Ever passed by an injured street dog and felt completely powerless to help? It's a constant hazard for dog lovers in any Indian city,which are often overrun with too many street dogs for the local authorities to care for on their own. And dog lover or not,most people don't feel equal to getting close to strange dogs,figuring out what's wrong with them and fixing the problem correctly. Enter canine first aid 101. Dog lovers and volunteers with numerous city NGOs,Katey Kulkarni,Manjiree Patwarrdhan-Rajgopaul and Ranjan Rajgopaul and hosted a free level one canine first aid course on Sunday at Nagarwala School,Kalyaninagar. The course drew participants who weren't just adoring pet owners but were equally passionate about caring for street dogs. Katey,Manjiree and Ranjan - who simultaneously hosted the session in English and Hindi began with the basic do's and don'ts of first aid. Always keep cool and calm during a rescue and don't be afraid to ask people for help. Always use a muzzle before beginning,you can simply tie a strip of gauze around their snouts in the prescribed manner. And never medicate a dog without consulting a veterinarian or an animal welfare organisation, says Katey. The three instructors went through different aspects of first aid,such as vaccination,wound treatment,diseases,medication,vaccination and correct handling of dogs,sometimes turning to the two four-legged volunteers Chakuli and Betty,(both friendly neighbourhood street dogs) to demonstrate the different techniques. While many feel uneasy at the thought of either getting or giving an injection,Katey and Ranjan made it look remarkably simple. A dog's skin isn't attached to the muscles underneath like in humans,so you can lift their skin without hurting them. The needle has to be inserted into the cavity between the fold of skin and the body,keeping the syringe parallel to the body, says Katie. When it came to treating wounds,they explained how to clean and dress wounds using a canine first aid kit. Lift and move the skin around,and you will be able to see whether the wound has passed through the layer of skin. If it has,then it's a deep wound. Flush it with diluted hydrogen peroxide (50 per cent water) and then flush it again with just water. Clean the wound with betadine and cotton,cut the surrounding hair to keep the wound clear,stuff with crushed camphor to combat maggots,and apply Topicure or a similar ointment, said Katie. Manjiree pointed out that apart from skipping the flushes and the camphor,the process was pretty much the same with superficial wounds. The trio also gave several instructions on how to vaccinate street puppies and dogs,and how it was important to keep records of the vaccinations and repeat the vaccines every year. The trio were trained in first aid by the NGO ResQ Charitable Trust,where they work as rescue volunteers. While ResQ organises training for its volunteers,Katey,Manjiree and Ranjan organised their course as an informal way to teach first aid to other dog lovers. They hope to host more such sessions again,along with practical demonstrations of the techniques in the ResQ ambulance. (To register for the next class,contact: ranjanrr@gmail.com)
