Let me start out right away by saying I have absolutely no veterinarian training or any training in animal first aid. I am just an average person who lives miles from the nearest vet and has had many animals….dogs, cats, goats, rabbits, and fowl. I have had many health or injury issues to attend to over the decades and this is just what worked for my husband and I and hopefully you will never need any of this information! I also want to state that I have not received any money or discounts for recommending a product.
If you own animals at some point you will have some kind of injury or illness that you will need to address. It seems these incidents with our dogs always occur during a holiday or beginning of a weekend and the emergency vet clinic is 1.5 hours away and very expensive. If your pet is having an allergic reaction or a severe injury, you may not make it in time. The hardest thing in the world is having your dog die. It will rip your heart out. If you own pets or any livestock you are certain to deal with death at some point and it’s never easy. The more time you spend with pets/livestock, the more familiar you are with them and their behaviors and will be able to pick up if something is off with their health. The sooner you can identify an illness or injury, the better the outcome in most cases.
FIRST AID KIT FOR VARIOUS CRITTERS
I recommend the following books for basic health issues and advice for your critters. Raising Rabbits the Modern Way by Bob Bennett, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow, The Goat Handbook by Ulrich Jaudas and Seyedmehdi Mobini, DVM, and The First Aid Companion for Dogs and Cats by Amy Shojai.
As we have various species of animals, basic first aid applies to most injuries. We found it easier to have separate first aid kits for the different kinds of animals we had, 1 kit for dogs, 1 for birds, etc., but all kits stock the basics. The basics include gloves, adhesive wrap, gauze pads, Benadryl (diphenhydramine), and some form of wound salve. The chicken First Aid kit also includes some electrolyte replacement. When we had goats, the kit had syringes for inoculations and castrating equipment. You get the idea here. All wounds need to be cleaned, regardless of the species and in most cases, covered. Antibiotics are needed for infections and antihistamines for allergic reactions. Benadryl can be given to most animals and birds but consult with a veterinarian or a reliable Internet source for the dosage.
Some Poultry Emergencies
Let me start with birds. I have raised chickens, guinea hens, and geese for more than 15 years. You aren’t going to take a chicken/duck/any other fowl to a veterinarian if it has an issue. It would cost more to have it looked at than it cost to raise the bird itself. I know it sounds cruel but this is a sad reality. Birds are generally healthy animals and most of our health issues arose from predators. You do your darnedest to keep them out but occasionally they still get in.
The geese were generally hardy except for one incident involving a bobcat. The attack did not kill my poor goose, Horatio, but she was hurt bad. I was inside and heard the chaos from the other geese whom chased away the bobcat. A 20-pound goose with its wings flapping and honking is quite an intimidating sight! Poor Horatio was just standing by the back door in the corner of the house, with her head against the house. I stood behind her and encouraged her to walk to her coop. Her neck had several bite marks, as did her body, but none of the bites actually ripped her open, but they were deep puncture wounds.
There is a line of products called Vetericyn. I always have some on hand. This is an antimicrobial spray for wounds and it is wonderful. I have used it on dogs, birds, rabbits, and myself and my husband! The poor goose survived the night but she was in very rough shape. She had some ugly neck wounds and a very swollen leg. I cleaned the wounds and used the Vetericyn daily on them. No internal organs appeared to be damaged. I kept her in a box with straw and bought her food and water for several days. She let me know when she was feeling better and hobbled around for several weeks until her leg healed.
I have never had chickens with any diseases, thank God. I have had them injured due to fighting or a predator. Clean the wounds and spray with Vetericyn spray or I also recommend a product called Blue Kote spray, which is an antiseptic spray with anti-fungal properties. It leaves a bright blue stain on your animal ( and you if you aren’t careful). If you have all one color bird, this is helpful to find out which one had the injury. Chickens can be very nasty to each other and sometimes an injured bird is not able to be reintroduced to the flock. The other birds will literally peck it to death, which is a horrible way to die. You will either have to dispose of the bird or re-home it.
A chicken may become egg-bound, where the egg is stuck and not coming out. Your bird will appear to be in distress, staining, walking funny and making odd cries. I have had this condition be fatal in older birds or when trying to pass an abnormally large egg. If you suspect your hen is egg bound, isolate her right away. Check her vent and lubricate it with warm olive oil or petroleum jelly. If she is cooperative, place her in a warm bath. If you can see the egg, try to puncture it with a large gauge syringe. Use extreme care in getting out the shell as not to cut the hen and clean area thoroughly.
Most older birds will probably not survive this condition and you may have to dispatch her. Putting down an animal is never pleasant. Be respectful, quick, and humane about it. Dispose of the carcass a good distance away as to not invite predators to visit. Older hens, when their time is up, generally just stand or sit in a corner away from the other birds. The combs will look pale and droopy and the bird just looks tired and unwell. They should die peacefully, usually within 24 hours. If the bird appears to be suffering you can dispatch her. Roosters can leave some nasty wounds on your ladies’ backs, necks, and heads. Treat the wound accordingly but you may have to get rid of a rooster that is excessively rough on the girls. They are producing eggs (food) for you and you don’t want them abused.
If a bird is suffering from heat stroke, immediately place it in a bath of cold water up to the neck. They won’t like this but it will save their life. If you have extreme cold, petroleum jelly placed on the combs will prevent them from freezing. The comb will turn black or have black spots on it from frostbite. The tissue will not grow back but I have had many birds live long lives with black spotted combs due to frostbite. You do the best you can in extreme temperatures to keep everything alive. Diatomaceous earth, food grade, is sprinkled around the coop to prevent insect and arachnid pests.
