Any cat or dog can get injured, regardless of body weight and age, says veterinarian and zoopsychologist Lidia Lobodina.
The most common causes of injury are:
- Fights with other animals
- Cars and road
- Unsuccessful jumping, running
- Excessive activity
- Games
Types of injuries and first aid:
Wounds often become contaminated and infected, so foreign objects must first be removed from the wound. In case of severe bleeding, apply a tourniquet to the injured limb above the wound, for a maximum of 30-60 minutes. From above, you need to tightly close the wound with a bandage and a swab moistened with a solution of hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine. With a small wound, it is enough to apply a bandage from a bandage. After providing first aid, the pet must be immediately taken to the clinic.
When stretched, the animal begins to limp on the injured limb, tries not to bend or unbend it to the end, protects it when walking and carefully leans on it, soreness and swelling are noted in the diseased joint.
Bruises occur when hitting blunt objects. There is pain, swelling, redness or hematoma at the site of impact, lameness. On the first day, a bottle of cold water and ice wrapped in a towel can be applied to the damaged area for 30 minutes, with breaks of 1-2 hours. In the next few days, the sore spot is warmed by applying a warm heating pad for 20-30 minutes several times a day, limiting the load.
With dislocations, an incorrect position of the limb is noted, protrusion of the bone from the joint, but the integrity of the skin is not violated, the animal cannot rely on this limb.
Bone fractures are open, when there is a violation of the integrity of the skin and muscles and bone fragments come out, and closed – without violating the integrity of the skin. With displaced fractures, the injured limb becomes slightly shorter than the healthy one. The pet raises the injured paw high and does not lean on it when walking, the limb is twisted, and there is pain and swelling at the fracture site. With the help of a splint, the injured limb can be carefully fixed without trying to straighten it, apply cold, put the pet on a flat, hard surface, and then deliver it to the clinic.
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