Pet first aid basics: what to do until you reach a vet

Do not give medicines. Human painkillers are among the commonest poisons in pets: International Cat Care says paracetamol is highly toxic to cats and even a small amount can cause severe illness, and Cornell's Feline Health Center lists aspirin, paracetamol and ibuprofen as common causes of poisoning. Petym never gives a dose of anything on its pages. Only your vet can decide what an injured or unwell pet should be given.

Do not put anything in the mouth of a fitting pet. The RECOVER guidelines recommend against giving any substance by mouth during first aid for seizures, and Cornell's Riney Canine Health Center advises keeping away from a seizing dog's mouth so you are not bitten.

Do not make a pet vomit at home. RECOVER recommends against it for swallowed poisons, unless a vet or animal poison service tells you to because no clinic can be reached, and warns that hydrogen peroxide can injure the stomach and gut. Salt water is not a safe alternative: ASPCA Animal Poison Control lists salt poisoning itself, with vomiting, tremors and seizures.

Do not wait to see. A dog that was hit by a car can walk and still be bleeding inside; a cat that ate a lily can look normal for hours. If first aid was needed, a vet check is needed.

PDSA's first-aid advice is to stay calm, move your pet from a sofa or bed to the floor, clear space around it, dim the lights and keep the room quiet, start a timer and film it if you can, and keep the room as cool as possible because seizures raise body temperature. Do not move your pet until the seizure stops, unless your vet tells you to. The RSPCA adds: do not try to restrain your pet.

When to call: PDSA says call your vet straight away if the seizure lasts more than two minutes, or if it is not the first in the past 24 hours. Cornell's advice is to go to the clinic immediately if your dog has been seizing for more than five minutes. After any first seizure, book a vet check once your pet has recovered. In a flat, keep your pet away from stairs and balcony edges.

The 2026 RECOVER guidelines, written for owners and other bystanders, say to start CPR straight away on an unresponsive pet that is not breathing normally, unless the scene is unsafe: begin chest compressions within 10 seconds, without first checking the airway. They give 30 compressions to 2 breaths, at 100 to 120 compressions a minute, with breaths into the nose, or compressions only if breathing into the nose is risky for you.

Put the phone on speaker to call the vet while you work, and keep going during the journey if you can do it safely. CPR is hard to do well from a web page. If you live with a dog or cat, a practical pet first-aid course is worth the time, and every Petym sitter completes pet first-aid training before their first booking.

The Merck Veterinary Manual's first rule is to protect yourself, because any injured or painful animal might bite or scratch. A towel or blanket over a cat, or between your hands and a dog, gives you some protection. A muzzle can help with a dog in pain, but Merck says to use one only when it is safe, never on a dog with chest injuries or a short-nosed breed such as a Pug or Shih Tzu, and never to leave a muzzled dog alone.

To move an injured pet, Merck advises supporting it on a flat, firm surface such as a board, thick cardboard or a folded blanket, and limiting movement of the head, neck and spine. In Indian flats that often means a lift or stairs: carry the board level, with two people if you can, and have the car or cab waiting downstairs. Cats and small dogs travel best in a carrier with a towel inside.

Knowing what normal looks like makes it easier to notice what is not. Merck gives a normal rectal temperature for dogs and cats of about 38.6 to 38.9 °C. Look at your pet's gums when it is well, so you know their usual pink. PDSA lists white, blue or grey gums, noisy or fast breathing, and stretching out to breathe as signs of a breathing emergency, and in cats, breathing with the mouth open.

Watch your pet's normal breathing at rest and its usual energy, appetite and toilet habits. A sudden change in any of them, with no obvious cause, is a reason to call your vet. The guide to signs your pet needs a vet now lists the emergencies that cannot wait.

Every Petym sitter completes pet first-aid training before their first booking and has a named 24-hour vet within reach. In an emergency, the sitter will call you and take your pet to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list. A Petym sitter gives only the medicines you have written into your pet's plan, as you wrote them, and logs each one.

Help your sitter help your pet: leave your vet's details, any health conditions, the kit's location and your consent for emergency care on the care sheet before you go.