Pet emergency what to do if your pet is electrocuted

It’s a rare occurrence but our houses have a lot of electrical equipment in them and dogs like to chew so electrocution isn’t as uncommon as you might think.   Puppies are most at risk and need to be kept safe from wires and cables.  Older dogs sometimes take a fancy to plastic, we have one sanctuary resident who loves to crunch up ballpoint pens (are you listening Heidi?) so the hazard is still out there.  There’s a danger to you as well as the dog so if the worst happens what should you do?   If you see a frayed electric cable and your dog is lying flat out next to it the instinct is to rush in.   Don’t.    If your dog has been electrocuted you might be next, so stand back and assess the situation for a moment.   Switch the current off first of all or it might be you needing first aid.    If you don’t know where the fuse board is or can’t reach it, watch where you walk.   Dogs often urinate when they suffer a shock and as this is a good conductor of electricity, make sure you don’t step into it.   Unplug the cable if you can -you need to  put on a rubber glove first and make sure it’s dry.   You might be able to get a brush handle and push the dog out of the water.  If you are in any doubt about what to do, fetch help.

It’s an agonising situation but if it’s not too serious a shock your dog should be starting to come round after a few minutes.   Even if he does, there is every likelihood of internal damage so you need to get him to a vet quickly.   If the dog isn’t responding, watch him closely, you should be able to see the rise and fall of his chest.   If he isn’t breathing a delay of even a few minutes could be fatal.   When the dog isn’t coming round and if you are sure he is well away from moisture and electricity, you could try artificial respiration.   It’s through the nose in a dog, so hold his mouth closed and blow into the nostrils.  You will inflate the lungs with air until they start to work on their own.   Take care that you don’t get bitten, sometimes a dog that is stressed and struggling to recover will react badly and snap at whatever is near.   One casualty is quite enough so watch out it isn’t you.