A = AIRWAYS

Is the animal’s throat and mouth clear of foreign objects? If yes go to Breathing.
If No:
1) Lay the animal down on one side.
2) Gently tilt the head slightly back to extend the neck and head.
3) Pull the tongue between the front teeth.
4) Use your finger to check for and remove any foreign material or vomit from the mouth.

B = BREATHING

Breathing rates: Small dog or cat (under 30 pounds): 20 – 30 breaths per minute.
Medium or large dogs (over 30 pounds): 20 breaths per minute.
Is the animal breathing? If yes go to circulation.
If No:
1) Open the airway. See A = Airways.
2) Medium to large dogs: Seal the mouth and lips by placing your hand around the lips, gently holding the muzzle closed.
Cats and small dogs (under 30 lbs.): Your mouth will seal the mouth and lips.
3) Place your mouth over the animal’s nose and forcefully exhale.
4) Give 4 or 5 breaths rapidly then check for breathing. If not breathing, breathing is shallow, or irregular continue artificial respiration until you get to vet or for maximum of 20 min.

C = CIRCULATION

Small dog or cat (< 30 lbs):
1) Lay animal on its right side.
2) Kneel next to your pet with the animal’s chest facing you.
3) Place the palm of one of your hands over the ribs at the point where the animal’s elbow touches the chest. Place your other hand underneath the right side of the animal.
4) Compress the chest ½ - 1 inch.
5) Chest compressions are altered with breath. – If working alone, 5 compressions for each breath, then check for a pulse. If two people, one person does breathing other compressions at rate of 3 compressions for each breath.
Medium to large dogs (30 to 90 lbs):
1) Stand or kneel with the animal’s back towards you.
2) Extend your arms at the elbows. Cup your hands over each other.
3) Compress chest at the point where left elbow lies when pulled back to the chest.
4) Compress chest 1 – 3 inches with each compression.
5) Chest compressions are altered with breath. – If working alone, 5 compressions for each breath, then check for a pulse. If two people, one person does breathing other compressions at rate of 2 or 3 compressions for each breath.

Giant dogs (> 90 lbs):
1) Stand or kneel with the animal’s back towards you.
2) Extend your arms at the elbows. Cup your hands over each other.
3) Compress chest at the point where left elbow lies when pulled back to the chest.
4) Compress chest 1 – 3 inches with each compression.
5) Chest compressions are altered with breath. – If working alone, 10 compressions for each breath, then check for a pulse. If two people, one person does breathing other compressions at rate of 6 compressions for each breath.

Your trainer and CPR expert

Susie

Don’t let the cold winter weather stop you and your dog from enjoying the outdoors.

Outerwear

Short-coated breeds such as Greyhounds, Boston Terriers, Chihuahuas, Min Pins, Boxers and Dobermans are vulnerable to cold. Outerwear in the form of a sweater or a coat is recommended for protection. Choose one with a high collar that covers the dog from the base of the tail to the belly.

Coat Care

Winter grooming is very important. Regular brushing help keep the fur clean and improves skin, coat and circulation. Clean and healthy fur lofts air that helps your pet stay warm. Don’t shave your dog’s fur during the cold winter months. That fur helps protect against the cold. Consider a neat trim instead. Completely dry your dog after a bath to avoid illness. Pets often suffer from flaky itching skin during the winter months. This is due to the dry heated indoor air. Coat conditioners and sprays can help prevent this problem. When coming in from a walk, completely wipe down your dog’s fur to remove snow, ice, and moisture.

Paw Care

Dogs’ paws can be very sensitive to snow and ice. Consider boots during the winter months, especially for dogs with hairy paws or using wax like the “Musher’s Secret” to protect the pads and skin in between them, snow will not build up and freeze and if they do they will not stick to the hair and easily be removed. Snow stuck between the toes and pads form ice balls can be very painful. Trim the hair around your dog’s paws and between the paw pads. To protect your dog’s paws apply a small amount of petroleum jelly, cooking oil or spray before going out for a walk. Clean your dog’s legs and paws after a walk. Use a spray bottle with warm water and gently spray the paws then wipe with a clean towel or paper towel. Salt and other chemicals can irritate the paw pads. Also, most dogs lick their paws and you wouldn’t want them ingesting any toxins.

Diet

Good nutrition is very important during the winter months. Dogs that spend a lot of time engaged in outdoor activities or live outdoors require an increase in caloric intake to generate more energy and ward off the cold. On the other hand, pets that don’t get much exercise in the winter and spend most of their time being couch potatoes should have their caloric intake decreased so that they don’t become over weight.

Antifreeze

Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol which has a sweet smell and taste making it appealing to pets. Keep antifreeze safely stored and immediately clean-up any spills. Consider using animal friendly de-icing and ice melting products, such as those that contain propylene glycol. If you suspect that your pet has ingested antifreeze, immediately seek veterinary attention.

