Do you know pet first aid? Owner's quick thinking 'lifesaver' for Labrador after dog slices paw on broken glass

A vet charity is urging all pet owners to learn some animal first aid, after a dog owner potentially saved her lab's life when he sliced his paw open on a piece of broken glass.

Jess and her two Labradors Ronnie and Reggie were out enjoying a Sunday evening run in the woods when disaster struck, and two-year-old Reggie stepped on a piece of broken glass - leaving him bleeding profusely.

The trio were more than a mile from their car with no supplies on hand, but Jess was able to use her recently-learned pet first aid knowledge from vet charity PDSA - the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals.

“After reading through all of PDSA’s pet first aid advice in the guide, we made sure we had a complete pet first aid kit for the dogs, but I didn’t have it with me on our walk," she said.

"Despite that, the advice in the guide ended up really being a lifesaver when Reggie cut his paw.”

To help stem the bleeding, Jess ripped off a piece of her clothing and applied pressure to the cut. She then covered it with a poo bag - tied loosely round Reggie’s ankle - to keep it clean while they made their way back to the car.

Once home, Jess unwrapped the bandage and realised the wound was still bleeding heavily. She immediately called the vet, who told them to head straight to their after hours service.

After being examined, the vet informed Jess that the deep cut had damaged a major blood vessel and would need stitches under general anaesthetic. Luckily the procedure went smoothly and just a few hours later, Reggie was discharged and on his way home for some much-needed rest and recuperation.

PDSA vet Lynne James said: “It can be extremely worrying when your pet has an accident or gets injured, especially if you’re far from home and you haven’t got your pet first aid kit with you."

In Reggie’s case, his owner did exactly the right thing, she said, "and helped stem a potentially life-threatening bleed, preventing further contamination and infection to the wound".

PDSA has a pet first aid guide available on its website, which you can download for free here.

Ms James said the guide covers everything from what to do if your pet is having a seizure, to how to cool your pet down safely if they develop life-threatening heatstroke.

"You never know when disaster might strike so it’s very useful to be clued up on pet first aid – it could save a life in an emergency.”