First Aid for your Fur-ever Friends

April is National Pet First Aid Awareness Month, and the American Red Cross wants to ensure your skills are up to their full pet-tential.

In times when you cannot get to a veterinarian, you may need to give your pet emergency medical care. Here are some steps you can take to guarantee no cat-tastrophes!

Gatsby aka Gatz/Mouse - 4 years old - Loves a good costume… and stealing food.

 Pet First Aid Online Course

The Red Cross offers a free, 35-minute online course for you to learn the basics on caring for your pet in times of crisis. Some benefits are:

• Learn how to check your pet’s vital signs accurately.
• Acquire preventative care skills for your pet.
• Gain the knowledge to recognize and provide first aid for the most severe emergencies your pet may experience.
• Have access to desktop and tablet compatibility providing flexibility to access how, when, and where you want to take the course.
• Obtain Red Cross digital certification provided upon completion.

Cody Hercules - 6 years old – Likes living the good life and playing fetch with his sister, Liza

Pet First Aid App

The Red Cross has an award-winning Pet First Aid app you can download to stay abundantly prepared to keep your pet pals safe and happy. The app is the perfect on-the-go reference guide for pet owners, with systematic instructions, videos, and images for more than 25 common first aid and emergencies. Now you can feel at ease knowing you have fast and effective safety tips whenever you need them!

Bruno - 10 years old – Happiest when napping in the sun 

Pet Safety Preventative Measures

• Make sure all household plants are varieties that are pet-safe.
• Consider latching cupboards shut that contain harmful chemicals.
• Ensure trashcans are properly concealed – pets can ingest bones and other harmful trash items that can cause choking. 
• Keep toilet seats down, especially if using an automatic cleaning system. 
• Make sure all window screens/guards are properly secure to prevent falls from high living spaces. 

Fiona – 3 years old – Will eat anything and everything.

Space and Routine

Dogs and cats alike are creatures of habit and crave routine. If you set up a proper routine for your pet, this will result in overall good behavior and general happiness. Here are some things to make your furry friend the best they can be:

• Food – Give your pet quality food at the same time every day. Not only will they know when food is coming so they will not bother you in the meantime, but this will also keep their metabolism balanced and strong. 
• Quality Time – Whether this is a daily walk, snuggle, or play time in the yard, your pet will find comfort in knowing they have a set period to spend with you. This is also exceptionally important during a move or new living situation. 
• Jobs – Pets like having a job to do to feel connected to their owner. Small tasks like getting the newspaper, chasing a toy, or trying to get a feather at the end of a string all put your pet at ease and feel like they are contributing. 

Pet Summer Safety Preparedness

By Carly Flumer, Volunteer

Summer has arrived and the hot tempatures it has brought along with it are something to take very seriously. Not only do we need to take care of ourselves, but our furry friends, too! Here are some quick tips to keep your pet safe in the sunshine:

1. Never leave your pet in the car! Even if you’re parked in the shade, the inside of a car can quickly reach 120 degrees. If you happen to see a pet inside of a parked car, locate the manager of the store closest to the vehicle. If the owner doesn’t return, call animal control or the police.
2. Don’t put your pet in the back of a car, specifically pick-up trucks. If a driver is to suddenly hit the brakes, undue harm can occur.
3. Watch out for plant food, fertilizer, and insecticides which can be fatal to pets, if ingested. Also, more than 700 plants can produce active or toxic substances which can cause harmful effects to animals.
4. Avoid heat exhaustion by providing your pet with plenty of water by bringing a water bottle and/or a disposable dish during walks or long trips.
5. Spaying or neutering your pet reduces the likelihood of dog bites, which are more likely to occur during the summer months.
6. Finally, make sure your pet is identifiable by a tag with their name, and your address and phone number, on a collar.

For safety tips on the go, download our Pet First Aid App in the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, or the Amazon Marketplace.

You Can’t Predict When Disasters Will Happen, But You Can Be Red Cross Ready Using Red Cross Emergency Apps

Written by: Rosalind SE Carney, volunteer

As we reach the end of National Preparedness Month (www.ready.gov), now is the time to finalize your family’s emergency response plan. This year, the theme for National Preparedness Month was “Disasters Don’t Plan Ahead. You Can.” Some disasters (fire, flooding) may require you to leave your home, whereas others (power outage, snow storm) may make staying at home necessary. The only commonality to these different scenarios is that advance preparation can help mitigate stress and keep your family safe. The Red Cross has developed free Mobile Apps that can be downloaded in the Apple App Store or Google Play.  Mobile Apps can also be obtained by texting the App name to 90999 (standard carrier charges apply). All Apps are also available in Spanish.

