Dog First Aid – Impalement

Impalement injuries are not as common as nicks and cuts, fractures or ingestion of foreign objects. Due to the active and playful personalities, accidents can never be prevented and impalement is one of the injuries dogs can get. Dogs get all kinds of injuries because these animals always find themselves in tight spots. The conditions arising from the pet’s ingestion of poisonous substances or foreign objects that caused a blockage in the airways would make an owner consider the true condition of the pet before treatment can be administered. The only good thing with impalement is that the injury of the dog will be easily noticed by the dog owner.

Falling from heights is one of the most common cause of impalement injuries as the dog can be speared by a tree branch or a fence. Dogs always got something in their mouth and a stick can get stuck in the dog’s mouth. A dog that has the propensity to roam, to trespass and to wreck other people’s property can be impaled with the arrow of a mean person.

An impalement injury can be serious enough to be the cause of the dog’s death. A dog would be so lucky to have a minor impalement injury. Serious or non-serious, an impalement injury would need a vet’s attention. A dog owner may think that a professional medical care is no longer necessary especially if the foreign object that has impaled the dog was not embedded too deep. However, the condition of the dog may be more serious than it appears to be. The stick that has impaled the dog can possibly pierce a vital organ. Internal bleeding is another possible outcome of an impalement injury.

Professional medical attention must be given to the dog but before transporting the pet to a medical facility, first aid treatments must be administered to save the pet from a lot of pain.

Dogs in pain can turn aggressive and an impalement injury would certainly cause the dog immense pain. For the safety of the people that will help the dog, a muzzle must be used on the pet. The object that has speared the dog must not be removed. A dog owner’s most important role is to calm the pet as unnecessary movements can jar the foreign object and cause more damage. Moving the foreign object stuck into the dog could cause more internal damage. The impaled dog though can be removed from a stationary object like the steel bar on a fence. Bleeding must be controlled while the pet is rushed to a veterinary facility.

Sarah’s Dogs provides more information on impalement as well as first aid for dogs.