Red Cross offering course in pet first aid

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on January 18, 2025.

Courtesy Steve Malone/Canadian Red Cross - Steve Malone of the Canadian Red Cross, alongside Mika, says knowing what to do in an emergency is critical, as it could mean the difference between life or death for a beloved animal.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

Many people consider cats and dogs to be members of their family, with some going as far as calling them their “babies,” but how many of those fur parents know what to do in an emergency?

The Canadian Red Cross now offers an online first aid course for dogs and cats to help equip pet owners and caregivers with essential skills to manage common emergencies, including choking, performing CPR, and wound care.

Steve Malone, account manager with the Red Cross Prevention and Safety team, retired Critical Flight Paramedic and first aid instructor, dog owner and trainer for Service Dogs, says knowing what to do in an emergency is critical, as it could mean the difference between life or death for a beloved animal.

“Cats and dogs can get injured, so we wanted to give some information to the people taking this course, in case they needed to take care of a cat or a dog if they get sick or injured,” said Malone.

He said knowing what to do in an emergency is important because depending on how quickly an injury or a sickness is taken care of, it will either help or hinder the recovery process.

“If we can interact with somebody who is sick or injured early, the recovery is much better, there’s a better chance of survival and the same will apply to your pet. If you realize your dog is not feeling well and you take them to the vet early, then it will be a much greater chance of them recovering from whatever is happening to them,” said Malone.

He said the course is set up in a way that it begins with teaching people what is normal, as this will make it easier to identify an emergency if there is ever one.

“What I mean by that is what’s the normal heart rate of a dog or cat, their normal temperature, normal respiratory rate, what’s a normal drinking habit or eating habit and things like that,” said Malone.

He added that it is important to start with that because if any of those change due to illness or injury, people are able to recognize it a sign of a problem and deal with it accordingly.

“The other thing we wanted to teach is about injuries. What do we do for dogs or cats in cardiac arrest? What can we do if they have difficulty breathing,” said Malone.

He explained that just like with people, choking is common with dogs, especially if they are playing with small objects that gets lodge their airway. So, the course teaches people how to remove these obstructions.

 “We also wanted to talk about wounds and bleeding, because if your dog is outside walking along a trail and they step on a piece of glass or something sharp, they get what we call a laceration and they would need some attention,” said Malone.

He said under those circumstances, if a dog is bleeding the course teaches people how to put a dressing on it, how to stop the bleeding, basically how to take care of it until the dog can be seen by a veterinary if the situation calls for it.

“The course is all online and takes approximately an hour to complete, and it is inexpensive. It is $30 and you are able to access the information afterwards whenever you need it,” said Malone.

The course also provides those that complete it with a certification, and the ability to access the information afterwards makes it so there is no need for re-certification.

“You can go back in a week, a month or six months later to review the program at any time once it’s completed. So, it’s nice to be able to have that resource available to you if you are not sure about something down the road because we don’t remember everything all the time,” said Malone.

The course also offers preventive measures pet owners can take to keep their “fur babies” well taken care of, like keeping up with vet checks yearly, having their vaccinations up to date and the importance of grooming.

“Making sure you groom your cat or dog as this allows you to see if there is anything wrong with the animal while you’re doing that, like if there are ticks, or any skin conditions that may need attention,” said Malone.

The course also offers information on what to have in your pet’s first aid kit to make sure you are prepared in case of an emergency.

“You could buy a first aid kit for your pets at the Red Cross, but you can also create your own so there will be a list available there of what you should have in a first aid kit for a pet,” said Malone.