Post by Brooke on Apr 14, 2004 12:47:49 GMT -5
Pet First Aid Course Provides Unique Insights
Written by Bonnie Gillespie , Staff Writer and Photographer, RedCross.org
Tuesday, April 13, 2004 — “Put an injured cat in a pillow case to keep it from scratching you."
Rosie Lawson and Natasha Pettigrew follow along closely with instruction during their Pet First Aid class.
"Pay attention to an injured animal’s ear, tail and body position because that will help you know how aggressively it might react.”
“If you live in Southern California, you can strap an injured animal onto your surfboard to safely transport it to the animal hospital.”
And with that tip from the energetic instructor, the room of students at the Pet First Aid class in Silver Spring, Md., erupted into laughter. But the diverse group of animal lovers had gathered in their local Red Cross office to learn much more than simple safety tips. They came to be equipped with knowledge that might one day help them save the life of a valued family member – their pet.
“When you have a pet you understand why people want to take this class,” said Rosie Lawson, a Pet First Aid student and proud owner of a gray tabby cat named Bancho. “My cat gives me company, affection and love, so the least I can do is learn how to help him if something ever happened to him. The more knowledge we have, the better.”
For four hours, students listened attentively to Red Cross volunteer instructor Tressa Everts, a professional dog trainer and veterinary technician. Everts guided participants through common pet emergency scenarios and animal CPR procedures using hands-on demonstration with specially-designed stuffed animals and supplementary videos.
“Every pet owner should know how to recognize an emergency, stop bleeding and give emergency breathing,” Everts said. “We want to give people information so they can care for their animals until they can get them to a pet hospital, and generally feel more confident as a pet owner.”
Natasha Pettigrew was among the Pet First Aid students who said she gained insights that would benefit her in caring for Bill, her chocolate Labrador retriever, almost immediately.
“He’s an older dog and the other day I was trying to check his breathing and didn’t know how, but if I had already had this course, I would have known what to do,” she said.
Pet First Aid instructor Tressa Everts uses a specially-designed stuffed animal to demonstrate pet CPR.
Providing pet owners like Pettigrew with practical information such as “get down on the pet’s level to check its breathing” is an integral part of the Red Cross Pet First Aid course. However, a variety of people sign up for the class, according to Everts, who has been a Pet First Aid instructor at Red Cross chapters coast to coast.
“Not only am I studying to become a dog trainer, but I have two dogs at home as well and this course is really helpful for both reasons,” said Juliann Jacobus. “Pets are like part of the family, and if your child stopped breathing, you’d need to know what to do. So if your pet stopped breathing, you would need to know what to do then, too.”
With more than 60 million pet dogs in the U.S. and nearly 70 million pet cats, the Red Cross has made the Pet First Aid manual available through a variety of sources, since the course itself is not available in every community.
The Pet First Aid manual teaches emergency care procedures for cats and dogs and provides tips for keeping pets happy and healthy, too.
Among the things included in the Red Cross Pet First Aid manual are:
How to approach a sick or injured animal;
Administering medications;
Recognizing an emergency;
Performing CPR and first aid;
Treating common problems and emergencies requiring immediate attention; and
What to stock in a pet first aid kit.
Find Out More about Pet First Aid
To purchase the Pet First Aid manual, contact your local Red Cross chapter or ask for it at your local bookstore (ISBN 1-57857-000-X). You can also find out if Pet First Aid classes are offered in your area by visiting our list of participating chapters.
Written by Bonnie Gillespie , Staff Writer and Photographer, RedCross.org
Tuesday, April 13, 2004 — “Put an injured cat in a pillow case to keep it from scratching you."
Rosie Lawson and Natasha Pettigrew follow along closely with instruction during their Pet First Aid class.
"Pay attention to an injured animal’s ear, tail and body position because that will help you know how aggressively it might react.”
“If you live in Southern California, you can strap an injured animal onto your surfboard to safely transport it to the animal hospital.”
And with that tip from the energetic instructor, the room of students at the Pet First Aid class in Silver Spring, Md., erupted into laughter. But the diverse group of animal lovers had gathered in their local Red Cross office to learn much more than simple safety tips. They came to be equipped with knowledge that might one day help them save the life of a valued family member – their pet.
“When you have a pet you understand why people want to take this class,” said Rosie Lawson, a Pet First Aid student and proud owner of a gray tabby cat named Bancho. “My cat gives me company, affection and love, so the least I can do is learn how to help him if something ever happened to him. The more knowledge we have, the better.”
For four hours, students listened attentively to Red Cross volunteer instructor Tressa Everts, a professional dog trainer and veterinary technician. Everts guided participants through common pet emergency scenarios and animal CPR procedures using hands-on demonstration with specially-designed stuffed animals and supplementary videos.
“Every pet owner should know how to recognize an emergency, stop bleeding and give emergency breathing,” Everts said. “We want to give people information so they can care for their animals until they can get them to a pet hospital, and generally feel more confident as a pet owner.”
Natasha Pettigrew was among the Pet First Aid students who said she gained insights that would benefit her in caring for Bill, her chocolate Labrador retriever, almost immediately.
“He’s an older dog and the other day I was trying to check his breathing and didn’t know how, but if I had already had this course, I would have known what to do,” she said.
Pet First Aid instructor Tressa Everts uses a specially-designed stuffed animal to demonstrate pet CPR.
Providing pet owners like Pettigrew with practical information such as “get down on the pet’s level to check its breathing” is an integral part of the Red Cross Pet First Aid course. However, a variety of people sign up for the class, according to Everts, who has been a Pet First Aid instructor at Red Cross chapters coast to coast.
“Not only am I studying to become a dog trainer, but I have two dogs at home as well and this course is really helpful for both reasons,” said Juliann Jacobus. “Pets are like part of the family, and if your child stopped breathing, you’d need to know what to do. So if your pet stopped breathing, you would need to know what to do then, too.”
With more than 60 million pet dogs in the U.S. and nearly 70 million pet cats, the Red Cross has made the Pet First Aid manual available through a variety of sources, since the course itself is not available in every community.
The Pet First Aid manual teaches emergency care procedures for cats and dogs and provides tips for keeping pets happy and healthy, too.
Among the things included in the Red Cross Pet First Aid manual are:
How to approach a sick or injured animal;
Administering medications;
Recognizing an emergency;
Performing CPR and first aid;
Treating common problems and emergencies requiring immediate attention; and
What to stock in a pet first aid kit.
Find Out More about Pet First Aid
To purchase the Pet First Aid manual, contact your local Red Cross chapter or ask for it at your local bookstore (ISBN 1-57857-000-X). You can also find out if Pet First Aid classes are offered in your area by visiting our list of participating chapters.