Pet Injuries May Occur When You Least Expect Them

Pet injuries occur with alarming frequency, and there is often a predictability to these disasters.

Bites from other animals and insects, ingesting foreign objects, lacerations or abrasions, and eye trauma are among the most common pet injuries. While almost all pets can suffer these wounds, other injuries are pet specific. Potentially serious broken blood feathers are obviously a danger only to birds, for example. With other pets, it’s not species dependent so much as personality: some pets will try to eat almost anything, with sometimes dangerous results.

Sweat the Little Things

Many pet injuries aren’t dire emergencies. Cats are famous for their nine lives and science even gives some support. Saliva in most animals helps promote blood clotting and possible healing. Minor wounds and injuries will often heal fine without intervention.

But some wounds require attention and ignoring them can bring long-term harm from infections or poor healing. Veterinarians and emergency pet centers are obvious answers, but even these have limits.

One of the gravest dangers involves times when professional care is not available or cannot be reached. Weekends or after hours are an obvious gap when care might be unavailable for a serious pet wound. Other times might not be as obvious, however: travelers or people at home during natural disasters or other emergencies are likely to find professional help unavailable. Unfortunately, evidence of this is all too available.

Real World Issues

In one recent flood, many reported cases where injured pets were left untreated because emergency personnel were too busy caring for humans, other emergency care was available and transportation was disrupted. A related problem involves the need for specialized, pet-specific products. Band-aids, for example, are usually not much help on a pet’s fur or feathers.

More than 20 years ago, the founders of Show-Me Animal Products experienced such an emergency. The threat actually occurred on a trail ride when a beloved horse was injured on barbed wire. It quickly became clear that the only thing available was a dirty T-shirt and masking tape. The horse survived, but the lesson was obvious. Vet and pet first aid is not a luxury when it’s needed.

Over the next several years, Show-Me Animal Products worked hard to develop animal-specific first aid kits that contain “all of the items most recommended by veterinarians and pet lovers” to treat minor injuries and stabilize serious wounds. Our kits are in no way intended to replace the care of a veterinarian when one is needed. Nor are they cheap collections that won’t really help when you need a true first aid kit.

We’d love for you to buy one or more of our kits, keep it in your home, car, stable or with you while traveling. But if you don’t, we still urge you to research what your pet might need and keep those supplies on hand.

You’ll be glad you did!