I. Things to Do Before First Aid: 3 Preparatory Works

1. Prepare a first - aid kit: Store a pet - specific tourniquet, povidone - iodine (alcohol is prohibited as it irritates the skin), sterile gauze, tweezers, cotton swabs, normal saline, an Elizabethan collar, and common pet medications (such as probiotics, hemostatic powder), and place it in a prominent and easily accessible place.
2. Keep key information: Save the phone number and address of a 24 - hour pet hospital in your phone (give priority to institutions that can provide night - time emergency services). Record the pet's breed, age, weight, and past medical history (to help doctors make a quick judgment).
3. Stay calm: Your emotions can affect your pet. Nervousness and panic may lead to operational errors. Take a deep breath first, and then perform the rescue steps.

II. First - Aid Guidelines for Common Emergencies (Applicable to Both Cats and Dogs)

1. Ingestion of Toxic Food (the most dangerous! The golden rescue time is 1 - 2 hours)
   • Common toxic foods: chocolate, grapes/raisins, onions/garlic, xylitol (in chewing gum), raw fish (containing parasites), bones (prone to choking or scratching the gastrointestinal tract), green radish/lily (plants).
   • First - aid steps:
     • Immediately stop the pet from eating further. If it has just been ingested within 10 minutes and the pet is awake without vomiting, gently stimulate the throat (using a finger or cotton swab) to induce vomiting (note: in case of ingestion of corrosive substances such as batteries or cleaning agents, do not induce vomiting! It will cause secondary burns to the esophagus).
     • Collect the vomit or remaining food samples to help doctors detect the type of poison.
     • Do not feed the pet water, milk, or human medications (such as laxatives, painkillers), as it may aggravate the poisoning.
     • Send the pet to the hospital immediately and inform the doctor of the "ingestion time + food type + pet weight". Gastric lavage may be necessary.
2. Traumatic Bleeding (such as scratches, bruises, cuts)
   • First - aid steps:
     • Hemostasis: Press the bleeding site with sterile gauze or a clean towel for 5 - 10 minutes (do not wipe back and forth, as it will disrupt blood clotting). If the bleeding is severe, wrap a tourniquet above the wound (leave a finger - wide gap), and release it for 1 minute every 30 minutes to avoid limb necrosis.
     • Cleaning: After hemostasis, rinse the wound with normal saline to remove dirt, and then gently wipe the skin around the wound with povidone - iodine (do not apply directly to the deep part of the wound).
     • Bandaging: Cover the wound with gauze, wrap and fix it (the tightness should be appropriate, allowing one finger to be inserted), and put on an Elizabethan collar to prevent the pet from licking or biting.
     • Indications for medical treatment: deep wounds, continuous bleeding, injuries caused by rusty metal/wild animals, and the pet shows symptoms of fever and swelling.
3. Asphyxiation (foreign body stuck in the throat, may be fatal within 1 minute)
   • Symptom judgment: The pet opens its mouth to breathe, coughs continuously, drools from the corners of the mouth, has difficulty breathing, and keeps scratching its mouth with its paws. In severe cases, it may faint and fall to the ground.
   • First - aid steps (Heimlich maneuver):
     • For dogs (standing position): Hug the dog's abdomen with both hands, with the thumb side facing 2 fingers above the navel, and stack the other hand on top. Press quickly upward and backward 5 - 6 times, and repeat until the foreign body is expelled.
     • For cats/small dogs (lying position): Let the pet lie flat with its limbs facing up. Place both hands on both sides of the chest, with the thumb pressing the middle of the sternum. Press quickly 10 - 15 times, and at the same time, gently open the mouth to check if the foreign body can be removed.
     • After the foreign body is expelled, if the pet still has difficulty breathing, send it to the hospital immediately (there may be lung damage).
4. Heatstroke (high - incidence in summer, as pets have poor heat - dissipation ability)
   • Symptom judgment: Body temperature exceeds 39°C, open - mouth panting, purple tongue, excessive salivation, listlessness, and unsteady walking. In severe cases, convulsions and coma may occur.
   • First - aid steps:
     • Quickly move the pet to a cool and ventilated place, untie the collar/clothes, wipe the abdomen, armpits, and paws with a wet towel (these areas are rich in blood vessels), or use a fan to blow on the moist areas (to accelerate heat dissipation).
     • Do not soak the pet in ice water or wipe its body with alcohol (it will cause blood vessel constriction and aggravate heatstroke), and do not force - feed water (it may choke into the trachea).
     • After 10 - 15 minutes of cooling, if the body temperature drops below 38.5°C, send the pet to the hospital immediately (heatstroke may cause internal organ damage and needs to be examined). If the body temperature continues to rise, send it to the hospital directly.
5. Fracture/Dislocation (such as caused by a fall or a car accident)
   • First - aid steps:
     • Fixation: Use a cardboard, wooden board, or rolled - up magazine as a splint, place it on both sides of the fractured limb, and wrap and fix it with gauze or a rope (do not tie directly at the fracture site. The tightness should be such that it does not affect blood circulation) to avoid aggravating the injury when the pet moves.
     • Pain relief: Do not feed the pet human painkillers (such as ibuprofen, aspirin, which are toxic to pets). Gently stroke and soothe the pet instead.
     • Send to the hospital immediately: Fractures require professional reduction and fixation. Delaying may lead to malunion.

III. Absolutely Prohibited Wrong First - Aid Methods

1. Do not feed pets human medications (such as cold medicines, painkillers, antibiotics), as most of them are toxic to cats and dogs (for example, acetaminophen can cause acute liver damage in cats).
2. Do not rinse the wound directly with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, as it will damage the wound tissue and delay healing.
3. After a pet drowns, do not hang it upside - down to drain water (it may cause the contents of the stomach to reflux and choke into the lungs). Instead, let the pet lie on its side, gently press the chest to expel the water, and perform artificial respiration at the same time.
4. Do not forcefully press the limbs when the pet is having convulsions (it may cause fractures), and do not put anything in its mouth (it may bite). Move the dangerous objects around away, and send the pet to the hospital after the convulsions stop.

IV. Things to Do After First Aid: Situations Requiring Immediate Medical Attention

• After poisoning, heatstroke, asphyxiation, fracture, or being bitten.
• Deep wounds, bleeding that has not stopped for more than 15 minutes.
• The pet shows symptoms of listlessness, vomiting, diarrhea, abnormal body temperature, or difficulty breathing.
• Uncertainty about the cause of the illness and inability to judge the severity.