What to do when Fido gets sick

Who do you call when Rover inhales a chunk of his rawhide bone at 10:30 on a Saturday night?

Worried pet owners don’t have the option of dialing 911 or calling an ambulance, says Dr. Beth Streeter, head of the emergency unit at Iowa State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

That’s why Streeter and a colleague, Dr. Kim Langholz, a community practice veterinarian at the hospital, conduct emergency-care seminars for dog and cat owners.

Pet owners shouldn’t expect to learn how to do chest compressions on a golden retriever or how to splint the hind leg of a tabby.

No matter how nice your dog or cat is, any injured pet is prone to bite if you try to minister to it, Streeter says. Not to mention that human medical techniques don’t always work on pets.

“People talk about doing the doggy Heimlich, but I don’t think it works very well,” Streeter says with a laugh. “The most important thing is to maintain your calm and get help right away.”