Wacky First Aid For Pets
Today's Snack: How about that great old friend,
animal crackers, with a big glass of milk?
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Supplies:
Large
craft stick or short ruler
Roll
of gauze
First-aid
tape
Q-Tips
Wesson
corn oil
Cotton
balls
Dawn
dishwashing liquid
Bounce
dryer sheet
Would you
like to be a veterinarian, an animal doctor? It's a great profession. But you
have to do as well in school as, or even better, than those who are going to
doctor humans. Veterinary medical school is as hard to get into as regular
medical school. You need top grades in tough science courses, and all others. So
hit those books hard, if that's your dream!
In the
meantime, you can have a lot of fun and pretend to be a vet by providing
common-sense health care for your dog or cat. Here are some ideas for what you
can try:
- Put a "practice" splint on a dog or cat's leg
with a large craft stick and a roll of lightweight gauze. Put the stick
over the animal's leg so that it can't bend its leg, and then wrap the gauze
around - not too tightly, but not too loosely. Try to make sure all of the
stick is covered in gauze. Tape the gauze in place with white first-aid
tape. See how long it lasts!
- Clean your dog or cat's ears every few months by
VERY carefully wiping the inside of them with a Q-Tip. Do NOT dig inside
or you might hurt your pet's sensitive hearing!
- Eliminate ear mites with a few drops of Wesson
corn oil in your pet's ear. Cats are especially susceptible, so do this
for your cat every three months or so. Massage the 2 or 3 drops into the
ear, then clean what you can with a cotton ball. If your cat has the
mites, repeat daily for 3 days. The oil soothes the cat's skin, smothers
the mites, and accelerates healing.
- Kill fleas by giving your dog a bath in the bathtub
or a tub outside, only use Dawn dishwashing liquid instead of regular dog
shampoo. Add just a few drops of Dawn to the bath water. Shampoo the
animal thoroughly. Rinse well to prevent skin irritations.
- Next time your dog comes in from the rain and
stinks, take a sheet of Bounce or any dryer sheet, and rub your dog with
it. Presto! Springtime fresh!
