One thing that I am not very prepared for (and thankfully this has never been a problem) is general first aid. For the most part, we've got the basic drugs and a few band-aids, but we should probably stock up on some gauze, wrap, and other more serious injury supplies. When it comes to canine first aid our supplies are beyond sorry.
The other day I was clipping Luna's nails. She is good about letting me do the job, but she is more resistant than my last greyhound. Luna's tolerance is much shorter than Eris' was so she starts pulling her feet away from me before I've even finished the first paw. She will also yelp if she pulls her foot and I don't let go causing her to fall off balance. On top of this, she is not afraid to give me a warning nip if she is really stressed. It makes the whole experience more stressful for me than it ever was with Eris which I'm sure Luna picks up.
So there I was clipping nails as quickly as possible when Luna started her foot pulling routine. I clipped, she pulled, and she yelped. Blood was instantly everywhere. I can count the number of times I have clipped a dog's quick on one hand, all of which were extremely minor. In the big picture, this was also a minor cut, but the blood flow would suggest that I had taken off half her toenail. They always say greyhounds are great bleeders. Case in point.
I caked flour on the nail and instantly we had solid blood to stop the flow. I was worried about Luna's nail bleeding again while she was in the house. Since we didn't have any bandages or wrap, Mike and I improvised with a paper towel, band-aids, and saran wrap. It barely stays on when she moves, but it's the best we could do.
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| Luna doesn't like modeling her new accessory. |
P.S. Luna was fine, although this incident is probably going to make nail cutting in the future even more fun. :-(
4 comments:
Have you considered grinding her nails instead? Our dogs still aren't thrilled, but they're a lot better about it than they were with the clippers. We have several canine first aid kits here for various purposes. What's sad is that the last time I got hurt on a hike, my first aid kit didn't have stuff in it for me, but Bunny's did! lol
We have a canine-specific lunch box first aid kit. With the number of dogs that go through our house, it's put to good use.
If you can swing it, there is a Pet First Aid course at Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center (VSEC) in Levittown, PA.
Saturday, September 15, 2012, 12:30pm - 4pm
American Red Cross Pet First Aid
VSEC – 301 Veterans Highway
I took the course a couple of years ago and it's very good. You can also purchase a decent pet first aid kit from them at the time for a discount.
I highly recommend it.
Hi – Will you please post a link to your Blog at The Greyhounds Community? Our members will love it.
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