Emergency Treatment Methods for Accidental Injuries in Pet Dogs

Pet dogs are human friends and companions. They are relatively small in size, lively in temperament, playful and active, and highly curious, so accidental injuries frequently occur during their daily activities. If the dog owner and veterinarian handle the situation properly and provide timely treatment, the sick dog can often be brought back from danger and recover quickly; otherwise, the good opportunity for treatment will be lost. We have summarized several emergency treatments and therapeutic measures for accidental injuries in pet dogs commonly encountered in veterinary clinical practice, for reference only by dog lovers and veterinary colleagues.

1 Esophageal obstruction

Esophageal obstruction in dogs is mostly caused by the dog swallowing too hastily, forcefully gulping and swallowing, suddenly being stimulated or frightened during eating, or chewing on foreign objects, resulting in blockage of the esophagus by a food bolus or foreign object (such as bone fragments, fish bones, meat chunks, large pieces of fruit). The site mostly occurs after the pharyngeal cavity and before the thoracic inlet. In dogs with incomplete esophageal obstruction, the signs include retching and choking movements, slow food intake, and cautious swallowing. With complete obstruction, the head and neck are extended, the dog refuses food and drools, is extremely restless, scratches at the neck, and may even suffocate due to the blocking object compressing the respiratory tract.

1.1 Clinical management

First, determine the type and size of the blocking object roughly through history taking, then restrain the sick dog's head, open the oral cavity with a mouth gag, and examine the pharynx with the aid of light. If the blocking object is stuck in the pharynx, it can be removed with long-handled forceps during clinical management. Obstruction in the middle section of the esophagus can be palpated externally. To confirm the site of deep obstruction, a gastric tube can be used for probing, and if conditions permit, barium can also be administered for X-ray examination to determine the size of the blocking object and the site of obstruction.

1.2 Treatment measures

1.2.1 If the blocking object is determined to be a dry, hard food mass, no intervention may be needed; after the food mass softens on its own, the dog may vomit it out or swallow it down through reflex actions.

1.2.2 If the foreign object blocking the upper esophagus is a small ball, fruit, or meat chunk that is relatively smooth and not too large, you can grasp the sick dog's two hind legs and lift them up while patting the back to induce vomiting, which can often make the foreign object come out.

1.2.3 If the obstruction site is relatively deep, you can try inserting a gastric tube, and when it reaches the affected area (that is, when the gastric tube meets resistance), attach an air pump to the gastric tube and pump air in moderately (not too forcefully), using the impact pressure of the airflow and the expansion of the esophagus to push the foreign object into the stomach; this method is often effective.

1.2.4 If the foreign object is relatively large and has sharp points or edges, and is stuck immovably or even causes esophageal perforation, esophageal surgery should be performed promptly.

2 Eye injuries

Eye injuries are mostly seen in dog breeds with relatively large and protruding eyeballs, such as Pekingese and Shih Tzu. They are often caused by fighting and biting between pet dogs as well as external traumatic factors acting on the eye area. Mild cases involve damage to the cornea or conjunctiva, while severe cases can cause corneal perforation or even prolapse of the eyeball outside the orbit. The sick dog is in extreme pain and is restless and agitated. If handled properly and reduced promptly, the sick dog can often retain the eyeball and recover a certain degree of vision.

2.1 Clinical management

First, flush the eye with normal saline or 3% boric acid solution, thoroughly washing away the hair and dirt adhering to the eyeball and surrounding tissues, carefully examine the injury to see whether there are foreign objects, whether there is perforation, and whether the pupil has a light reflex, and formulate a treatment plan according to the degree of injury.

2.2 Treatment measures

2.2.1 For relatively mild eyeball injuries, flush the eye again with normal saline containing antibiotics (500 mL normal saline with 3 million IU penicillin can be prepared as a wash solution), then apply erythromycin eye ointment, and as clinically needed, administer procaine penicillin for periorbital block injection.

2.2.2 If the eyeball has prolapsed, eyeball reduction surgery can be performed: restrain the sick dog, and if necessary, perform general anesthesia. After repeated flushing as above, an assistant lifts the upper and lower eyelids with surgical forceps, and the operator gently presses the eyeball back into the orbit with moist sterile gauze. Apply erythromycin eye ointment to the eyeball. To prevent re-prolapse, place 2 to 3 interrupted sutures in the upper and lower eyelids. Mix 200,000 units penicillin, 2 mg dexamethasone, and 0.5 mL 2% procaine, and perform block injection subcutaneously in the upper and lower eyelids, once a day for 3 to 5 consecutive days. Squeeze erythromycin eye ointment into the eye through the gaps between the sutures, once a day. After surgery, the dog owner can make a neck collar from hard plastic shell and put it on the sick dog to prevent the sick dog from scratching at the surgical site.

