A Dog First Aid Course saved my dog’s life
As a local, Jo has been a long-time supporter of the Home. She rehomed Nico from us in 2021, he was one of a litter born on-site. Jo went on to become a trustee of the Home in 2024 and then co-chair in 2025.
‘I’ve always had dogs and cats, I can’t imagine my life without animals so I decided to take the Dog First Aid course. I just thought, if you’ve got an animal in your house and something happened, why wouldn’t you want to have the knowledge and the tools to be able to help?’
When an emergency struck, Jo had the knowledge to deal with it.
Nico’s favourite treat was a long stick chew. He’d enjoyed them all his life with no issue, but when Jo gave him his usual treat one morning, it turned deadly.
‘I gave him the treat as I was getting ready one morning and then I suddenly had a strong urge to check on him because I wouldn’t normally leave him with a chew unsupervised.
I put my head around the door and I could immediately see he was struggling. There was saliva everywhere and his eyes were wide with shock.’
‘What I feel the course did for me was, in that moment I had the first aid trainer’s voice in my head saying ‘stay calm.’
Jo had to act fast. ‘It had become very slimy and I tried a few times to pull it out. I thought I was going to have to find the Dog First Aid kit which had tweezers in it.
But there wasn’t time and I managed to just get my hand in his mouth, grab a corner and pull the thing out.’
‘I think if I had panicked, it could have been quite a different outcome.’
‘The course gave me the confidence to stay calm, think rationally in the moment and not panic.’
Thankfully, Nico made a quick recovery, and apart from feeling a little sorry for himself, he was totally fine after the incident.
Jo shares what Nico means to her family: ‘It all revolves around him. He’s our life. He’s brilliant, a real character and so funny. His favourite toy is foxy who came with him from the Home. Foxy’s the only toy he’ll cuddle and not rip to shreds.’
Jo’s advice to anyone thinking of doing a pet first aid course is ‘don’t hesitate’.
‘It could be the difference between saving your animal’s life or, if they’re injured, knowing what to do in the moment. For me, it was life-saving.’
‘It’s fascinating, honestly! It’s half a day and we came away with a first aid kit which is so helpful. If Nico were to cut his foot or I needed the tweezers or anything like that, we’ve got that now and everyone in the house knows where it is.’
When your pets need you most, be ready.
Nico was lucky that Jo was able to act fact, decisively, and calmly to save his life. If you’d like to learn more about common pet emergencies and how to respond when they occur, sign up for an upcoming dog or cat first aid course today.
