MANDY SMITH
Hawke's Bay pet owners are guinea pigs for a furry first aid course, believed to be the first of its kind in New Zealand.
Seventeen people have signed up for the course, taught by students in the EIT Animal Care certificate. The certificate is a prerequisite for EIT's National Certificate
in Veterinary Nursing.
Taradale woman Sue Calcinai decided to join after seeing two pet cats mown down outside her home, which is in a 100km zone.
The loss was devastating for her family, especially after learning one could have survived if Ms Calcinai had known first aid.
"The kids were crying, I was crying," she said.
"For us, pets are a family member."
She now feared for her labradors Bess and Elsa, and Siamese cat Fleur: "This course was something I needed to do."
The first two sessions focused on checking for signs of life in dogs using the femoral pulse on the inside hind leg, and using gum colour as an indicator of cardiovascular health. Pet-owners also learn basic first aid including resuscitation techniques, bleeding control, hypothermia prevention and treatment, and bandaging.
"I've done a first aid course for humans, but it's the little tricks like putting your hands around the snout and not contacting the nose that's important," Ms Calcinai said.
Dummy animals will be used initially, then some pets will be brought in for practice.
The principles can be applied to pets as large as dogs, and as small as guinea pigs.
While there were puppy preschools and kitty kindies in New Zealand, EIT veterinary nursing lecturer Jacinda Calder said she was unaware of similar first aid courses for animals. She started the courses while working in emergency animal care clinics in Scotland and they "just took off."
"There's this belief that their anatomy and physiology is different to ours, and it's not," Ms Calder said. "The general principles are the same and people get quite get quite a shock when they hear they can use the same techniques to look after their pets."
The inaugural course was open to EIT staff, family and friends. In future years, it is likely to be available to the public.
