April is national pet first aid awareness month

UPDATE: See comments below for two additional resources!

You can never be too prepared for an emergency.  Do you know what to do if your pet gets injured or sick? What if your vet is not available?  Minutes can make a difference in emergency situations.  Find out which emergency veterinary clinic is nearest to your house and keep that information easily accessible.  Know how to get there before you need to drive there in a panic.  Put these poison hotline phone numbers on the refrigerator so you don’t have to search for them when your pet has eaten something toxic. Have a pet first aid manual on hand.  Learn what you can do yourself by taking a pet first aid class. 

POISON HOTLINES:

ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center

1.900.443-0000 ($55.00 per case). The charge is billed directly to the caller's phone.

1.888.4ANI.HELP or 1.888.426.4435 ($55.00 per case). The charge is billed to caller's credit card only.

Follow-up calls can be made for no additional charge by dialing 1.888.299.2973. There is no charge when the call involves a product covered by the Animal Product Safety Service.

Request a pet safety kit from the ASPCA; it includes a pet rescue window decal to alert rescue personnel that pets are in your home and a magnet with the ASPCA Poison Control Center Hotline.

Animal Poison Hotline – a joint service provided by North Shore Animal League America (NSAL) and PROSAR International Animal Poison Center (IAPC).

1.888.232.8870 ($35.00 per incident). The charge is billed to caller's credit card only. Staffed 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

National Pesticide Telecommunications Network

Toll free number 800.858.7378

This organization provides information about pesticide products and poisonings, toxicology, environmental chemistry, and other pesticide-related issues.

BOOKS:

Pet Emergency Care is a free booklet offered by the Veterinary Referral Center of Colorado, 303.874.7387. For a read-only Adobe Acrobat version, go to their web library and click on VRCC Pet Emergency Booklet

The First Aid Companion for Dogs & Cats by Amy D. Shojai (Rodale, $19.95) has sections about accident prevention, when to call the veterinarian, how to handle more than 150 injuries and illnesses, follow-up care, and what to keep in your pet’s “medicine chest.”

The Goldsteins' Wellness & Longevity Program by Robert S. Goldstein, V.M.D., and Susan J. Goldstein (T.F.H. Publications, $19.95) provides a holistic approach to preventative health care yet offers solutions for a number of emergency situations.

Pet First Aid: Cats and Dogs by Bobby Mammato, DVM, MPH, (Staywell, $10) is the official handbook for American Red Cross Pet First Aid classes.

CLASSES:

PetTech offers an eight-hour PetSaver course.  The next one in the Denver area will be held June 6 fom 8am to 5pm.

The Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross offers its next Pet First Aid course on June 24.