Most pet owners know it all too well: the feeling uncertainty when a pet falls injured or ill, but one Coldstream business is trying to ensure care-takers don’t panic in case of emergency by offering a pet first aid course.
Crate Escape Dog Adventures is hosting the 10-hour Walks ‘N’ Wags Pet First Aid certificate course Sunday, Feb. 24 and offers comprehensive pet safety and first aid information and applies to dogs and cats.
“Though I didn’t come up with the course, I have worked in First Aid for 15 years, so when I started my dog training company, it just made sense to incorporate pet first aid into that,” said Vanessa Robert, owner and trainer at Crate Escape Dog Adventures, which opened last year.
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Robert is a certified provider of Walks N’ Wags First Aid, a program who has been running since 1994. The 10-hour course will cover everything from prevention to treatment of illness and injury, as well as information on how to keep pets in optimal health.
“We cover it all. Topics include: pet first aid kits, how to safely approach injured animals, how to do assessments, proper transportation of injured animals. We also go over bone injuries, eye injuries, ear injuries, hypothermia, heat stroke. We do artificial respiration, choking, CPR, and so much more.”
She notes that while Pet First Aid course is a very comprehensive curriculum that has been approved by a board of veterinarians, it is not a substitute for veterinary medicine but it teaches valuable preventatives and first aid skills to better assist our sick or injured pets before we are able to get to the vet.
“One of the great things about our classes is that we have live dogs in the class so that’s kind of a bonus for people.”
Robert said she always brings one of her dogs but also encourages participants to sign up to bring their own dog to practice on as long as it is “calm, well-behaved and is friendly enough to let other people play with them and bandage them.” A maximum of five dogs are allowed to attend.
Typically courses run $162.75 from 9 a.m.- 7 p.m. — the next of which is slated for Sunday, Feb. 24 at Smoochies For Poochies, located at 3105 31 Ave in Vernon.
“There definitely is a need for it,” she said. “Anyone who works with animals definitely should have it but it’s also really great for pet owners, especially people who like to go on adventures because with adventure becomes a risk of injury. So its good for anybody to have this kind of knowledge.”
Those interested should sign up by visiting Robert’s website: www.vernoncrateescape.com.
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