A not-for-breakfast post

/ J. F. Riordan

Last night, Auggie and Eli’s good friend, Scary Lisa1, and I went to a pet first aid class. It was something I’d been meaning to do for a very long time, but simultaneously dreaded. I am not squeamish as such, but I have too much imagination, and at some points in the class my eyes filled with tears thinking about my sweet boys being in the described situations.

I did learn important things, though, and although I have most emergency necessities available around the house, I am inspired to put together additional first aid kits for the cottage and both cars. In case you’re interested, the list is below. You should also add a mylar blanket and towels.

If you have big dogs like Auggie and Eli, in addition to the oral syringe, you should keep a turkey baster on hand to administer sufficient doses of Hydrogen peroxide in case you need to induce vomiting (which you should never do until a veterinarian who knows what has been ingested tells you to). I’ve had to do this twice, and it is heartbreaking, but lifesaving.

Speaking of poisoning, here is the ASPCA poison hotline (yes, I hate the ads, too). They will charge $75, but if your own vet is unavailable, they are a valid option, with veterinarians on hand.

Here are some important notes: Your pet can take Benedryl (diphenhydramine) if stung or having an allergic reaction, BUT only plain Benedryl—not Children’s Benedryl, which has the poisonous-to-animals artificial sweetener Xylitol, and not Benedryl with Tylenol (acetaminophen). Both ibuprofen and acetaminophen are poisonous to animals, too. The dosage is easy to remember: 1 mg of plain Benedryl per pound of animal.

We practiced CPR and artificial respiration on a canine version of Reusci Anne, and we all had large stuffed animals at our desks to practice muzzling and bandaging. These last were handy for hugging when a discussion of evisceration got stressful. It was not exactly a fun night, but I’m glad I attended.

My biggest dilemma is how I would get Eli into the car if I were alone and he were unconscious. I am thinking about asking our carpenter to modify a toboggan. Too weird?

Here are Eli and Scary Lisa once he’s reminded himself that he loves her.

  1. Scary Lisa has known Eli since the moment we brought him home, and they love one another. But, because Eli is a COVID puppy and was not properly socialized, sometimes he forgets who she is and runs from her. Once he remembers, he’s on her lap. Lisa is not otherwise scary. All our dogs have loved her. ↩︎

47 thoughts on “A not-for-breakfast post”

  2. Wow, that was overwhelming! Glad I do not have to think that way!:) My friend’s daughter, a homeopathic vet with 3 dogs has a heavy knapsack with her, full of first aid things for the dogs, on her walks too! The pics and caps were fabulous and made me laugh and smile!:)

    >

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  4. One of the reasons I have only dachshunds now and no longer German Shepherds is that I don’t think I could pick one up any longer – and that is my worry, getting one that is injured into a car and to the vet. It really depends on the injury what you could do to move a large dog, a stretcher to roll or slide onto is ideal but if you are there on your own, also problematic, yes you can drag it from one end but getting into the car is also a difficulty. I have no idea, as I think you are pretty rural, but here in the Netherlands, there are actually animal ambulances? Do they exist there? First idea I had was roll over onto a sheet or blanket, slide onto something that can be pulled (like a plank of something) but if a dog is badly injured I would think you would risk making it worse. So worrying. I did several months of canine medical training back in the day when I was in charge of a working dog kennel…. There we had proper kit for our GSD’s but at home I have no idea what I would do. Take a door off its hinges? Hoping it never comes out that for you. Lots of love from the Tiny Teckels here.

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  5. Thanks for the helpful info…nice job.

    Those dogs of yours, I swear, are two of the most gorgeous faces i’ve ever seen…anywhere, anytime. i’m in love with them from a distance. They fascinate and amaze me. YOU are fortunate and so are THEY!

    Ron Pfeifer

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  6. Congratulations on completing First Aid class. I went to one several years ago, and the instructor, in addition to stuffed animals, brought her 2 small dogs. She showed us a technique to safely muzzle a wounded dog. I was a total failure with the one dog I tried it with 🙂 I have a neighbor with a sheepadoodle who decided to swallow a dead squirrel. She used hydrogen peroxide. It worked, but it was gross.

    Scary Lisa looks like a wonderful friend.

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  11. Thank you! ppl shld print and post in house and glove

    I’ll never forget the time she bounded through some disposed appliances in a ravine after a woodchuck, arrived up the cliff to me presenting her well-slit paw. We looked in each other’s eyes; I told her “I will carry you.” She turned back toward the car a mile away and began running intently on three. She prob knew we’d get there faster this way!

