Pet safety expert offers life saving tips for furry first aid

Herndon, VA (April 23, 2012) — April is Pet First Aid Awareness Month and the leader in pet safety gear and services, Wag’N Enterprises, reminds pet parents that as the seasons change, so do dangers for the family pet. Before looking forward to warm summer weather, springtime often brings out the worst in Mother Nature with tornados, flooding and more.

Spring is also a time for new blooms and buzzing bees. Did you know that Easter Lilies are toxic for cats? Pet parents should be mindful of certain environmental hazards that could have a devastating effect on pet health. Wag’N Enterprises also encourages creating a pet safety plan this April.

According to Pet Tech®, pet first aid is the immediate care given to a pet that has been injured or suddenly take ill. This includes home care and when necessary veterinary help. Knowing the skills and techniques of pet first aid can mean the difference between life and death; temporary and permanent disability; and expensive veterinarian bills and reasonable home care.

“We want to encourage pet parents to plan ahead for possible pet emergencies by taking small steps that could result in quicker response times during a potential dangerous situation. For example, making sure pet parents understand how to care for an injured pet until it is transported to the local emergency veterinarian can save the pet’s life” said Ines de Pablo, who is a Pet Tech® Certified Master Pet First Aid Instructor and founder of Wag’N Enterprises.

“Because there are only little variances between human and animal mechanisms of injury, pet parents can provide basic first aid for injuries and ailments like bleeding and fractures or heat stroke, seizures, chocking management and respiratory distress. Just like us, most incidents can be addressed using a first aid skill,” according to de Pablo. She says initial response and care is vital. “You are your pet’s paramedic during a health related emergency until your pet is transported to the veterinarian. Panic and doubt are not going to help your pet and can both place you in danger and further the pet’s injury,” notes de Pablo.

Wag’N Enterprises recommends keeping important pet lifesaving phone numbers both in their cell phone registry and displayed on paper copy in a prominent area of the residence and vehicle. Important numbers include their primary veterinarian as well as their emergency veterinarian’s phone number, the ASPCA Poison Control Center Number (888) 426.4435 and the National Poison Control Number (800)222.1222.

Is there an app for that? Wag’N recommends pet parents invest in the PetTech Pet Saver App, available for iPhone, Android phones and Windows 7 phones. The app covers topics such as CPR, heat and cold injuries, choking, snake bites, shock, bleeding protocols, how to restrain and muzzle, what to do in an emergency situation, how to transport an injured pet, the snout-to-tail assessment and more. Each skill includes step-by-step instructions with pictures and narrated audio files. Wag’N warns that this comprehensive pet health app does not circumvent attending a PetTech® Pet First Aid & Care class.

Pet owners and pet care professionals can learn pet life-saving skills nationwide from trained instructors. Pet CPR, first aid and care classes are available in the Washington, D.C. area from Wag’N Enterprises and Ines de Pablo. Attendees can expect to learn pet first aid and care training including: restraint and muzzling, CPR, seizure management, choking management, heat and cold injuries, shock management, bleeding injuries, mitigation and response to poisoning emergencies and much more.

About Wag’N Enterprises:

Founded in 2007, Wag’N Enterprises (http://www.wagnpetsafety.com) offers pet emergency management solutions to service industries, first responders and pet parents to effectively mitigate, prepare for and respond to emergencies that impact pet health and safety. Executive Director of Pet Emergency Management Division Ines de Pablo holds a Master’s Degree in Risk, Crisis & Emergency Management from the prominent George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and has more than a decade of extensive field training experience under her belt. Wag’N Pet Safety Gear is a branded and extensive collection of purposefully designed tools and services giving people and their pets peace of mind in case of an emergency.