Animal First Aid Flashcards
What should be prepared upon arrival of an emergency at the clinic?
Have oxygen, aesthetic and crash trolley ready
Perform triage and carry out first aid
Monitor patient’s response
What is considered a life threatening emergency?
Require immediate reaction at home or by the RVN at the surgery in absence of vet surgeon.
-Unconsciousness, Collapsed with dyspnoea, Severe haemorrhage, Severe burns, Poisoning
What are first aid advice to give owners over the phone with the following?: haemorrhage, foreign body in wound, breakdown of surgical wound
- Apply fingers, cloth, bandage to area whilst being transported to clinic
- Do not remove, it could make it much worse
- Cover area in a clean towel and prevent licking
What emergencies are considered immediate attention at the practice?
When life is not immediately threatened but owner can take no action
-Conscious but collapsed, dyspnoea, fractures, haemorrhage, dystocia, prolapsed eyeball
What emergencies are considered to me minor?
Where telephone advice enables the owner to alleviate suffering until a vet is able to attend patient
-Insect stings, Minor wounds, Abscesses, Haematuria (blood in urine)
What is the main aim of the RVN while handling an emergency phone call?
To determine if the animal has a life threatening problem. If so, nurse should advise them to get to the practice asap, and obtain an estimated arrival.
If the problem is non life threatening what should the RVN do over the phone?
Obtain patient history, exact nature of problem, detect if patient is on medication, bar?, get owner’s details and give financial quote for an emergency consult
How should an injured horse be transported?
Horses in splints should be on a flat surface if possible, Horses with a forelimb fracture should travel facing backward and vice versa.
How should an injured cat be transported?
Should be placed in a cat carrier to avoid further injury to the cat or handler, prevent escape. Cat carriers should be placed behind the driver’s seat on the floor of the car.
How should an injured dog be transported?
Ambulatory: use lead and muzzle, throw blanket over patient, allow it to walk by itself to vehicle.
Non ambulatory: Should be carried by two people in a blanket/home made stretcher. Do not carry suspected fx patient
What is a triage?
Classifying and prioritising patients based on the perceived severity of their clinical condition
What is a primary survey of triage?
Perform a physical exam of the major bodily systems: cardiovascular, nervous and respiratory system. An abnormality in any of these systems can cause the animal to deteriorate quickly and even die.
How do you perform a triage of the CVS?
Listen to the heart sounds, heart rhythms, measure heart rate, palpate the pulse, check CRT, mucous membranes
What are normal heart parameters in the dog, horse and cat?
Dog: 70-140
Cat: 100-200
Horse: 30-40
Where are the sites for pulse palpation?
Femoral pulse, dorsal metatarsal pulse, in horses the transverse facial artery