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  12. Hey J.F. You can buy a dog stretcher to help get Eli and his Venus-sized head into the car. Some have wheels, some are lift harnesses. Not sure you could manage these on your own, though. It took a lift harness, a mounting block, and two of us to get our 90 lb girl in an SUV. Scariest night of my life.

    FWIW:

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  13. I am so copying this to add to my vet kit! And the second one for the car! It adds a few things I had forgotten or didn’t know. Thank you. (One of those plastic toboggans for kids? Or even the mylar blanket in a pinch?)

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  14. Also the time at the lake house I gave the dog my meds then I went to take ..hers! I had the car packed and peroxide at ready by the time they had our doctor on the line. Turned out dogs take my meds all the time and in much stronger doses, so I never trained on the peroxide. I would have never been out of the doghouse with her.

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  15. Thank you for the valuable information. Do you know how I can find out if there is a class in my area? I have to carry an Epipen for my dog because she’s allergic to bee stings. I would love to learn more about what to do in other types of emergency situations.

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  17. Thanks for providing another glimpse into a day in the life of a Midwest author. And also for providing very important information. My daughter has a golden and a golden mixed with huskie, two very rambunctious canines! Based on your list I am going to put together a canine first aid kit. She loves her dogs so much! Finally, thank for reminding me of just how big Eli and Auggie are using Scary Lisa for perspective. Love her nickname!

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  18. Thank-you for sharing. I really learned a lot.
    As for bringing an unconscious dog to the vet, many years ago I had to bring my dog Jessy to the vet. He had unexpectedly died at home, I was alone, and he weighed 65 lbs. I put him in a comforter and was able to pull him to the car, into the back seat. Still brings me to tears. He was a very good boy.
    Sent from my iPhone

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  19. I agree with Suzanne above – one of those red toboggans might do the trick. Maybe a car repair dolly could be helpful because of the wheels. I would also add a sling or two to the kit, in case one end of the dog isn’t functioning well you will be able to assist. You will be surprised what you will be able to lift when your boys need you. Having big dogs is the best, until it is the worst. Thanks for posting this.

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  21. Gosh Eli is like the Clydesdale of German Shepherds. Such a lovely big boy! Modified toboggan may be weird but who cares? You would regret not having it if you ever needed it. (Must be something in the air. I was just worrying about pet emergencies yesterday myself.)

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  24. Excellent information. Like most things involving first aid, going through the process is difficult, but well worth the anxiety.

    Remembered Scary Lisa from your Twitter days. So nice to see her and the boys. So funny how Eli becomes a lapdog when she is around. 🙂

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  30. So many furry pals will benefit from this information. Thank you for sharing! Scary Lisa, Eli and Auggie are happy friends. Nothing better than a good family friend. The photos are amazing.

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  33. thanks so much for the checklist info…………i posted it on doggy twitter. as for getting Eli into the car….that is an issue but you are an artist and a teacher once told the class ‘art is creative problem solving’ so i am confident you will conjure something up. i have a 21 pounder so i’m good.

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  36. Thank you for sharing this with all of your followers! As someone who has worked for vets & handled many medical needs of my dogs, I fortunately have most of these things on hand, but your post is a reminder that I need to have a dedicated first aid kit to take with me when we travel anywhere. We HAVE had emergencies away from home, but were fortunate they weren’t that serious & we could put together supplies we did have to make it work until we could get the rest of the help we needed.

    An emergency is always very scary. The most important thing is to keep your mind on taking care of your pet first, keep as calm as possible (for them more than for you!), and finding out where and how quickly you can get them to an emergency clinic ASAP if necessary. Keep phone numbers in your contacts. When traveling, researching emergency clinics ahead of time is great if you can! (One of our dogs had a small seizure when we were camping in the Tetons, & we called a sibling to look online (no WiFi) and find a clinic, but we ended up not needing it phew)

    You and Charlie will always do what’s best for your dogs! Love to Auggie & Eli

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  37. Wow, intense, but you kindly warned this was a not-for-breakfast post. With eyes tearing up, my mind went to the many near-miss situations with my dogs over the years, especially my beloved Josh who I had from age 19-32. I’m glad you solved the stretcher question, as you replied in the comments. I’m so very jealous of wonderful scary Lisa in the photos!

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  38. Hi, I work at a Poison Control Center for people and we get a number of calls concerning animals (for which we have little knowledge so ultimately refer them to vet or Animal Poison Control as you mentioned above). Just thought you might want to know there is another animal help phone number –the Pet Poison Helpliine –they also charge a fee ($85) and their phone number on the website is (855) 764-7661. Many people can’t or won’t pay that fee so I also direct them to another option that might be more affordable option of a online chat service with a Vet/poison specialist–that is called “Just Answer Pet Poisoning” (type that in a google search to get the link) and that has a service fee of $35.

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