Using My Canine First Aid Training Saved a Trip to the ER

Last night around 10:30pm I was preparing to leave my boyfriend's house when he said Devi, my dog who had fallen asleep on the sofa, was "twitchy". He had sat down beside her to say goodnight and she seemed startled and wouldn't get close to him. This behavior is quite unlike my little kissy monster.

I assumed she was just groggy from having started antihistamine medication the night before which was prescribed by our Vet. She had been scratching her tummy, underarms and forelegs for a week pretty frequently, probably from seasonal allergies, and he felt we needed to stop it before she gave herself any more cuts and abrasions.

I carried her to the car, sat her on the seat and Joe reached in to say goodbye again as by this time we were both worried about her. Again she pulled away. She LOVES Joe so this just wasn't normal.

On the drive home I noticed she was a bit wobbly and didn't have any expression in her eyes the way she usually does, having the expressive little face that she has. Once I parked I reached over to her and she jumped, like she was startled again. I began having feelings of dread that she was about to have a seizure or something. I've been through that several times with other dogs and was trying not to panic.

I put her on leash, got her out of the car and she walked down the steps to the door. Also unlike her usual routine of checking the perimeter of the yard before coming to the door. Once inside she plopped on the floor. Sure I was going to have to take her to the emergency clinic, I grabbed the med's she was on and my keys, when finally my training kicked in. I realized I have tools to help me decide if she truly needed to go to emergency.

I checked her vital signs, pulse, breathing rate and capillary refill time in her gums. All were within normal limits. Her pupils looked fine also. Just that small amount, yet important information calmed me and allowed me to make the decision to not take her to the 24 hour Vet clinic.

I put her on the bed on her fluffy cover, curled up around her and continued to monitor her breathing while giving her Reiki until we both fell asleep. A few hours later she woke up, wanted to go outside and seemed much more alert and like herself.

This morning upon waking she was her usual happy, kissy, wiggly self. Although she tired easily and slept most of the day on and off. I discontinued the med's (the morning prior was the last she had any). I spoke with her Vet and he agreed that it was most likely that she couldn't handle the antihistamines and to discontinue them.

Tonight she was excited to go for a walk, wanted to play and plowed her way onto my lap out of jealousy of my computer.

It sounds like such a small thing that checking her vitals and finding them normal was all it took to keep me from panicking and possibly running up a big bill and stressing my little girl out much more than she deserved, but that is exactly what happened.

I am grateful to have the tools of pet 1st aid/CPR training and am excited to pass it on to others. I hope that I never have a more serious situation that I have to use it for, but it is possible and I know I will be prepared to do what I need to do to respond to an emergency.