Having a dog is a big responsibility. Some even compare taking care of a dog to that of a baby. The only advantage having dogs compared to having babies is that they won't grow older and turn into stressful teenagers. Because dogs are like babies they sometimes also end up in harmful situations. They would sometimes get themselves trapped in a tight place or get hit by something that will injure one of their limbs. When that happens, we should learn how to bandage our dogs to prevent further damage. Here are some basic ways of how to bandage your injured dog.
1. When your pet has a bandage, it should always be clean and dry. So it's pretty important to make sure your pet stays inside most of the time when it has a bandage. To prevent the bandage from getting wet when the pet goes to pee or poop, a trash bag or plastic covering should cover the bandaged leg. You may use empty bread bags. When your pet has wet or dirtied up the bandage, it would require changing. Make sure to check the bandage twice a day to see if it is clean and dry. Check also for foul odors or discharge and if there is any, call your veterinarian immediately.
2. After bringing home your pet from the veterinarian make sure that the bandage is still in place. Your pet might have been irritated by it and has chewed or tried to scratch it off. Look closely at the position and the location of the bandage when you do check. Look at the toes of the pet, the bandage might have slipped up making the toes stick out. Also look at the size, if the bandage has become loose. This should be taken into account when a dog has been bandaged in the abdomen or leg area. This is because one end will be bigger than the other and eventually become narrower. When the bandage telescopes down the limb of the dog it may bunch up and abrade the limb. When that happens, the bandage should be changed as well.
3. If the dog is bandaged up in the leg make sure it isn't too tight. Observe how the toes will appear at the bottom of the bandage at least twice a day. This is done to check for sweating, swelling, or pain. Check for skin chaffing, redness, discharge or swelling before and after the bandage has been applied.
4. To prevent the pet from chewing the bandage because of the bothersome experience it gives, put an Elizabethan collar. If you have observed that the pet is chewing or scratching it excessively, ask the vet if there might be problems.
These are the times that you should already be taking the pet back to the veterinarian:
? Swelling above or below the bandage
? Chewing the bandage
? Bandage becomes wet
? Bleeding or discharge above, below or through
? Scheduled bandage changes
How To Teach Your Dog To
As smart “KidSkills" parents, we want our children to grow up to be responsible for themselves. This includes taking
responsibility for their actions, commitments, outcomes, and decisions.
When your child was born, you assumed full responsibility for her. Over the next 20 years, your job, your responsibility, is to gradually turn that responsibility over to her.
Teaching your child to be responsible takes time and attention from you. Every bit of responsibility you give your child must come with a tremendous amount of instruction and supervision. To raise a responsible child, you must be prepared to teach, remind, and inspect...over and over...a zillion times. And you must be prepared to do this without becoming frustrated or resentful.
The following is a “model" that you can follow to teach your child how to handle responsibility.
The “Responsibility Model"
1. Assign a task. Teach what is expected, and how to meet those expectations
2. Provide an opportunity to work on the task
3. Before completion, inspect and provide constructive feedback
4. If your child’s efforts were successful, great! Just continue with Step #3. If
your child’s results weren’t quite successful, go back to Step #1.
Notice that, if your child’s efforts weren’t successful, you don’t take away the responsibility. It just means you need a little more teaching, and more frequent
feedback. If this happens, you must be patient and supportive! If you appear disappointed or impatient, your child will become discouraged and resentful.
Sound like a lot of work? It is! Is it really necessary? Yup!
Many times, parents are surprised by the level of commitment that it takes to teach a child how to be responsible. They become frustrated, and stop trying.
If you give up, or if you skip steps in the “Responsibility Model," chances are that your child won’t be able to effectively handle responsibility.
It’s a huge mistake to assume that our children will grow up to responsible adults without a tremendous amount of coaching.
So, KidSkills parents, be diligent. Use the model. Don’t become frustrated, or give up. Stick with it, and your child will learn to handle all types of responsibility effectively!
If you have questions about helping your child handle RESPONSIBILITY, give me a call at (586) 573-3881. I’d be glad to help!
Both Peter Garant & Denny Strecker are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
