Title: Describe how to prioritize common emergencies.
Course: Small Animal Care II (18102-II) > Section: Exploring First Aid on Animals

Description should include

- defining the term triage
- identifying common veterinary emergencies (e.g., hit by a car [HBC], anaphylaxis, straining to urinate, bleeding, diarrhea, burns, poisoning, insect sting or bite, choking)
- identifying vital signs and evaluating airway, breathing, and circulation
- explaining the importance of “seeing the big picture" when assessing a patient and not focusing exclusively on the most obvious injury or sign
- following procedures for assessing a patient’s condition based on signs and factors such as age, weight, sex, and reproductive status (signalment)
- prioritizing common emergencies and deciding if veterinary care is required.

Process/Skill Questions:

- What should be the first thing the veterinary assistant does when assessing an animal's condition?
- How could a veterinary assistant differentiate between arterial and venous bleeding?
- Why could an injury in a very young animal be a higher priority than the same injury in an adult animal?
- Why should a veterinary assistant check the airway, breathing, and circulation of a patient, and why are they referred to as the ABCs of initial care? What could happen if the veterinary assistant stopped to perform first aid on a fractured limb before checking the ABCs on the patient?
- Why should clients be advised to call any time their animal is doing something out of the ordinary, even if an obvious emergency does not exist?
- Why should any dog hit by a car be taken to a veterinarian even if it appears to be unhurt after the accident?
- What signs would indicate that an animal is experiencing breathing difficulty?