For Your "What If" File

Did you know that April is National Pet First Aid Awareness Month? I'm a worst-case scenario kind of girl, so I collect various tips and tidbits to keep in my "What If" arsenal. Ideally, I'll never have to use this information, but just having it is strangely comforting for me. Today I'm going to share three of my favorites.

• There's an App for that! Did you know that the American Red Cross has a pet first aid app? They do! It covers a variety of scenarios for both dogs and cats. Even better, it's free. You can download it here.

• Get a Kit. It's a good idea to have a pet first aid kit, separate from you people first aid kit. Some people meds are toxic to dogs. And some things you may not want to share, no matter how much you love your dog (think thermometers). There are plenty of pet first aid kits out there you can buy. Or you can even make one yourself. A couple years ago I wrote a post about it. You can see it here. Please note, you should rotate the contents regularly. Expired medicine doesn't do you much good.

• Know what to look for. Bloat scares me to death. This is a condition where the dog's stomach flips. It's common in large, deep chested dogs -- like German shepherds -- but no dog is exempt. I've heard of Boston terriers and French bulldogs bloating. A friend sent me the following video. (Go ahead and watch, it has a happy ending.)

I watched the video several times and actually feel better. Again, I hope I never have to deal with bloat, but now I have a better idea of what to look for.

So, do you feel any better now? I hope so. -- K

P.S. My worst-case scenario tendencies don't stop at my animals. If anyone wants to discuss bug-out kits and share zombie apocalypse plans, let me know! And on a completely random note (completely random being my specialty) did you know that the CDC actually discusses zombie apocalypse planning? No kidding! Here's a link. See, you learn all kinds of strange stuff on my blog. You're welcome!