Emergency Response and Animal Health Flashcards
What should you have for basic emergency preparedness?
- contact info of emergency and medical personnel posted in a highly visible area
- have a vet relationship and have a mobile vet and back up
- knowledge of location to nearest vets evacuation routes, shelters
- animal ID and proof of ownership
What should you have for animals in an emergency?
-ability to transport then safely
-adequate feed and fresh water if needed to shelter in place
-first aid kid
-back up power
AVMA Top 13 First Aid Emergencies
- severe bleeding (doesn’t stop after 5 minutes)
- choking
- bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum, coughing up blood, or blood in urine
- inability to pass fluids or solids
- eye injuries and conditions
- consumption of toxins
- seizures or staggers
- fractures or lameness
- signs of obvious pain or anxiety
- heat stress/stroke
- severe vomiting or diarrhea
- extended refusal to eat or drink
- unconsciousness
What is the first priority in an emergency?
your personal safety then others then animals
How to approach animals that have behavioral, respiratory, sudden death and neurological signs in an emergency?
carefully
Why are animals dangerous during an emergency?
they could be in pain and lash out, panic, and are confused
What to do for an animal emergency first?
be careful and isolate and stabilize the animal if possible
If a livestock larger animal is down what do you do?
make sure they stay down if it is only you handling them and make them comfortable
If an animal isn’t stable but standing what do you do?
keep them standing and provide support with towels slings etc
What should you do if they have injured limbs?
supported and padded so they stay in place
How do you handle an unstable animal?
-calm movements and voice
-cover animals eyes to reduce stress
-if nursing young keep baby with them
-find a clean dry location away from other animals
First aid of animals
- maintain airway and breathing
- treat wound and stop severe bleeding
- stabilize animal and minimize pain
- administer pain meds if allowed
ABCs of First Aid
A-airway
B-breathing
C-circulation
Airway
-obstruction/compromise of airway needs to be immediately resolved
-animals with choke can be in respiratory distress
What can early signs of rabies look like?
choke signs
Circulation
apply pressure bandages to all sources of external hemorrhages
Most animals have a blood volume of….
10% their body weight
Most animals lose how much blood prior to hypovolemic shock?
10% of blood volume (~1% of body weight)
Math to figure out how much blood they can lose before hypovolemic shock
- first change pounds to kilograms 1LB=2.2kg
- then change kilograms into grams 1kg=1000g
- change grams into mL 1 gram= 0.01 mL
What should be in your basic first aid kit
- rope, towels, and halters
- stethoscope
- thermometer
- medical scissors and tweezers
- pliers and shears
- exam gloves
- leather gloves
- instant ice pack
- vet phone numbers
- phone with camera
- treats
- light source with batteries
- saline solution
- disinfectant/antiseptic
- antibiotic cream
- medical and duct tape
- styptic powder
- bandage material
- splint materials like PVC pipe
What should you have in first aid kit with vet approval?
-syringes and needles
-sedatives
-pain medications
What should you do to maintain first aid kits?
- avoid freezing, extreme heat, direct sunlight
- refill items as used
- have several kits in strategic locations and vehicles
- train your team on location and use
Hyperthermia
pathologic increase in core body temp without and increase in body thermal set point
What does increased body temp lead to?
-increase in tissue oxygen demand
-leads to cellular destruction
-vasculitis (inflammation of vessels)
-dehydration