Here are some of the Apps, with brief descriptions, that will help you and your family become Red Cross Ready.

Teach Your Child Emergency Preparedness

• Monster Guard: help your child (ages 7-11) learn how to stay safe (text “MONSTER” to 90999)

Be Ready to Provide Emergency Medical Treatment

• First Aid: learn how to handle the most common first aid emergencies (text "GETFIRST" to 90999)
• Pet First Aid: learn how to provide emergency care for your dog or cat (text "GETPET" to 90999)

Be Aware of Local Conditions

• Emergency: monitor more than 35 different weather and emergency alerts (text "GETEMERGENCY" to 90999)
• Tornado: receive weather alerts whenever the NOAA issues a tornado watch or warning throughout the US (text “GETNADO” to 90999)
• Hurricane: monitor local conditions and let others know you are safe even if the power is out (text “GETCANE” to 90999)
• Earthquake: receive notification when an earthquake occurs and let others know you are safe even if the power is out (text “GETQUAKE” to 90999)
• Flood: prepare to evacuate your home in times of flooding (text “GETFLOOD” to 90999)

Learn More about Red Cross Emergency Mobile Apps

Pet Safety & Pet First Aid

Written by: Morgan Terry, volunteer

Although Summer is over, residents can still expect the heat to linger around a little longer. That’s why it’s important to be aware of how to keep pets safe as seasons and temperatures change. One way everyone can do this is by taking the new online Red Cross training class for Cat and Dog First Aid. This class gives owners the ability to identify and respond to a variety of pet emergencies until professional assistance is available. Owners will learn how to revive a cat or dog that is not breathing, tend to wounds, check vital signs and maintain health before, during and after emergency situations.

The Red Cross also encourages owners to keep in mind a few helpful tips:

• Never leaves pets in a car on a hot day, not even for just a moment. Even temperatures of only 70 degrees can be dangerous for pets inside a car for only a few minutes.
• Keep an eye on pets around large bodies of water and pools, just like you would a child.
• Know the less obvious signs of illness, such as lack of energy, weakness, agitation or excessive sleeping.
• Always keep your pets on a leash, especially near busy streets and crowded areas.

My friend Andy of Silver Spring, MD keeps his dogs Scrappy and Celeste safe by making sure they have plenty of water when playing outside and keeping an eye on them in potentially dangerous environments, such as a lake or a rocky area.

Get Started!

• Prepare your Pets for Emergencies
• Register for Cat & Dog First Aid
• Download Pet First Aid App 

Red Cross Tips to Keep Your Pets Safe During Frosty Weather

Punxsutawney Phil Says Six More Weeks of Winter in 2017

By Clarice Nassif Ransom, Volunteer

Each year on February 2, Americans celebrate Groundhog Day, where the most notable groundhog, Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil, emerges from his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob to “predict” the length of winter. The tradition, dating back to the 19th century, says if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If not, spring will arrive early.

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this year – so, if custom is correct, we can expect winter to last for a while.

To keep your animals safe from frosty weather, the Red Cross has practical tips to help you know what to do, including a Pet First Aid App with valuable information that can be downloaded on many mobile devices.

Tips to Keep Pets Safe When Frosty Weather Strikes

Pets enrich our lives, are seen as family members, and depend on us for food, safety, shelter, and general well-being. Winter’s cold temperatures, gusty winds, and wet sleet, snow and rain can be devastating to your animals. Salt and other chemicals used to melt snow and ice can irritate your pet’s paws, cause extreme pain, and be life-threatening if ingested. Here is how you can help your animals stay safe.

• Bring animals inside during cold winter weather, if possible
• Move livestock to sheltered areas and make sure they have access to non-frozen drinking water
• If animals are outside, make sure their access to food and water is not blocked by a snow drift, ice or other obstacles 
• Keep a dry towel near the door and wipe off your pet immediately after you come in from the cold. Pay particular attention to your pet’s paws and in between their toes so you can dry and wipe off chemical residue
• Do not shave your pet down to the skin in winter as their coat provides warmth
• Petroleum jelly and booties can help protect your pet’s paws
• Ensure your indoor animals have been fed and have enough water for hydration
• Provide a warm space for your animal to sleep away from drafty windows and doors, and if possible, off of the floor
• Download the Pet First Aid App and get critical information at your fingertips

World Animal Day

By Michelle Fordice, Volunteer Contributor

Today is World Animal Day! Celebrated on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, this day celebrates all animals. Here at the Red Cross we especially want to recognize the animals that serve in times of disaster.

Animals serving during disasters

Dogs have helped the Red Cross since early in its history. Check out this footage of a training exercise for dogs searching for wounded soldiers during World War I. 

And these photos of Red Cross dogs searching for wounded soldiers just before and during WWI.

