Emergency Pug Care Tips All Owners Should Remember
It can be frightening when your pet has trouble breathing or is choking on something and needs emergency pug care. Owners may think they know everything about pug care, but may not be prepared to save the life of their pet when the time comes. Situations such as these do not allow people to think in rational terms, but the owner must be calm when a situation demands emergency care for your pug. Maintaining rational thought is the best way to help get the pug the best care possible in an emergency situation.
What to Do When Exposed to Extreme Temperatures
A big problem with pugs can be overexposure to excessively hot or cold temperatures. These dogs are very sensitive to extreme temperatures and will have difficulty breathing if exposed to these high or extremely low temperatures for long periods of time without a break or some water to help cool down.
What the owner can do in this situation is put a cold pack on the belly of the pug to help it cool down. The owner should keep the cold pack on the dog until it begins breathing normally again and has reached its core temperature. This body temperature regulation is a large part of pug care and must be monitored at all times during the hotter and colder months of the year.
What to Do When the Pug Is Sick
When the pug is extremely sick and is throwing up often or acting out of character, it is obvious that the dog needs to be taken to a vet. Before choosing a veterinarian, the owner should have made sure that the vet would be available for emergency situations. If the office takes appointments only, the owner may be out of luck. This is where good planning comes into play. The owner should have researched vets ahead of time to makes sure which ones allow emergency pug care visits and procedures for the animal. One may not think emergency pug care will be needed, but one cannot be too sure and must plan ahead of time in order to possibly save the life of the dog.
If the pug is choking on something, it may become necessary to perform the Heimlich maneuver. One must take into account the size of the dog, and since the pug is very small by most dog standards (even though it has been known to gain a little weight here and there), it should be easier than say a German Shepherd. If the dog gets a foreign object or a piece of food stuck where fingers cannot normally get it out, the owner must then start the necessary procedure.
He or she must wrap an arm around the dog under the rig cage but above the navel. Keeping a firm grasp by holding the arms together, push up with enough force to dislodge the item, but make sure there is not too much force being exerted or else it can hurt the dog further.
At all times during an emergency, it is necessary to keep in mind such pug care techniques. It is good to know the policies of the vet in case of an emergency as well. If the owner knows some or most of these tricks to help the pug, one will be able to care for his pug as it ages.
