In the two seasons of spring and summer, everything begins to wake up, branches and leaves turn green, and flowers bloom. Dogs spend more time outside than in other seasons. Spring is also the season when most dogs are in heat. Therefore, these two seasons are the seasons when dogs are most likely to be hit by cars, and they are also the seasons when dogs are most likely to run away. So when a dog is hit by a car, how should the owner handle it correctly? What measures can be taken to prevent dogs from being injured again?
The first step that owners need to do when they discover that their dog has been hit by a car:
After many owners discover that their dog has been hit by a car, their first reaction is to rush up and pick it up. It is understandable that they are anxious, but this approach is very wrong, because when a dog is hit by a car, After being hit by a car, it will make a natural self-protection response to everyone who comes close to it because of pain and fear. At this time, even if its most trusted owner approaches, it will bite. Therefore, if the owner goes up to hug it at this time, it is more likely to cause injury to itself.
The correct approach is: first, the owner should approach the dog, and then let the dog gradually calm down through language. So during this process, the owner should check the injured part of the dog, where is the hind leg? abdomen? forelimb? Remember the injured part. When the dog calms down a bit, the owner can hold it. (What we need to care about is that when we hold it, we cannot touch the injured part. At the same time, we should protect the dog's head to prevent being bitten.)
Step 2:
When we hug the dog, if there are relatively hard flat objects around us, it is best to put it flat on it, which is easier than the owner holding it. , it is more beneficial to the dog, because it can ensure that the injured part does not change its position casually, and it is easier for the dog to breathe when lying flat. After taking these measures, we should take the dog to the pet hospital as soon as possible. At this time, the owner still has three more important things to do:
Is the dog bleeding a lot? If so, we need to use a clean cloth , apply pressure to stop bleeding, or ligation to stop bleeding (press a clean cloth on the bleeding point, or use a cloth strip to tie a knot upstream of the dog's bleeding)
Fix the dog's head, do not let it lick or bite the injured part, including the owner, and do not move the injured part (this can prevent secondary injuries, such as the original fracture, which will be directly thrown by the owner at will) Reasons)
You must not give the dog water at this time, and you must check whether the dog has defecated and whether there is blood in the stool (tell the pet doctor, they can quickly and initially determine whether the dog's internal organs are ruptured)
If the dog was hit by a car, what targeted examinations should be done at the pet hospital?
First check whether the dog has obvious bleeding symptoms, such as open bleeding, and then check the dog's visible mucosa to make a preliminary judgment whether the dog has lost a lot of blood (hemostatic needles can be used in advance at this time)
It is necessary to take several X-rays of the dog to determine the condition of the bones in the injured part of the dog, whether there are fractures, the extent of the fractures, and which bones are fractured.
We need to do a B-ultrasound examination of the injured part of the dog. We can get rid of things that cannot be seen with the naked eye and X-rays. For example, if the internal organs in the dog's abdominal cavity are destroyed, an ultrasound is more beneficial than an X-ray.
Depending on the severity of the dog being hit, the dog needs to undergo coagulation tests and some biochemical tests, as well as preparations for surgery.
After a dog is hit by a car, where is it most likely to be injured?
Most common injuries - fractures: ulna and radius, tibia and fibula, ribs, femur, pelvis, mandible, spine (this is relatively rare)
Organ rupture: bladder rupture (the most common ruptured organ in dogs hit by cars), spleen rupture, intestinal rupture.
Other common injuries: dog skin damage, pneumothorax caused by dog rib fractures, diaphragmatic hernia, concussion, and prolapsed eyeballs.
The most dangerous injury: massive bleeding caused by rupture of internal organs.
Conventional treatment methods for dogs hit by cars:
Timely surgical treatment: If the dog has visceral rupture or bleeding, then immediate surgical treatment is required. For example, if the bladder ruptures, although the amount of bleeding is not much, after the urine enters the abdominal cavity, the dog will develop peritonitis and endotoxin poisoning.
No timely surgery is required: internal fixation or external fixation can be selected depending on the degree of the dog’s fracture. If the dog's fracture site is severely swollen, you can consider anti-inflammatory treatment and then fracture repair, which will have better results.
Conservative treatment: The dog only has skin trauma or minor injuries, so we need conservative treatment at this time. The first is pain management. You must use pet-specific painkillers, because human painkillers can cause intestinal bleeding in dogs. Then we need to preventively use some hemostatic drugs to prevent the dog from continuing to bleed after being hit by some bleeding points that are invisible to the naked eye. At the same time, anti-inflammatory management is required. (Depending on the severity of the dog's injury, this time is usually 3-5 days.)
Warm reminder: Do not give your dog blood-activating and blood-stasis-removing drugs after it has just been hit by a car. It should be used only when there are no bleeding points, otherwise it will aggravate the bleeding at the injured part of the dog.
After the dog is hit, how should the owner take care of it?
After the dog is hit, the owner cannot give the dog food or drink water freely within 6-8 years. This is very important. Then, 8-12 hours after the dog is hit, the owner should start giving the dog food and water. However, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the amount of water and food must be reduced, at least half as much as usual. (Cannot eat indigestible food)
Limit the dog’s strenuous exercise. Regardless of whether the dog is injured or not, after the dog is hit by a car, the owner should limit the dog’s strenuous exercise to prevent secondary injuries..
How should owners prevent their dogs from being hit by cars?
When owners go out to walk their dogs, they must tie up the leash, so the leash is to protect the dogs, not to harm them. Most dogs are hit by cars because they do not have a leash.
When a dog is neutered or neutered, it can be hit by a car and not on a leash. The second reason is that he is in heat. Because at this time, when he saw a dog of the opposite sex chasing him, he did not listen to his owner. Nowadays, the city is crowded with vehicles, so he is easily hit and injured, which is not good for dogs and traffic safety.
When walking your dog, it is best not to go to both sides of the road or choose a noisy place, because in this type of environment, the dog is more likely to be frightened, and then it will be easily hit by a car while running around.
The pet doctor reminds: After the dog is hit by a car, it is very important for the owner to deal with it promptly and correctly, but more importantly, the owner should do a good job in feeding and managing the dog. Because of good feeding and management, the dog will hardly be hit by a car, and good feeding and management are good for the dog, the owner, and other people, so we owners must pay attention to it.