Warm weather is here in Perth County and we are all enjoying time outside with our pets. Unfortunately, sometimes our pets find their way into the street and get hit by a car.
What to do if your pet is hit by a car:
– This should be treated as an emergency, but it is important to remain calm. Animals can sense your anxiety and it is important to keep them as calm as possible.
– Watch the traffic. Your personal safety is priority number one. Make sure traffic is stopped before you cross to your pet.
– Call for help. You may need an assistant to help move your pet or drive while you hold your pet.
– Call your veterinary clinic to let them know you will be bringing your pet. If this occurs outside of regular business hours, then you can arrange to meet the vet on-call.
– Use caution. Your pet may be in shock and may try to bite if it is in pain. Consider wrapping a blanket or jacket around your pet to restrain it and protect you from bites and scratches. Shifting an animal on to a blanket or board and then lifting the blanket/board with an assistant can minimize the animal’s discomfort. Consider gently transferring a smaller patient to a box if one is handy. It is important to keep injured animals as still as possible until they have had a medical assessment.
– Don’t try to feed your pet, as it may need sedation at the vet clinic.
– Animals that have been hit by a moving vehicle may not show outward signs of trauma (such as bleeding wounds or road rash) but they may have internal bleeding, broken bones or teeth. Unfortunately, internal bleeding can be delayed several hours or days after the incident. For this reason, all animals that have been hit by a car should be assessed by a veterinarian, even if they appear uninjured.