Think for a minute that it’s past bed time and you are trying to get sleepy and preparing yourself for bed. Your five-year old dog comes into the room, goes to a corner and starts vomiting. You ask yourself, was it because of the dog grass that s/he could have eaten? You can see her abdomen and ribs constricting wildly as she vomits on your rug.  The initial thought that will cross your mind will be the mess s/he’d create and you’d shout at your dog to just stop. Unfortunately, s/he cannot help him/herself. Your dog does gagging sounds alternating to throwing up. Your worries have now switched the mess it will bring to pet concerns.

Your ten year old son wakes up due to the noise and comes into your room insisting you to check out what happened with his dog.  Would you even know? Are you aware of the different symptoms of poisoning?  Will it be associated with the grass his dog ate?  What first aid can you provide to your son’s dog?  The veterinarian clinic is already closed.  Would you have any plan on what to do?

Your answer will be most likely to be a “No” if you are just simply similar to the majority of pet owners.  Most pets, particularly dogs are known to be group-oriented and they become important family members.  However, the usual dog owner depends exclusively on the vet for all the health concerns of their dog.

Luckily, the instance highlighted at the onset of this article was not about any poison but merely caused by a bad dog grass which may have been infected by pest insects.  If you are quite familiar on how to care for your dog when he vomits, you’d definitely have to clean up the mess, provide her usual bowl of food and ensure that s/he gets enough water. You may even want to cook some chicken broth to help restore the fluids s/he lost from vomiting.  The next day, you may also give him/her baby food such as rice pudding or strained rice.  If three days have already passed, you can have your dog restart with her usual food hoping that s/he didn’t get hooked on baby food.

Being knowledgeable on the essential basics that you can give as first aid to your dogs and other pets will not only help them but will promote prevention in cases of emergency which is very important for you and the rest of the household.  A lot of common dog ailments such as itching, fleas, hot spots, diarrhea, etc. can be taken care of at home without spending bills on vet.  By researching on the symptoms of possible critical conditions of your dog will alarm you to seek help from your vet the fastest possible time just to ensure that your dog’s condition does not get any more serious than present.

There’s such a wide variety of scenarios that may happen like your dog getting hit by a vehicle, or a wild dog fight.  If you as a dog owner do not even know how to do a quick remedy, then your dog may be in serious trouble. You have to remember that there is no such thing as 911 for your dogs.

On the other hand, there may be an emergency care facility for pets in your vicinity.  If you haven’t been doing your tasks as a dog owner besides reading dog articles, it is best that you check out the contact details nearest care facility so you can store it in your speed dial. If in any case that it's located far from your house, then it is important for you to know how to get to their area and aware of the travel time needed for you to get there.

It’s quite similar to having kids.  As a parent, you either have a first aid kit for them to use in case of emergencies or you start with your very own cabinet of medicines. The same treatment should be done to your dog. A lot of your dog's first aid needs can be aided by the same set of medicines taken by humans.  You just have to know what works well and how it has to be used.  You’d be indebted to your dog in finding the right stuff for first aid to treat him/her.  Your dog will surely love you even more for all the concern you have given.

It’s all about how much you know about in giving first aid or quick remedies for your sick pets.  It is not also advisable that you always rely on your vet whenever your dog gets sick.  Definitely, it is best that you treat your own dog for usual minor sickness such as irritation, external infections and diarrhea without having to visit a vet.  Dogs will truly be happier since he does not need to see the guy that he dreads to see at any point in his life.