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Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital
  • Our Services
    • Dermatology
    • Diagnostic Imaging
    • Emergency/Critical Care
  • For Your Pet
    • Client Registration Form
    • Curb-Side Procedures
    • When Your Pet is a Patient
    • Client Portal
    • Pet Insurance
    • Payment Options
    • End of Life Arrangements
  • For Veterinary Teams
    • Referral Forms and Portal
    • Our Referral Process
    • At a Glance
    • Ethos Materials for Clinics
    • Continuing Education
    • VetBloom CE
  • About Us
    • Our Hospital
    • Our Team
    • Donate to AVMF
    • Why Ethos
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Contact Us
  • Blogs & Videos
    • Our Blogs
    • PAWEDcasts
  • We’re Hiring!
    • Apply Today
    • Ethos Job Fairs
    • Benefits and Perks
    • Veterinary Training Programs
  • 24-HR ER: 518-785-1094

Our Blogs

Four-Legged First Aid Know How

October 20, 2019
Golden retriever sitting outside on grass with first aid kit in mouth.

Since animals cannot use 911 service, the numbers of your primary care veterinarian and animal emergency center should be readily available. Pet sitters should know where to find these numbers in your absence. When traveling with your pet, identify a local veterinarian or emergency care facility to use if necessary. For questions about ingestion of a toxic substance, the Animal Poison Control Center 1-888-426-4435, is available 24/7. They provide valuable information to help your veterinarian in treating specific types of chemical, plant, and medication exposures.

Know how to recognize when your pet needs emergency care. Be familiar with ‘normal’ for your animal. The heart rate is felt near the point where the left elbow touches the rib cage. The pulse is found on the middle of the inner thigh a few inches below the groin. The oral membranes (inside of lip and gums) should be medium pink and moist.

Some symptoms are easy to identify – visible bleeding or swelling, labored breathing, tremors, collapse, difficulty walking, vomiting, diarrhea, straining to urinate. Other signs can be more subtle: anxiety or pacing, lethargy or confusion, significant variations from normal body temperature, heart rates and breathing patterns, oral membranes that appear pale, gray or blue.

Know how to stabilize your pet until veterinary care is obtained. Anyone familiar with first aid as taught by the American Red Cross will recognize the ABCs – maintaining an airway, breathing and circulation. Core principles of first aid that are given to a human are the same as those for a small animal. Apply direct pressure onto bleeding wounds. If your pet is not breathing, look in the mouth for any foreign object that may be blocking the airway. Remove it if it is completely stopping breathing. If there is no object and the animal is not breathing, hold the muzzle closed and forcefully blow air (4-5 breaths) into the animal’s nose. Repeat until he/she is breathing normally. Begin chest compressions only if there is no heartbeat. There should be 3-5 chest compressions for each artificial breath. 

A key difference in providing care to an animal is to avoid being injured by the patient. The most docile animals can react aggressively when painful or afraid. Keeping yourself and your pet calm could be the most difficult task in an emergency situation. If necessary, place a muzzle over the mouth before attempting to move a patient or examine a wound. A towel or blanket can be used as a sling to assist in walking, as a stretcher to help move an animal or to loosely swaddle cats to prevent biting and scratching.

Normal Ranges:

Temperature:  Dogs and cats 100-102.5 degrees Fahrenheit 

Heart Rate: Small dogs (under 30 pounds) 100-160 bpm; medium to large dogs (over 30 pounds) 60-100 bpm; puppies (until 1 year old) 120-160 bpm; cats 130-220 bpm

Respiratory rate: Dogs 10-30 breaths/min; cats 20-30 breaths/min (panting or open mouth breathing in a cat needs immediate attention) 

These are basic tenets to follow in any scenario. The best way to handle an emergency is to be prepared. 

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Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital
518-785-1094 | 222 Troy Schenectady Rd, Latham, NY 12110
  • 24-HR ER: 518-785-1094
  • Our Services
    • Dermatology
    • Diagnostic Imaging
    • Emergency/Critical Care
  • For Your Pet
    • Client Registration Form
    • Curb-Side Procedures
    • When Your Pet is a Patient
    • Client Portal
    • Pet Insurance
    • Payment Options
    • End of Life Arrangements
  • For Veterinary Teams
    • Referral Forms and Portal
    • Our Referral Process
    • At a Glance
    • Ethos Materials for Clinics
    • Continuing Education
    • VetBloom CE
  • About Us
    • Our Hospital
    • Our Team
    • Donate to AVMF
    • Why Ethos
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Contact Us
  • Blogs & Videos
    • Our Blogs
    • PAWEDcasts
  • We’re Hiring!
    • Apply Today
    • Ethos Job Fairs
    • Benefits and Perks
    • Veterinary Training Programs
© 2022 Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital
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Temporary Reduced ER Hours

Due to a staffing shortage, we are temporarily reducing our Emergency/Critical Care service hours this week.  We apologize for the inconvenience while we are closed overnight.

Wednesday May 18: Open 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Thursday May 19: Open 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Friday  May 20: Open 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday May 21: Opens at 7 a.m. and return to 24 hour service.

If your pet needs emergency care during this window, the closest facility is:

Upstate Veterinary Specialties

152 Sparrowbush Rd, Latham, NY 12110

Phone: 518-783-3198

Please call them first to ensure they are open and accepting patients.