2.2.3 For severe injuries such as optic nerve avulsion, outflow of intraocular contents (such as vitreous body and lens), or prolonged eyeball prolapse causing purulent necrosis of ocular tissues with no hope of cure, enucleation surgery should be performed.

3 Limb fractures

Dogs are lively by nature and often suffer limb fractures due to accidental car accidents, impact, crushing, falls, and so on, generally occurring more often in the hind limbs. The sick dog does not use the affected limb, howls incessantly, has local swelling and pain, and the fracture site has obvious mobility, with bone crepitus on palpation. In open fractures, the broken bone ends can be seen protruding from the body surface.

3.1 Clinical management

First perform debridement and hemostasis. Based on observation of gait and palpation, and if conditions permit, examination with an X-ray machine can correctly determine whether it is a fracture or dislocation, as well as the site and nature of the fracture.

3.2 Treatment measures

Reduce the affected limb and fix it with plaster or splints. Dogs generally have a good prognosis for fractures and can heal on their own within a relatively short period, though some individuals may retain varying degrees of disability. In open fractures, in addition to handling them as general trauma, antibiotics should also be injected for systemic treatment to avoid osteomyelitis induced by infection.

4 Electric shock

Pet dogs are mostly kept indoors, and sometimes they get electric shock from biting and chewing on electrical wires, in which case there is often not enough time to send them for diagnosis and treatment. At this time, the owner should first cut off the power supply, then carry out rescue. Electric shock may cause sudden cardiac and respiratory arrest in dogs. If the dog has lost consciousness, auscultate to see whether there is a heart sound (if there is no stethoscope, you can place your ear against the dog's chest). If there is a heart sound, immediately perform mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration. Other methods can also be used: first, grasp its two hind limbs, pat with the hand, and swing them rhythmically back and forth to revive it; another method is to place the dog in lateral recumbency and rhythmically press the chest with the hand to induce breathing. Artificial respiration should be performed for at least half an hour. If no heart sound can be heard, immediately perform cardiac compression massage by using the hand to apply a certain force in rhythmic pushing toward the front of the dog's thoracic cage (that is, the lower edge of the ribs) to restore the dog's heartbeat. Veterinary personnel can adopt the method of injecting 0.1 to 0.2 mg isoprenaline hydrochloride directly into the myocardium at 1 to 2 points with a No. 5 injection needle, which sometimes achieves remarkable results.

The above methods are equally effective for rescuing dogs from drowning, poisoning, and shock or coma caused by external forces.

5 Poisoning

Common poisonings in dogs include pesticide poisoning and food poisoning. Pesticide poisoning in dogs is mostly caused by eating poisoned bait or birds, rats, insects, and so on killed by pesticides. The sick dog vomits, foams at the mouth, and the visible mucous membranes become cyanotic; in organophosphate pesticide poisoning, constricted pupils may also be seen. Most sick dogs are manic and restless, howl, and burrow around, showing neurological symptoms similar to rabies; food poisoning in dogs is caused by eating spoiled and deteriorated food, especially spoiled fish and meat, because these deteriorated foods contain relatively large amounts of Proteus bacteria, staphylococcal toxins, Salmonella enterotoxins, and Clostridium botulinum toxins, as well as histamine toxins produced by Proteus decomposing proteins. The sick dog may show vomiting and diarrhea, difficulty breathing, physical weakness, ataxia, paralysis of the hindquarters, thin black feces, and sometimes dilated pupils, with a relatively high mortality rate.

5.1 Clinical management

Prevent further absorption of the toxin and quickly determine the type of poison and the principles of clinical management.

5.2 Treatment measures

5.2.1 Emesis

Emesis is an effective measure to expel poison that has entered the stomach from the body, and it works best within a short time after the poison is ingested. Administer 10 to 30 mL of 0.2% to 0.5% CuSO4 solution by oral drench. When the poison has been ingested for more than 4 h, most of the poison has already entered the intestines, and emetic drugs should no longer be used at this time.

5.2.2 Gastric lavage

When emesis cannot be induced or emesis fails to produce results, gastric lavage can be used, and it works relatively well when used within 2 h of poison ingestion. Warm saline, warm boiled water, or warm soapy water can be used as the lavage fluid (but alkaline lavage fluid must not be used for trichlorfon poisoning). Insert a gastric tube and flush repeatedly. Adding an appropriate amount of activated carbon to the lavage fluid can enhance the effect of gastric lavage.

5.2.3 Oral administration of egg white and milk

This can neutralize toxins, protect the gastrointestinal mucosa, and slow further absorption of toxins and their corrosion of the digestive tract. In cases of food poisoning, fasting should be implemented.

5.2.4 Use specific antidotes according to the type of poison

For example, for food poisoning, use antibiotics or Clostridium botulinum antitoxin; for organophosphate poisoning, use atropine and pralidoxime; for arsenic (such as white arsenic) poisoning, use dimercaprol, and so on.