What To Do Is Your Dog is Bleeding - Be Prepared

Last week, I stopped by the local emergency clinic and a gentleman and his wife brought in their dog that was "bleeding". They didn't know what had happened but there was blood everywhere. Literally, they were arguing about something and it was hard to get a good history about the dog.

We initially thought he had been hit by a car. The dog had blood on his head, in his ears, in his mouth, his fur was covered. His vital signs were stable so we proceeded to try to wipe him down to find the source of blood. Believe it or not - it was from a cut on his foot.

The dog had cut a big arterial blood vessel and proceeded to bleed for 3 hours before coming to the emergency clinic. The owners were hysterical.

To make a long story short - the dog had lost a lot of blood. Many times when a dog is bleeding - it LOOKS like a lot of blood but it really isn't. In this case - it really was.

We sedated the dog and sutured the wound. After surgery, we monitored his blood counts and they dropped so low - that he required a blood transfusion.

We spoke with the owner more and they said the dog was in the yard and they noticed the foot bleeding but thought it would stop (3 hours prior) but it kept bleeding.

The key lesson? As responsible pet owners we must know what to do if our dog is bleeding. It doesn't have to be fancy but effective. Keep your dog calm. When you see where the blood is coming from - get a clean cloth or towel and apply gently pressure on the wound. Don't use a tourniquet. Just gentle pressure and go see your veterinarian.

I also strongly recommend that you keep a first aid kit for your dog handy. This weekend - take a minute and consider what should be in your dog's home to help him in the case of an emergency. Look at the list of what should be in a dog first aid kit and put it on your list the next time you are at the store.

Keep your dog safe. If you don't know what to do - keep the number to your vet or local ER handy so they can help guide you until you can get to the clinic.