How to Help a Pet Hit by a Car

Getting hit by a car is unfortunately a fairly common occurrence for pets, more commonly for dogs. The following are some important things to know in the event an animal is hit—which may reduce the severity of an injury—or even save the pet’s life.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Approach the injured pet with caution and do not make quick, loud or jerky movements; remaining calm will keep the animal from becoming more agitated and scared.

2. Check to make sure the animal is breathing. If not, you’ll need to perform artificial respiration by holding the muzzle closed and breathing air into the nose. You may also need to administer CPR.

3. Pay attention to the pet’s body movements and sounds to help determine the location of any injuries.

4. Try to locate any external wounds and stop any bleeding by applying pressure to the spot with a towel, bandage or tourniquet.

5. Immobilize the pet to prevent further injury to broken bones or spine. You can restrain the pet with towels or blankets and a muzzle if necessary, but don’t use a muzzle if the pet is having difficulty breathing or is injured around the nose or mouth.

6. Keep the pet warm by covering with blankets or towels.

7. Notify or have someone else notify your vet or an emergency clinic that you are bringing in an injured animal.

Tips & Warnings

• Humane Societies, shelters and the American Red Cross offer workshops in pet CPR and first aid. The Red Cross also has a reference book that covers CPR and handling pet emergencies that you can purchase from their website (see Resources below).
• The pet is your first priority. If it’s a hit and run and the car starts to flee, let someone else get the license plate. Don’t neglect tending to the pet, even for a minute.

Resources

• American Red Cross

[halos-mom]

on 6/20/2008 now i know what to do!thanks!

[Tippy]

on 6/8/2008 Great article. The thought of any injured animal just breaks my heart, since they just can't understand what has happened to them.

I'm putting it on my "to do" list to learn animal SPR now.

Thanks for a great article!