Well Simpawtico's his first year on YouTube
is coming to a glorious close and we
launched the channel with a travel vlog
and a certification, so I thought it
would be fun to book end this year with
another travel vlog and another
certification. Stick with me and I'll
give you some info and resources as to
why it's important for your dog, and you
too!
Ian here with Simpawtico Dog Training,
and before we get into where I went and why
please make sure you're subscribed so you
never miss any of our videos. Also don't
forget to check the YouTube description
for notes, links, and resources about the
stuff we talked about.
Now i just got back a couple of days ago
from Phoenix, Arizona where I attended an
intense, three-day instructor training
program for pet CPR and first aid. Did
you even know such a thing exists?
I can't believe how many people I told I
was going that said, "I didn't even know
that was a thing."
Yeah it is, and it's really great. I mean, look:
statistically most accidents that lead
to a pet's death are predictable and
preventable (just like training problems).
According to the American Animal
Hospital Association one out of four
additional animals could be saved if
just one pet first aid technique was
applied. If you've ever clipped a nail too
short,
you've done first aid. If you've ever
removed a tick, or treated a bite or
sting you've done first aid. As pet
owners or pet professionals we've done
our share of minor little booboo fixes.
But what if you saw a dog get hit by a
car? Or come out the loser in a big fight?
Or have a seizure? Or get bit by a
rattlesnake?
Do you know what to do? Do you know what
to do if your dog stops breathing or
loses consciousness?
What about heatstroke or frostbite? Or
burns? These are possible scenarios you
could encounter. All the professionals
you employ for your pet – groomers, kennel
staff, pet sitters, trainers – should know
how to administer first aid and to
perform CPR. Now your vet and vet techs will
know how to treat things when your dog
or cat comes into the facility, but they
have machines and medicines and
equipment. They can do surgeries, x-rays,
they can insert breathing tubes. What
we're talking about is the frontline
triage to save the pets life, stabilize
them, and get them to the hospital.
This is a big responsibility. You too can
learn this if, you so desire.
There won't always be a professional
along with you and being able to
intelligently and quickly address things
from minor little owwies to full-blown
life-or-death situations is something I
personally feel much better knowing. So
let's take a look at how that training
transpired.
Stay tuned to the end where I've got
some specific tips and resources to get
you started.
So of course there was a full day of
flying. Then getting a rental car, then
driving to a hotel...
yada-yada-yada. Day number one: on the
first day I took the same Petsaver™
course that I'll be certified to teach.
The instructor was PetTech master
instructor Malinda Malone and she did
fantastic! It's approximately an
eight-hour course and there were nine
people in attendance for this particular
class including me and another
instructor candidate. Challenging,
thorough, and fun, it was great. Day two
was the first day of intense instructor
training. Technically I started this
material a couple of weeks ago where I
had a battery of online videos I had to
watch for pre-training. Now all of that
stuff gets dissected, practiced, and refined.
We did 10 hours that first day, and then
two more hours of homework and practice
in my hotel room.
Wow! Day 3, the final day: another eight
hours, lots of more stuff,
testing, presentations, final steps, and
certification. And then of course another
full day of travel and I'm finally back
in New York. Here's a fine welcome home
for you: I'm on the way home from
Syracuse and New York is welcoming me
home with a whole ton of snow.
Gee, thanks New York.
Thanks.
Now i'm a certified PetTech instructor. It
feels awesome and my brain is just
boiling with information.
One thing I learned from this is that
all the infographics on Pinterest and
stuff have mostly got it wrong.
They're missing important steps and or
they get some of the steps kind of off.
My partner in the instructor program was
a vet tech from Tucson and she'd never
even seen some of this info before, and
believe me she knew her stuff.
This is a shout out to you, Joanna! I hope
you're crushing it
in Tucson! Look: you don't have to go to
the lengths that I did. I went the long way
around with the instructor training so
that I could teach it. Anyone can take
instructor training and the more people out
there sharing this info, the better in my
opinion. But it is very costly. With
tuition, supplies, and travel I'm into
this about 3 grand.
It's worth it, but you'll need to make
sure you have the time and resources to
devote to it. Now as I said I'm certified
through PetTech and I do believe
they're the best one out there, which is
why I spent the money to go to Phoenix.
The second-biggest was the Red Cross but
it is my understanding that they stopped
the program at the end of 2015. Since PetTech
is international now, they're the largest
in the world, which is pretty cool.
It's important for me to be able to
provide services like this because as a
pet professional I feel its part of my
duty as a service provider to get it out
there. People just don't know it. They
don't know how to do it, and they don't
even realize the info is out there, in
most cases. If you're in upstate New York,
contact me for training info. For those
of you outside of New York you can go to
pettech.net to find instructors like me
to get some training for yourself, or
your staff if you are a pet business
owner. Also here's something you can do
right now: highly recommend that you
purchase or assemble a pet first aid kit.
I really recommend making your own or at
least supplementing and tweaking a
store-bought kit. You'll really know it
front to back that way. A pre-purchased
one is convenient, but it will never be
as good, I think. If you do buy one that's
pre-made, take it all apart, familiarize
yourself with the components, and then
supplement the parts to fill in the gaps
where it falls short.
Here's a list of the bare minimum that
should be in your pet first aid kit:
hydrogen peroxide. It's only good for six
months after you open it before it just
turns into water, so replace open bottles
regularly. Scissors – get the blunt tip
kind. A rectal thermometer – digital ones
are the easiest and the most accurate.
Tweezers. Adhesive tape. Gauze pads. Gauze
rolls. A triangular bandage. Triple
antibiotic ointment. Activated charcoal.
And antihistamine. Benadryl of course is
the recommended brand but you can just
get the generic which is called
diphenhydramine. The dosag is 1 to 2
milligrams per pound of body weight, and
it's best to get the liquid gel caps,
pierce it with a safety pin (that you
also carry in your kit) and squirt it
down your pet's throat. This will work
faster than a regular pill which can
take up to a half-hour to start working.
For more info on what else to put in
your kit and how to use everything for
bleeding management, treating shock,
poisoning, seizures, bites and stings,
choking, burns, hyperthermia, and a whole
host of other things
find yourself a class and get trained.
Alright guys: this is our last video of
2016.
Thank you SO much to everybody that has
subscribed and commented and shared. The
channel has grown so much since we
started in May and I really appreciate
all of you for being a part of it.
Please have a wonderful, safe, fun, and
happy season.
Please don't forget to give this video a
thumbs up and until next time: keep
learning, keep practicing, and we'll see
you in 2017. Thanks for watching!