In The News
IVEC helps pet owners prepare for emergencies
More than 20 animal lovers attended the Indianapolis Veterinary Emergency Center's (IVEC) bi-annual pet first aid and CPR training class last Saturday, April 16 at the 24-hour emergency and critical care clinic, located on the city's southeast side.
As part of National Pet First Aid Awareness Month, attendees spent the morning learning how to handle emergency situations including head trauma, shock, bleeding, heat stroke, drowning, electric shock, paralysis and more.
"An estimated 92 percent of pets experience some kind of emergency that requires first aid at some point during their lives," said Dr. James Speiser, founder and owner of IVEC. "With proper education and training, pet owners can feel more at ease and better prepared to save an animal's life."
During the class, participants broke out into four different groups to partake in hands-on training. Dr. Speiser used a life-sized canine mannequin, the "ResusciDog," to demonstrate proper CPR techniques. Other vet techs utilized several dogs to instruct how to muzzle and/or restrain, how to bandage and splint an injured animal, and how to apply a tourniquet.
"This part of the class allows attendees to apply their knowledge, and most of all practice on live animals, not just on mannequins alone," Dr. Speiser said.
Knowing what to do before you make it to a veterinary clinic like IVEC, will decrease the chances of your pet suffering from further injury while waiting for medical attention, Dr. Speiser added.
In addition, Dr. Speiser also suggested putting together a first aid kit for household pets, which contains several of the same items as the human's. Necessary materials include gauze, non-stick bandages, towels, eyedropper, tweezers, cotton swabs, scissors, gloves, non-human adhesive tape and emergency medical information.
Each participant received a training manual, as well as a certificate of completion as part of the course.
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