Dogs today still serve in search and rescue missions. Here is a group of local search and rescue dogs deploying to assist in mudslide recovery efforts in Washington state earlier this year.

Search and rescue dogs serve in all sorts of conditions, whether they are searching through the snow...

... jumping out of helicopters...

... or taking their noses on the water by boat.

Other dogs serve as therapy dogs immediately after a disaster or during stressful recovery. This group of golden retrievers from Lutheran Church Charities comforted Boston locals in April of 2013 after the Boston Marathon bombings.

Watch how Red Cross volunteers and their animal companions have helped at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

How you can get involved

Do you think your pet could make a good therapy animal? Check out the resources below to see how to get involved in our own community.

National Capital Therapy Dogs is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that provides animal-assisted therapy to many people in health facilities, schools, and libraries in more than 30 facilities in the DC, Virginia, and Maryland area. They also accept cats and some other animals in their program.

People, Animals, Love sends out its 320 volunteers and their pets throughout the DC area. Their visit program accepts all sorts of animals, from birds, to dogs, to guinea pigs!

Some dogs have the right breeding and personality traits to be a search and rescue dogs. Learn more about search and rescue dog training in our area by visiting the Virginia Search and Rescue Dog Association.

And don't forget... everyone's pet is their own personal superhero, so make a disaster plan for your furry family members with information from the Red Cross and protect your pet by downloading our Pet First Aid App! 

Not All Heroes Wear Capes

... Although Many Wear Red!

By Geoff DeLizzio, Chief Operating Officer

In March we celebrate American Red Cross Month and honor those who dedicate themselves to our mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in our community, country, and around the world.  (See President Obama’s Proclamation Here)

Everyday Heroes Helping Every Day 

In the first 2 months of 2014 the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region has responded to over 100 incidents and served over 450 clients in every jurisdiction throughout the DC Metro Area. We’ve responded to those impacted by house and apartment fires, water main breaks, gas and power outages, and set up emergency shelters during the extreme weather events of January and February.

We continue to train our community in First Aid, CPR, and general preparedness. Recently we launched the Pet First Aid App that provides advice for everyday emergencies such as the treatment of wounds, shock, heat-related emergencies and CPR for both dogs and cats. In February alone, over 30% of incidents we responded to included pets needing love and care. 

On any given day you can find an American Red Cross blood drive throughout our region. Due to the extreme weather there is still an urgent need for blood donors. Ever wanted to save a life? This is how you can do it today!  (Find a donor site here)

Heroes Helping Heroes

The American Red Cross is also present on most military installations throughout the DC region. Our heroes directly support the troops and their families by giving workshops on topics such as coping with deployment and resiliency training, serve as volunteers on installations including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Fort Belvoir, and greet our wounded warriors every week when they arrive at Joint Base Andrews. 

Our volunteers have already been busy in 2014. We cannot do it without them and we need more heroes. 

How Can You Get Involved?

• Volunteer:  Become a Hero and serve your local community
•  Donate Blood:  Save a life. Need I say more?
• Donate Money:  We exist on the generosity of our donors. Consider a donation of any size
• Be Prepared:  Get Trained and Make a Plan for you and your family (don’t forget Fido)
• Attend one of our March Events
• March28:  One Enchanted Evening, Heritage HuntCountry Club
• March27:  Social Hour at Virtue in Alexandria

I may be biased, but our volunteers are HEROES! A big THANK YOU to all those who serve: past, present, and future!

January in a Nutshell

New App to Help Your Furry Family Members

By Squiggy the Squirrel

Do you have a cat or a dog? If so, you should download this cool new app - the Red Cross Pet First Aid App. The app is full of helpful content for how to deal with over 25 common pet emergency situations through a combination of text, video, and images.

Features of the app include:

• Early warning signs checker for preventative care
• Ability to locate your nearest emergency vet hospital or pet-friendly hotels in addition to the ability to store your veterinarian's contact number to be available when needed
• "How to" videos for common and stressful emergency situations including specific CPR techniques based on your pet's size
• Interactive quizzes that allow you to earn badges that you can share with your friends along with a picture of your pet

The app also allows users to customize multiple pet profiles in case you have more than one pet, like our volunteer Kelly, who has two cats, Figaro and Cleo.

The Pet First Aid App can be purchased for 99 cents on your iPhone or Android device in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store by searching for "Red Cross" or by visiting our suite of apps online.

Don't have a pet? Maybe this month is a good time to consider adopting one from an organization like the Washington Animal Rescue League. There are plenty of furry friends in the DC are who are in need of a home. 

Make sure to spread the word about the app to others who have cats or dogs in their family, too. Hope you're all staying warm!

xo,

Squiggy