Age

Puppies and senior dogs don’t tolerate the cold as well as adult dogs. Take them outside only to have them relieve themselves and shovel out a potty area. Puppies may be difficult to housebreak during the winter. If this is a problem consider using Wee Wee pads. Arthritic dogs will feel more discomfort in cold weather. Make sure you provide your indoor pets with a warm cozy bed away from drafts.

Car Safety

When taking your pets along for a ride or errands, never leave them alone in the car. The temperature inside a car can quickly become refrigerator cold or even freezing cold. Keep a winter kit in your car that includes blankets, towels, water, bowl, flashlight and first aid kit.

Outdoor Safety

Don’t leave your dog off-leash to run around in snow and icy conditions. Dogs can lose their footing and slip resulting in breaks, fractures and dislocations. More dogs are lost during the winter than any other season. This is because dogs can lose their scent in snowy conditions. Always make sure your dog and cat is wearing ID tags. Icy ponds are another hazard. Don’t walk on frozen ponds or allow your dog to play near or on frozen bodies of water. Dogs love to eat snow and catch snow balls. Be aware that eating snow, even if clean, can cause gastrointestinal upset that can lead to diarrhea, stomachaches and colds.

Frostbite

A pet’s ears, tail, and paws are susceptible to frostbite. Exam your dog for frostbite when outdoors and after coming in from being outdoors for an extended period. Frostbite is characterized by pale white, gray, or blue skin which may be difficult to see under the pet’s fur. If your pet has frostbite, try to thaw the affected area using a towel that has been soaked in lukewarm water. Hold the dripping wet towel on the affected area for 20 minutes, don’t rub. Contact your veterinarian.

Outdoor Pets

Outdoor pets need to be provided with adequate shelter. The dog house or pet shelter should be large enough for the pet to stand up in and turn themselves around, yet small enough to retain body heat. The shelter should be equipped with warm dry bedding such as straw, shavings, or other dry insulating material. Change bedding frequently to keep it clean, dry and warm. Blankets and pillows are not appropriate bedding as they can trap moisture from the snow, rain, ice and mud that the pet drags in. Position the opening or door flap of the pet shelter away from the wind, snow, and rain. Increase the caloric intake of your pet by providing more food and a high quality diet. Make sure your pet always has water and use a heated water bowl to prevent the water from freezing. Be aware that pets need time for their bodies to acclimate to changes in temperature. Sudden changes in temperature can cause illness. In extreme weather, consider bringing your pet indoor, even if it is the garage. If you witness an animal being neglected or not being provided with adequate shelter, please report the situation to your local Animal Control Officer.

Your Training team
Gil & Susie

You might have innocently bought Nylabones to your lovely chewers and it never occurred to you that Nylabone could be a life-threatening product so here is a true story:

Bruno, my 16 months old Lagotto Romagnolo is a notorious chewer so, I bought him a “nice” Nylabone at the nearest Petco store.

As usual, Bruno waged his tail happily and with a smile on his face grabbed the bone and ran out to the back yard to work on it.

Well, I haven’t watched him longer than a few minutes to make sure he was fine and went back to my business. I haven’t noticed that the Nylabone has disappeared and I was looking for it next day everywhere, it was gone. I thought that Bruno or my other dog have hidden it in a hole in the ground as they tend to do sometimes with other goodies,

About a week later, Bruno stared to vomit along with a bad diarrhea. On the second attempt to vomit there were two weird 1.5” hard chunks coming out of him. This scared the hell out of me. I collected the vomitus and those two chunks and zoomed with Bruno to see his Vet.

The Vet identified the chunks to be Nylabone pieces and was very surprised as Nylabone was not supposed to brake like that at all. The Vet wondered if there was anything left in Bruno’s stomach but as Bruno didn’t seem to suffer, she decided to administer antibiotics, put him on bland diet and keep a close eye on him.

Next day, Bruno was just fine and we played as usual, nothing seemed to bother him. There was still diarrhea but no vomit at all. I thought we were on the right track.

The day after that, we went for out for our morning walk and then breakfast. Half an hour later we were back to square one, running back to the Vet. X-Ray did not reveal anything (Nylabone will not show on X-Ray) and The Vet tried to locate hard pieces by hand gently squeezing the belly. As she was doing it, Bruno started to vomit again. And lo behold, there came another Nylabone knuckle out. So now it looked much more serious than we thought. As Ultrasound was not available at this clinic, we rushed to Manchester, NH to another clinic mentally preparing for a surgery.

An hour of ultrasound examination showed more debris and a lot of internal tissue damage yet, no other big chunks.

Bruno was put on different antibiotics to help him with the healing and anti-vomiting shot as well as strict bland diet.

A week later, Bruno is back to normal. We have escaped a surgery and a life threatening condition. And yes, this could have killed him.

NO MORE Nylabones !!!

Your trainer Gil