Save A Pet's Life

Most people have general knowledge of applying first aid to someone in the event of an emergency.  However, when the family pet is injured or sick, there are not many people that know what to do. 

Robyn Elman, President of In Home Pet Services and a certified Pet Tech/CPR instructor, is on a mission to change all that.  On July 17, Elman held a class at Petco in Garden City Park to teach a variety of techniques that could save your beloved pet. 

The sad fact is one out of four pets would have survived an emergency medical condition if one basic pet first aid technique had been used according to the American Animal Hospital Association.  Elman, who had worked as a Bronx Zoo zoologist for many years, saw she could really make a difference in pet owner lives by preparing them for the worst.

Elman’s motto is “improving the quality of pets’ lives one pet owner at a time." She hopes that all pet owners who receive pet first aid certification after taking her class will never need to use their new knowledge. Not only does she instruct how to apply these techniques, but also how to assess an injury or malady and to remind the pet owner to always stay calm.

For cat owner Lori Walters, taking the class was a good idea after having an experience with an injured animal. A neighbor’s dog had been struck by a car and Walters helped to apply gauze to stop a bleeding injury. After the ordeal, Walters realized she did not know any other life-saving skills in case of an emergency, and as a kennel attendant, she knew the information would be valuable.

Elman led the class by hands-on learning, but instead of using a live animal, the students practiced on stuffed animals.  Elman cites that the only way to feel confident in an emergency situation is to practice each one technique each week. 

The students learned everything from administering CPR, how to detect shock, help a shocking animal, stop a bleeding wound and how to prevent the most common injuries. 

Elman would rather none of the students use any of these techniques, but she can rest easy knowing that in the future a pet’s may be saved.