Incidents like these happen because pets are often difficult to understand and they can’t verbalise their complaints when in distress.
Dr Lee Wai Wai, a veterinarian and certified pet first aid trainer, is seeking to lower the number of precious lives lost through preventable accidents.
To educate the public, she decided, three years ago, to found a pet health community called PetMedic.
FMT Lifestyle caught up with Lee recently, when she was running a Pet Emergency Response Workshop in Jaya One, Petaling Jaya.
Addressing the topic of heatstroke, one of the most common problems for pets in Malaysia, Lee told workshop participants that they should not leave their pets in their cars while running errands.
“The weather can get sweltering hot here even as early as 10am, and your pet can show signs of heatstroke very fast,” she said.
She also told them to be cognisant of the time of day that they choose to walk their pets as tarred roads can be much hotter than they appear after being exposed to the sun throughout the day.
“To prevent your pets’ paws from being scalded, press your hand to the road’s surface and hold it for at least two seconds to test its temperature. Rule of thumb: if it’s too hot for your hand, it’s going to be the same for them too.”
So, if your pet is showing symptoms of heatstroke, what do you do?
First, rush your pet to a shady area with plenty of ventilation and fan the animal with whatever you have at hand. If you have water or a wet towel, apply it to their inner thighs, ear flaps and paws. These areas have lots of blood vessels and can help to quickly cool down your pet.
Referring to a video that went viral a while back, Lee said: “A dog got heatstroke and they just plunged it straight into an ice bucket. This is a big no no as the blood vessels will shrink, leading to a shortage of blood going to the heart or brain, in turn causing the pet to go into shock.”
She also talked about the various injuries common with household pets, including accidentally nicking them while cutting their nails.
When that happens, you can rub a bar of soap or a candle on the nick to create a plaque. If you don’t have those, mix a paste of baking soda and water and apply that to the area.
The bleeding should stop within a few minutes. After that, you can clean the paw. Meanwhile, make sure your pet doesn’t lick the area. You can also wet the wound with ice or iced water to stop the bleeding.
Participants also got to learn some basic bandaging skills as well.
Since learning first aid for pets is still rather new in Malaysia, Lee hopes to educate as many pet owners as she can through her courses.
She said: “People used to tell me, ‘I have kids but I don’t learn CPR for them. So why should I do this for my pet?’
“It’s important because if you are able to administer these skills to your pets before help can arrive, you won’t miss the golden treatment time and the chances of their having a full recovery are much higher. The same goes for your kids, too.”
Follow PetMedic on Facebook or Instagram; or head to its official website here.
PetMedic
37-2, Jalan Kuchai Maju 1,
Off Jalan Kuchai Lama,
58200 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 010-763 9434