If caring for little chicks, keep an eye out to make sure their butts stay clean. Sometimes the poop hardens and sticks and will literally block passage of additional waste. Clean off with a warm, damp rag and do not pull off poop or you will damage the chick.
Rabbits are either healthy or there are not. Keep a board for them to stand on to prevent sore feet from the hardware fencing. You would not want to stand on wire all day, why would your rabbit? The only real medical issues we faced with rabbits was ear mites. You can spend a lot of money on ear mite medicine or just use olive, vegetable or mineral oil to treat the condition. Ear mites are tiny little parasites you probably will not see with the naked eye. It can spread from animal to animal so isolate your rabbit. The rabbit will be shaking their heads and scratching their ears. The ears will appear droopy and inflamed inside, with crusting and discharge. Keep a close eye on their ears to catch infections early on. We also kept the rabbit’s nails trimmed to avoid getting snagged in the hardware wire fence and to prevent the animal from injuring itself scratching.
When a rabbit gets old, it seems to literally age overnight. I have gone out to feed my rabbits in the morning and have been shocked at how it looks ancient overnight! You can let them die on their own or dispatch them if you can’t bear watching the process. If if shows any sign of distress or pain, help the dying process along.
OUR OWN DOG EMERGENCIES
We have had many dogs over the years and various emergencies. Again, we have no formal training and here are our experiences. We adopted our first greyhound many years ago. She was having daily anxiety attacks and no vets could figure out why. Finally one day I witnessed a seizure and upon being put on medication, she was completely normal, no more anxiety. Witnessing a seizure, whether it be a person or an animal, can be upsetting. Set the animal on it’s side and keep your fingers out its mouth. The seizure is generally not long lasting but watching it can seem like eons. It is also not painful to the animal. Keep the animal calm by petting them and talking softly.
They will seem a bit confused or out of it for a few minutes, post-seizure. You should seek a vet immediately after a seizure. It turned out our greyhound was smacked in the head with a shovel during her racing career and this caused seizures. I would love to meet the person who did this to her! Grrrrrr! We had to monitor her medication levels with twice a year lab work but this was no big deal. She lived a long, normal life.
One day the same dog came up to me while I was washing dishes and I looked down, and oh no! She was turning red and her face was swelling. She stuck her face in a nest of ground bees and they apparently did not like this. Of course it was on a weekend. I immediately gave her 2 doses of Benadryl and called the emergency number for the on call vet. He said she would be fine, just give Benadryl every few hours. She had huge hives all over so I laid her down and kept a cool washcloth on the hives on her belly which were itching her like mad. She needed to stay on Benadryl for 2 days and made a complete recovery.
Our Plott hound, Iggy, ate part of rubber clog and we were worried about a bowel obstruction. We gave the dog some hydrogen peroxide and he vomited up the pieces. Hydrogen peroxide works great if you need an animal to vomit quickly. One teaspoon per every 5 lb of body weight and take the dog outside quickly so you don’t have to mop the floor. It works very fast and will bring up everything in their stomach.
We also learned that toads can be deadly to dogs. One day our Jack Russell Terrier, Chuksie, grabbed a toad while we were walking her. She feels it’s her job to attack all living things, great and small! She immediately started shaking her head and foaming at the mouth. I really panicked and called the emergency vet clinic for advice. I was greatly relieved to hear that there are no poisonous toads in Maine and my dog will probably vomit and drool but would be fine. You can’t control everything that goes in their mouths but we do try our best.
For wounds that don’t require veterinarian attention, clean and bandage with vet wrap. You may need the cone of shame (always keep on on hand) if your dog won’t leave the wound alone. Yes, he will want to clean it but some dogs just keep on licking it and causing more damage. Keep an eye on the wound for signs of infection which will probably require a vet trip.
If my dog is limping a bit but not showing signs of severe pain, a few days of no rough play or walks should be all that is needed. If not, call your vet. If your dog or animal is severely injured by an animal attack or hit by a vehicle, do what you can to stop bleeding, immobilize your animal and get immediate
Vet Help
Veterinary help is not always available if you live remotely; I know of folks who had to put down their beloved pets because it was clearly in pain and dying. I thank God we have never had to do this to one of our dogs. Yes, it will make grown men cry like babies to do this. I pray you never find yourself in this situation.
Vomiting and diarrhea need close monitoring. Check for blood in either and if you find some then it is time for the vet. Otherwise, it just may be something that they ate bothering them and will pass shortly. If your dog poops in a pen, clean it up immediately to prevent your dog from stepping in it and prevent flies or other bugs from being attracted to it. I know of people who feed and water their dogs outside and this is just not a good idea as other animals and insects will dine there and spread disease. A dog coughing should be checked out by a vet . This could be an indication of something serious.
Abscesses can pop up and get big really quickly. They can show up anywhere on any species. Some will hopefully be like a pimple and pop on its own. If it’s on the body and you can apply warm compresses to bring it to a head, do so. If it comes to a head, you can nick the skin with a sharp scalpel or knife to start it draining. It is vital to keep it clean. Some abscesses require a vet to intervene and surgery is necessary.
Animals, like humans, do get sick and injured. We do all we can to prevent this from happening but, hey, life happens, so do your best to get on an illness/injury as soon as possible for a hopefully better outcome. Thank the Lord that you can have your animals and take the best possible care of them as they are relying on you to do this. Do your homework and establish a working relationship with a good vet and stay up on vaccines and worm prevention. Hug your dog!