Learn What To Do If Your Dog Steps On A Bear Trap
Posted on: 23 September 2016
When you live in an area prone to bear activity, there are often traps set up on many people's properties. If your dog runs freely through the woods, there is a chance that he or she may walk into one of these traps and end up getting badly injured. Use the guide that follows to learn what to do if your dog gets caught in a bear trap while running through the woods.
Open the Trap
The first thing you need to do is open the trap so that you can release your dog's leg from the trap. To open the trap, look at the ends of the trap. There should be a small handle with a disk on the end of it. When you step onto the disk, it will cause the trap to open up. When the trap opens, pull your dog free from the trap carefully. When you take the pressure off of the trap, it will close again unless you lock it into the open position. It is best to allow it to close gently instead of trying to keep it open so that you can focus your attention on your dog right away.
Wrap Your Dog's Leg
Next, you need to wrap your dog's leg tightly to try to stop as much of the bleeding as you can. Be sure to use clean cloths and apply pressure to the wounds. The leg will bleed profusely so you may want to put a tarp in your car to keep blood from getting all over your car.
Go to an Emergency Vet
You need to take your dog to an emergency veterinary clinic like Gwynedd Veterinary Hospital right away. Call the vet when you are on the way to prepare them for the injury you are bringing in to them. The vet will need to look closely at the injury to determine what needs to be done. When a trap closes on a leg, it punctures both sides of the leg and causes major damage to the leg. Depending on how bad the injury is, the leg may need to be amputated at the vet.
After the dog is treated, you need to be sure that you follow the directions they give you closely. You will need to take your dog to his or her veterinarian a few days later to make sure that your dog is healing properly and you may want to put a fence around your property to keep your dog from getting injured again in the future.
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