Trauma

Be careful when treating injured animals: they’re often in a lot of pain and will bite very hard! Put a muzzle on them if necessary: no one benefits from a rescuer with hands that have been bitten to pieces!

Airways (can the animal breathe?) and circulation (is the heart beating?). To restore breathing and circulation: see CPR. Also note the following: after a collision, the chest wall and ribs are usually bruised, injured, and/or broken. This can cause a pneumothorax. Rib injuries can impede breathing (which is very painful). These problems can only be treated at a veterinary clinic, not on the street. It’s obvious that a tight bandage around the chest will restrict breathing. That’s why open wounds on the chest are covered with ointment or plastic.

Superficial/external:
1. Wash your hands first before touching the wound
2. Clean the wound by rinsing it to remove dirt and hair.
3. Use lukewarm tap water for this; do not spray too hard!
4. Pat the wound dry with (preferably sterile) dry gauze, NOT with a tissue! If necessary, apply some antibiotic ointment, followed by a (sterile) bandage.

Minor bleeding/external: caused by scrapes, scratches, or small bite wounds. In these cases, the bleeding can be treated by applying pressure to the wound for 5 minutes without letting go! Do not try to remove any tissue fragments or loose skin! Do not remove any debris from the wound, even in the case of deep wounds. Otherwise, follow the instructions for wound cleaning as described above.

Foreign objects (sticks, knives, bullets, etc.): NEVER remove them! Try to prevent the object from moving. Removing it without taking precautions often leads to fatal bleeding!

External severe bleeding: Arterial blood is bright red and spurts from the wound in a pulsating manner (in time with the heartbeat). Immediately after the wound occurs, the heart rate increases, which causes additional blood loss.
Venous blood is dark in color and oozes more slowly.

Stopping severe bleeding before transport:

• Apply pressure to the wound: by hand, with gauze pads, or with a clean towel. Do not remove the pressure, even if blood seeps through. – Elevation: if a limb is bleeding heavily, it often helps to raise it above the level of the heart so that gravity helps keep more blood in the body.
• Apply pressure to the feeding artery: if bleeding continues after applying pressure to the wound and elevating the affected limb, it may be helpful to apply pressure to the feeding artery. Apply pressure to the femoral artery in the groin, the artery in the front leg at the elbow, or on the inner side of the upper arm.
• Apply pressure above and below the wound: this also stops venous bleeding – Tourniquet: is dangerous; there is a risk of permanent damage to the circulation in a leg.

Internal bleeding

• Visible externally: bleeding can occur from any body orifice, such as the mouth, ears, nose, vagina, rectum, urethra, or eyes. This type of bleeding must be treated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. You can cover the bleeding orifice with a bandage. Try to restrict the animal’s movement. Be aware of the risk of shock!
• External not visible: following a collision, a fall, poisoning, sexual abuse, etc. Can occur in the head, chest, and abdominal cavities. Furthermore, massive bleeding can occur between muscles in cases of fractures, e.g., in a femur fracture where the femoral artery is struck by a fracture edge. There is little you can do yourself to address this bleeding. Treat the shock, if present! Do not let the animal walk, and arrange transportation to the clinic. Ideally, carry the animal on a flat stretcher. These are always emergencies! Animals lose consciousness and go into shock quickly if they lose 30 ml or more of blood per kg of body weight in a very short period of time!

Next, the trauma to the brain and spinal cord is treated. It is virtually impossible to restrain a dog that resists without medication. The spinal cord is very often damaged at the junction of the lumbar and thoracic vertebrae. This leads to paralysis and loss of sensation in the hind legs. The animal must be transported on a flat stretcher.

The stomach and intestines are rarely damaged following trauma. The liver, on the other hand, is! The liver is often a source of (severe) bleeding. An animal struck by a vehicle with a distended abdomen is often bleeding from the liver. Liver bleeding usually stops on its own. If necessary, a bandage can be applied to the abdomen, just as in shock therapy (see that section).

Trauma to the kidneys, the ureters (kidney-to-bladder), the bladder, or the urethra (bladder-to-outside) can be life-threatening. However, treatment for these injuries is only initiated after the other organ systems have been treated. Kidney damage results from direct trauma or shock. Blood clots can block the ureters; trauma can damage or tear one or both ureters or the urethra. A full bladder can rupture in a collision. This is not strictly an emergency. Watch for bloody urine!

Symptoms

• Suddenly and severely lame
• Leg in an abnormal position
• Swelling at the site of the injury
• Acute, severe pain
• Bleeding or protruding bone fragments

Emergency Treatment

• Hold the animal down with a blanket or towel (this will also keep it warm)
• Immobilize the leg with a splint, if possible
• Take the animal to the vet