Pet First Aid Class Offers Peace of Mind

Written by Stephanie Kriner , Staff Writer, RedCross.org

August 1, 2001 — Had she not taken a pet first aid class through the American Red Cross, Lynne Bettinger probably would have panicked when the tiny white flu pill fell from her hand onto her kitchen floor. Her 13-year-old Cocker Spaniel Marty and his furry companion, her latest foster dog, were sniffing nearby. When she couldn't find the pill, Bettinger had to assume one of them had swallowed it.

From her pet first aid class, Bettinger knew that medicines intended for humans could be harmful — or even deadly — to animals. But it was 8:30 at night and the veterinarian had been closed for about two hours. The emergency veterinarian clinic was many miles away from her suburban Maryland home outside of Washington, D.C., and Bettinger didn't know how long she had before the medicine could have harmful effects on one of the dogs.

Pet First Aid

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Luckily, Bettinger was able to remain calm because she knew exactly what to do. She simply picked up the telephone and called the number for the National Animal Poison Control Center listed in her pet first aid manual, a joint publication of the American Red Cross and The Humane Society of the United States. The voice on the other end of the phone guided her on how to induce the dogs to vomit by giving them each a tablespoon of peroxide.

Bettinger experienced a sense of control over a situation in which many pet owners would have felt helpless. "I had no idea how the medicine might affect the dogs or how soon so I was really glad I had the information," said Bettinger who has adopted five cocker spaniels.

American Red Cross pet first aid classes — offered only in limited areas throughout the country — give cat and dog owners the skills necessary to tend to unexpected emergencies and to monitor their animals' health. The classes allow pet owners to provide care until they can get their pet to a veterinarian. "We don't have 911 for pets. This class is a substitute for that," said Carla Owen, a pet first aid instructor with the Red Cross' Alexandria Va., Chapter.

In many cases, students enroll in the course after tragically witnessing their pet suffer or even die, said Joy Zukauskas, a pet first aid instructor with the Lehigh Valley chapter, in Bethlehem, Pa. "I have had participants in class relate stories about their pets. You could see the tears well up in everyone's eyes (including mine) when they talk about their dog being hit by a car and the helplessness they felt," she said.

Pet first aid teaches cat and dog owners how to respond to a wide range of animal emergencies, from dressing a wound to performing CPR to preparing pets for natural disasters. Pet lovers also learn how to monitor their furry companion's well-being by learning the animal's normal temperature, blood pressure and other health parameters.

Classes are similar to Red Cross adult and child first aid classes because pets experience many of the same emergencies that humans do, Owen said. "Choking is the number one hazard for children. It's also the number one hazard for kittens and puppies," she said. Therefore, pet first aid teaches owners how to help a choking cat or dog through a technique that's similar to the abdominal thrust, a method taught by the Red Cross to save a choking human, she added. Class participants practice this and other life-saving skills on animal mannequins with compressible chests and stomachs and tubes for breathing into their mouths.

Ironically, many people who choose to take pet first aid have never taken the version of the course geared to humans, said Lourdes del Rio Valdez, with the Greater Los Angeles Chapter, one of the Red Cross chapters offering pet first aid classes.

However, after taking the pet version of the course, many students are inspired to also learn how to save humans, according to Scott Conner, vice president of Health, Safety and Community Services at the American Red Cross. "Pet first aid instructors encourage students to sign up for the first aid and CPR courses for people as well," he said. "Fortunately, once students see the value of the course, they often want to take more classes so they can be there to save the lives of their loved ones, both humans and animals."

Still, interest in the pet first aid classes and book emphasizes how important animals are becoming to American families, Valdez said. "Since pets are becoming part of the family, we really wanted to create a class for cat and dog owners," she said. Since the chapter launched its program in 1997, more than 300 others have begun teaching pet first aid classes nationwide.

In areas where Red Cross chapters don't offer the class, pet owners can order the pet first aid book to learn the necessary skills. In addition, the Greater Los Angeles Chapter recently released an instructional video.

As Bettinger looks out her sliding glass door to her wide-open backyard, she encourages other pet owners to learn and practice first aid skills. "You never know what's out there that they could get into," said Bettinger, who is now a certified pet first aid instructor and plans to offer the course in Maryland in conjunction with the Alexandria, Va., chapter.

"It's a good idea for any pet owner to take a pet first aid class so they will have some confidence if something happens to their pet. It gives them peace of mind."

Related articles:

• Pet First Aid Book
• Pet First Aid Tips
• American Red Cross Chapters Offering Pet First Aid