Pets and Bleeding- Know What To Do

SIGNS

We all know what it looks like. The most important thing is assessing how serious it is.

CAUSES

It often looks worse than it appears. A small pad cut can look horrible when only a small amount of blood is lost. Deep wounds involving arteries or veins are most serious. A cut artery will often "spurt" blood. Most superficial bleeding can be treated at home, while all deep wounds need veterinary care.

SOLUTIONS

CALL THE VET. All serious bleeding requires veterinary care, while small wounds can be treated at home.

APPLY PRESSURE. The first thing is to control the bleeding. Apply a gauze pad or a clean piece of cloth on the bleeding area. If blood soaks through, then re-apply another gauze pad over top. It is important not to remove the clot that will form to ultimately stop the bleeding.
In extensive bleeding, some form of a pressure bandage will need to be applied. Wrap the gauze or cloth with a roll of bandage. Your Pet First Aid Kit will have roll gauze inside. A tensor bandage will also work.

PRESSURE POINTS. It helps to know where the arteries are located near the surface of the skin. In these cases you can apply pressure with your finger to reduce blood flow and allow a clot to form.
Front Leg - The radial artery can be located in the armpit; use 3 fingers and apply firm pressure.
Rear Leg- The femoral artery can be located in the groin, where the rear leg starts. Apply firm pressure.
Tail- The Main coccygeal (tail) artery and vein run along the base of the tail. Apply firm pressure at the tail base to stop bleeding.

ASSESS FOR SHOCK. See SHOCK section for more details.
Pets who lose a lot of blood rapidly can go into SHOCK, in which the blood flow to their major organs shuts down; if not treated quickly, your pet can die. The major thing is assessing your pet's blood pressure via gum color and CRT (time for the blood to return the gums after you apply pressure). Pale gums and a long CRT are signs of serious shock; this means that your pet needs immediate veterinary care. Wrap him in a blanket, give him a teaspoon of honey, and transport immediately to your veterinarian.

ELEVATE THE BLEEDING LIMB. Raising the injured leg will slow down bleeding. This works best for injuries of the paw. DON'T do this if you suspect that the leg is broken.

HOMEOPATHIC. A common remedy for many types of bleeding is Phosphorus. I would dose it at 1-3 pellets of Phosphorus 30C twice daily for 3-5 days. Hint: they will go down easier when mixed with ice cream.

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