Be Ready When It Matters Most

• Sterile gauze pads (10 × 3") and one roll of conforming gauze bandage
• Self-adhesive vet wrap, 2 rolls — never wrap tightly
• Non-stick wound pads (5), adhesive tape (1 roll), blunt-tipped scissors
• Digital rectal thermometer plus water-based lubricant
• Saline eye wash (1 bottle) and sterile saline flush for wounds (250 ml)
• Antiseptic: chlorhexidine 2% solution or povidone-iodine (1 bottle)
• Tweezers, a tick removal tool, and a nail clipper with styptic powder
• Disposable gloves (4 pairs), a space blanket, and a clean towel
• 3% hydrogen peroxide (dogs only, and only if instructed by a vet or poison control)
• Oral syringe (10 ml), muzzle or roll gauze for a temporary muzzle, slip leash
• Instant cold pack, tongue depressors as splints, and a rigid board for large dogs
• A printed card with your vet, the emergency hospital, both poison lines, your pet's weight, medications, and microchip number

Signs are frantic pawing at the mouth, gagging, blue-tinged gums, and distress. Stay calm; a panicking animal may bite.

• Open the mouth and look. If the object is visible and easy to grasp, pull it out with your fingers or tweezers — never blindly sweep, which pushes it deeper.
• For a small dog or cat, hold them with the head lower than the chest and give five firm blows between the shoulder blades with the flat of your hand.
• If that fails, place your hands just behind the ribcage and give five quick inward and upward thrusts. For a large dog standing, do the same from behind with a fist.
• Recheck the mouth between cycles and repeat. If the pet becomes unconscious, check for breathing and begin CPR while heading to the vet.
• Go to the vet even after a successful dislodgement — throat swelling and lung injury can follow hours later.

Control the bleeding first, worry about cleanliness second. Muzzle if there is any risk of biting, then press a thick pad of sterile gauze directly onto the wound and hold firm, continuous pressure for a full three to five minutes without peeking.

• If blood soaks through, add another layer on top rather than removing the first.
• For a bleeding limb, elevate it gently and wrap snugly with gauze and vet wrap — you should still slide two fingers under the bandage.
• Once bleeding stops, flush minor wounds with sterile saline, not hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which damage tissue.
• Use a tourniquet only for a catastrophic, otherwise-uncontrollable limb bleed, and note the time.

Go to the vet for any wound that spurts, gapes, is longer than half an inch, involves the eye, face, chest, or abdomen, is a bite or puncture (which seal over infection), or is still bleeding after ten minutes of pressure.

Heatstroke kills quickly and is common in North American summers, especially in flat-faced breeds, seniors, and overweight pets. Warning signs: frantic heavy panting, thick drool, brick red or purple gums, vomiting, wobbliness, and collapse. A body temperature above 40 °C (104 °F) is an emergency.

• Move to shade or air conditioning immediately and stop all activity.
• Pour or hose cool, not ice-cold water over the body, especially the neck, armpits, groin, and paws. Ice water constricts vessels and slows cooling.
• Put a fan on the wet pet and offer small sips of cool water if they are alert. Never force water.
• Stop active cooling around 39.4 °C (103 °F) to avoid overshooting.
• Go to the vet regardless of apparent recovery — organ and clotting damage can appear up to 72 hours later.

Prevention: walk in the early morning or late evening, test pavement with the back of your hand for five seconds, carry water, and never leave a pet in a parked car — the interior can gain 20 degrees in ten minutes even on a mild day.

Common household culprits: xylitol, chocolate, grapes and raisins, onions and garlic, antifreeze, ice melt, rodenticide, human medications (ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antidepressants), marijuana edibles, nicotine pouches, and lilies for cats.

• Remove your pet from the source and take the packaging with you.
• Call your vet plus ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 or the Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661 immediately.
• Do not induce vomiting unless a professional tells you to. It is dangerous after caustic substances, petroleum products, or in a wobbly or seizing pet, and is never appropriate for cats at home.
• Note the time of exposure, the estimated amount, and your pet's weight — this drives treatment decisions.
• For skin or eye contact, rinse with lukewarm water for 15 minutes and prevent licking.

A seizure is frightening to watch but usually not immediately fatal. Your job is to protect, time, and observe.

• Do not put anything in the mouth — pets do not swallow their tongues, and you will be bitten.
• Clear furniture away, place cushions nearby, and gently keep them from falling off a couch or down stairs.
• Dim the lights, keep noise low, and start timing.
• Afterwards expect disorientation, pacing, temporary blindness, or thirst for up to an hour. Speak softly, offer water once steady, and keep other pets away.
• Go to the vet immediately for a first-ever seizure, one lasting over three minutes, more than two in 24 hours, or seizures with suspected toxin exposure.

Video the event if you can — it genuinely helps your vet distinguish seizure types.

Suspect a fracture with sudden non-weight-bearing lameness, an abnormal angle, swelling, or grinding. Pain makes even gentle pets bite, so muzzle first unless they are struggling to breathe or vomiting.

• Do not attempt to straighten or set a limb, and avoid splinting unless a vet directs you — a poorly applied splint often worsens the injury.
• Cover any bone breaking the skin with moist sterile gauze and do not push it back in.
• Transport small pets in a carrier lined with a towel; slide larger dogs onto a rigid board or a blanket used as a stretcher with two people.
• Support the spine as one unit if there is any chance of back injury after a fall or car accident.
• Never give human painkillers. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen cause kidney and liver failure, and acetaminophen is fatal to cats.

Mild limping with no other signs can be assessed within 24 hours of rest, but any refusal to bear weight, obvious deformity, or limping after trauma needs same-day care.

Only perform CPR on a pet that is unresponsive and not breathing. Head for the vet while performing it — ideally with one person driving and one doing compressions.

1. Check responsiveness: call the name, tap firmly. Look for chest movement and feel for breath for no more than 10 seconds.
2. Open the airway: extend the head and neck, pull the tongue forward, and remove any visible obstruction.
3. Position the pet on their right side on a firm, flat surface.
4. Hand placement: for medium and large dogs, both hands over the widest part of the chest. For deep-chested dogs like Greyhounds, over the heart just behind the elbow. For cats and dogs under about 10 kg, wrap one hand around the chest with the thumb on one side and fingers on the other.
5. Compress one third to one half of the chest width, 100–120 compressions per minute — the tempo of "Stayin' Alive". Let the chest fully recoil between compressions.
6. After 30 compressions, give 2 rescue breaths: close the mouth, seal your lips over the nose, and blow until you see the chest rise. For flat-faced breeds, seal the whole muzzle.
7. Continue 30:2 cycles, swapping people every two minutes to avoid fatigue.
8. Recheck for breathing and a heartbeat every two minutes, and keep going until the pet breathes on their own or you reach the veterinary team.

• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center — (888) 426-4435, 24/7
• Pet Poison Helpline — (855) 764-7661, 24/7 in the USA and Canada
• Your regular clinic's after-hours message, which usually names the referral hospital they use
• Your nearest 24-hour emergency and specialty hospital — look it up today and store the address in your phone's maps app

When you call ahead, give your pet's species, breed, weight, what happened, when, and what you have already done. That two-minute call lets the team prepare before you walk through the door.