This month continues the series on first aid for your pets.

The information is provided by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

The main thing to remember is to contact your veterinarian in case of an emergency.

Have contact numbers for your vet and an emergency clinic on your phone or an easy to find location.

Seizures

Keep your pet away from any objects (including furniture) that might hurt him or her. Do not try to restrain your pet.

Time the seizure. They usually last 2-3 minutes.

After the seizure has stopped, keep your pet as warm and quiet as possible, and contact your vet.

Fractures

Muzzle your pet.

Gently lay them on a flat surface for support.

While transporting your injured pet to a veterinarian, use a stretcher (you can use a board or other firm surface as a stretcher, or use a throw rug or blanket as a sling).

If possible, secure your pet to the stretcher. Make sure you don’t put pressure on the injured area or the animal’s chest. This may be as simple as wrapping a blanket around them.

You can attempt to set the fracture with a homemade splint, but remember that a badly-placed splint may cause more harm than good.

If in doubt, it is always best to leave the bandaging and splinting to a veterinarian.

Bleeding (external)

Muzzle your pet.

Press a clean, thick gauze pad over the wound, and keep pressure over the wound with your hand until the blood starts clotting. This will often take several minutes for the clot to be strong enough to stop the bleeding.

Instead of checking it every few seconds to see if it has clotted, hold pressure on it for a minimum of 3 minutes and then check it.

If bleeding is severe and on the legs, apply a tourniquet above the wound. You can use an elastic band or gauze. Apply a bandage and pressure over the wound.

Loosen the tourniquet for 20 seconds every 15-20 minutes.

Severe bleeding can quickly be life-threatening. Get your animal to a veterinarian immediately if this occurs.

Bleeding (internal)

Symptoms: bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum, coughing up blood, blood in urine, pale gums, collapse, weak and rapid pulse.

Keep animal as warm and quiet as possible and transport immediately to a veterinarian.

Next month: Burns, choking, and heat stroke