It might just be April 1st but this certainly is no joke, we have entered Pet First Aid Awareness Month. It is terrific that there is a month dedicated to this, but every month and day should include pet first aid awareness. Just yesterday here in wonderful New England I found yet another blood-sucking tick on my boy Artie and I had to apply my first aid skills.

Being that it is Pet First Aid Awareness Month, this makes it a great opportunity for pet owners to brush up on tips and their skills they learned from the Pet First Aid & CPR Course they took, wait, what? You still haven't taken it?


The hot weather is around the corner and the bugs are already biting, you needed to know yesterday how to recognize signs of heat stroke, pesticide poisoning, and whether or not that white thing is a worm you saw in the litter box this morning. 

Heat Stroke/Hyperthermia 

Heat stroke, a condition of hyperthermia, is one of the most common problems pets face in the warmer weather when they are not yet used to the warm temperatures. I was tossing the Frisbee on a nice 60 degree day a couple of days ago and my Boxer was HOT! He certainly didn't last as long as he would had it been warmer for months and he needed tons of water to stay cool.

Also, I know we hear this every year but I will keep saying it until dogs and cats (and sadly children) stop dying in cars; the inside of a car can quickly reach 120 degrees in warm weather and animals SHOULD NOT BE LEFT IN THERE, even for short trips. The windows cannot be let down enough for adequate ventilation and when panic sets in, your pet's temperature goes up along with that of the car. This can all very quickly lead to heat stroke and death. 

Poisoning

The flowers are popping up through the soil (or snow in some areas) and with them come plenty of hazards. Many plants themselves like that beautiful azalea bush can be poisonous to our pets, let alone the chemicals your apartment complex just sprinkles all over the grass to make it green. That ant bait you set down the other day is yet another hazard. Visit the ASPCA Poison Control web site to find out which plants and flowers are poisonous to animals and also make yourself aware of how to help an animal that has come in contact with a suspected poison (click here). 

Parasites

Its that time when the worms, ticks, fleas and bees are out and about. Learn how to prevent, recognize and treat bites, stings or infestations before they happen. This will save your pet the stress, you the hassle and your wallet from depletion. 

Emergencies

Pet First Aid Awareness Month is a great time for people to learn how to protect their pets and keep them healthy. Its also a great time to blow the dust off your emergency preparedness kit that you have in the closet by the front hall. You know the one you have been meaning to put together and meaning to learn what to put in it. 

When a flood, fire, tornado or hurricane hits your home, what and where are you going and grabbing for you and your pets? 

When to Let Go

Tank at the beach

Sometimes being a pet’s hero means knowing when to let go. This road is the bumpiest, roughest and most gut-wrenching I have ever been down. The loss of my pets has hurt more, and still hurts more than losing some of my close relatives. I know that might be hard to hear for some, but for others, I know you are nodding in agreement. I’m not saying I loved my dog more than my grandmother; I’m saying that their loss took a greater emotional toll.

My dog, Tank, was a constant companion. In our 11 years together, I could guess we’d been apart less than 30 days; we went everywhere together. He knew all of my secrets, and the very best part was that he never judged me. We live in a world where no matter how many great people we share our lives with, at one time or another, they have judged us, wronged us, or made us feel badly. Our pets don’t do that. They may ruin our favorite shoes or chew the sticky note with an important phone number you needed, but they never hurt us; they truly loved us unconditionally.

Tankie all dressed up

There are many questions that arise when a pet’s end nears: How do I know when to do it? What if they could get better? Have I let them go to long? How will I tell my children? What will my life be without them? Will they know? The list goes on. Some of these can’t be answered. You just have to trust in your veterinarian, your friends, and your family. I can say my first dog I let go too long. As for my second, some would say I let go too soon. It was mine and my husband’s decision, as only those closest can make the decision they feel is best. My boy, Tank, didn’t judge me or look into my eyes and tell me I let him go too soon. He looked into my eyes and saw sadness; he saw an owner he could no longer make him happy because his disease had ravaged his body. It was unfair of me to keep him alive. It took everything in me to let that dog go, and I mean EVERYTHING. Your animal means the world to you and my Tank was no exception to me. He literally introduced me to my husband. Out of my love for Tank, I built a business to care for other peoples’ pets and he drove me to continue on to teach others how to save theirs. Tank was a part of every aspect of my life. As difficult as it was to let him go, it would have been cruel for me to perpetuate his life.

Euthanasia in Greek means “good death”. We are fortunate to be able to bestow the gift of a good death upon our best friends. In contrast, my grandmother did not have a good death; I wish we could have given that to her. So while we carry the burden of making that dreaded decision, we should take solace in the fact that we are giving a gift to our best friends, who have given their hearts to us. If you have ever heard of the story, “A dog’s purpose according to a 6-year old”, you will have an amazing insight from a young mind as to why our pets’ lives are so short.

Tank out for a stroll

As a professional pet care provider and pet first aid & CPR instructor, I have been exposed to far more deaths of peoples’ pets than I feel my heart can endure. There is a compounded issue when you care for pets. You not only love the animals that you spend your days with, but you get to know the people that love these pets too. Every time a pet-client passes, my heart aches twice; first, for the loss of that pet in my everyday life and second, for the loss of that pet in their owner’s lives. It’s awful, but each time I try to look ahead to the new chapters as a coping mechanism. Our relationship with each animal is unique, and we’re lucky to have so many future furry chapters to look forward to.

If you are contemplating “that time” for your beloved pet, or know someone that is, there are some great resources out there to help us help them. Take a few minutes to read about other peoples' experiences.  Although your situation is unique, there are many animal lovers who share the same concerns and you may find comfort and guidance in the following locations:

http://www.deathofmypet.com/

http://kelseybethcarpenter.blogspot.com/2015/12/5-things-i-wish-you-knew-before.html 

Be their hero, be strong, and be able to let them go. Give them a gift by taking all of your love and wrap their soul with it as you say goodbye.