First Aid for Cats and Dogs

If this is a life-threatening medical emergency, don’t wait. Please contact your local emergency veterinary hospital immediately.

Basic first aid can help you contain injuries and prevent your panicked pet from doing more damage to themselves on the way to emergency veterinary care. 

In first aid situations

• Get your pet to a safe place

• Be careful — injured pets may bite

• Contact your emergency veterinary hospital for severe injuries

Bleeding wounds

• Stay calm

• Apply pressure with cloth/towels for at least three minutes to stop bleeding

• Add more cloth/towels if bleeding through

• Do not remove materials used to stop bleeding

• Wrap the wound if possible

• Seek emergency veterinary care

Poisons and poisoning

• Seek emergency veterinary care

• Call the Pet Poison Helpline (fee applies)

Unconscious pets

• Check for breathing

• Attempt to wake the pet

• Check for a heartbeat

• Check back of the throat for a foreign object

• Seek emergency veterinary care

Seizures or fits

• Clear the area to prevent any harm to the pet during the seizure

• Do not try to restrain your pet and stay away from the mouth to avoid being bit

• Monitor the recovery from the seizure

• Call your veterinarian

Basic animal first aid can help your pet on the way to emergency care

Maybe your dog got into an accident, your cat was in a fight, or your pet was nicked during grooming. No matter how it happened, know when it’s time to see the vet.