breathing.

While keeping his neck as straight as possible, cup his nose with your hands and breathe into the nostrils for about three seconds to inflate the lungs. Observe the chest to make sure that it has expanded. Pause for 2 seconds and then repeat the process.

Check to make sure that the heart is still beating by feeling behind the dog’s elbow with your hand or by placing your ear on the dog’s chest to listen for a heartbeat. As long as the heart is beating, keep on administering the mouth-to-nose resuscitation until the dog is able to breath on his own.

If the dog’s heart stops beating, you need to start administering cardiac massage right away. Begin by placing the heel of your hand just behind the dog’s elbow on the left side of his chest. Place your other hand on top then firmly press both hands down and forward toward the brain. By doing this, you are squeezing blood out of his heart and into the brain. Repeat the procedure 6 times at 1 second intervals.

After you have finished with the 6 cardiac massage, give 1 breath of mouth-to-nose resuscitation. Continue alternating until the heart starts beating, then you may start resuscitating.

When your dog gets bitten, either by another dog or another animal, then that bite wound can be potentially very dangerous. Animal saliva is filled with bacteria that can cause infection through the wound. In addition, even small bites can severely damage your pet’s underlying tissue.

Any time your dog gets bitten, whether it is a big bite or a small bite, it is always a good idea to take your pet to the vet to make sure that the problem does not get any worse. However, here are 5 things that you can do to keep your dog’s bite wound under control.

1. It is common for dogs to lash out when they are in pain. Therefore, the first thing that you need to do is to use a muzzle to protect yourself in case he suddenly snaps. You need to wrap your dog’s mouth closed before you begin to treat the wound. If you do not have a muzzle available, you can improvise one by using gauze or pantyhose. Be careful not to cover the nostrils. If your dog is having difficulty breathing or starts to get sick, immediately remove the muzzle.

2. If your dog is too small to wear a muzzle, you can still protect yourself by wrapping his head with a towel before you begin the treatment. However, do not leave the towel too long or wrap it too tightly because it could cut off your dog’s air supply.

3. Your next step is to trim the hair around the area of the bite wound. This makes the wound easier to clean and will also help the bite heal faster by airing out the area. You can use scissors, a disposable razor, or electric clippers to trim his hair. Before you start, gently smear a thin layer of water-soluble jelly such as K-Y jelly right into the wound in order to prevent stray hair from falling into the wound. When you are finished trimming the hair, clean the bite wound thoroughly to avoid infection. Clean the bite by flushing it for about five minutes with lukewarm running water. However, if the bite was left unnoticed until after 24 hours later, bacteria may already have set in. In this case, scrub the bite wound with an antibacterial soap and then flush it with warm, running water.

4. When you have finished washing and drying the wound, apply an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin. Next, bandage the area with gauze or a clean cloth. Make sure that the bandage is loose enough that you can slip a finger underneath. A tight bandage could interfere with your dog’s circulation.

5. Last but not the least, it is very important to keep your dog’s vaccinations current, especially his rabies vaccination. Rabies are a serious viral disease that is fatal if left untreated.

Dogs do not cope very well when it comes to hot temperatures. And since they do not have sweat glands, they cannot lose heat by sweating. To keep your pet from getting heatstroke, never leave him in a car in very warm and sunny weather. Even when you are parked in a shaded spot with the windows partly open, your dog is still likely to get heatstroke. In addition, never leave a dog unsupervised in your car with the heater on during cold weather. In both cases, a dog could overheat and will not be able to cool himself down.

What to do when your dog suffers from heatstroke

The first sign of heatstroke is rapid and heavy panting along with salivation. The dog gradually becomes weak after a few minutes and then collapses while still panting.

Immediately remove the dog from the warm environment. Clear the mouth of saliva to help him breath with ease and sponge his face with cool water. Contact a vet for further treatment.

If you can, immerse the dog’s body in cool water. Do not use ice-cold water. Another effective treatment is to wrap him in towels soaked in cold water. Pour the water over the towels to prevent them from getting warm. In addition, make sure that your dog has plenty of drinking water.