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What to do if you are out walking and your dog gets a cut to their leg!

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What to do if you are out walking and your dog gets a cut to their leg!

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On 3rd February 2025, I worked alongside another teenage student who was completing work experience from a local special needs school.

I welcomed her in a polite manner, introducing myself.

I was then given the task of training her to bath a large sized dog.

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The image shows the dog that was bathed and groomed working in collaboration together.

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The need to explain clearly and concisely was evident, I explained what we needed to do and what equipment we would be using, demonstrating how to use the equipment so she understood before bringing the animal into the room for safety reasons.

Once she was confident in this, we both read through the record card, she was not confident in reading, so I read this out loud so we both know the dogs needs and behaviour before we started the task.

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I worked alongside her supporting her to do the task and giving encouragement when required.

As the dog was large sized it took both of us working together to complete the task to a high standard.

Once the dog was bathed, I explained the need to dry the dog to avoid him getting a chill, we also put the heater on to help with keeping the dog warm.

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We first used a chamois leather to remove the excess water, then a towel to remove more moisture and finally used a hairdryer to get the dog totally dry.

At this stage, I had to highlight the need to move the hairdryer around so as not to burn the dog.

I did this in a serious but polite manner as this could have been a high risk situation.

Once the dog was dry, we brushed him to remove the remaining fur and to make sure there was no matts present.

We then requested approval from the business owner before the dog was returned to its owner.

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This helped my to develop my skills, as I had previously stated in my Personal Development Plan (PDP), I did not have any experience with working with adults or younger people with learning difficulties.

Through this experience I have had the opportunity to work with a young person who has a learning difficulty.

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As you probably know dogs come in all shapes and sizes and this can sometimes lead to problems and the need to find a solution.

This came to light today when it became obvious, we should have asked for the size or breed of the dog when booking.

Whilst waiting for one dog to be collected and with two dogs in the care of the business owner in the salon, the next booking turned up, a St. Bernard.

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It quickly became clear that we could not groom this dog today, in fact we would need to empty items out of the salon to make it safe to groom the very large dog.

The business owner spoke to the dog owner advising to come back on Saturday and we would be able to complete the booking.

We then set to thinking of a solution.

We checked the weight limits on the equipment and the weight was within the safe working load, so we rearranged the room to accommodate the dog.

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I suggested that in future when making bookings the weight of the dog should be added to the record cards for the dogs as well as including a vaccination record to prevent the risk of cross infection.

I am flexible and was able to swap my working shift so that there were enough staff in attendance on the Saturday as an animal so large needed more than two people to assist in its care so that it could have a positive experience in the salon.

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The logistics on the Saturday meant we could have two members of staff supervising the animal whilst one concentrated on the procedure, it also meant that when we got to the drying stage, we could all help to get the dog dry as quickly as possible to prevent illness.

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Stop immediately and examine your dog's leg, if there is excess blood, wipe this away ideally using a clean swab. However, if this is not available, use your jacket or any other absorbent material.

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Next apply a small amount of pressure using another clean swab for about a minute, clean the wound with chlorohexidine or sterile water pods.

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After this we need to bandage the leg to keep it clean and to help prevent infection. First use a non-adherent bandage,  run the bandage from the top of the leg around the paw and back up to the top of the leg in a vertical motion. Then continue wrapping the bandage firmly but not too tightly around the leg in a circular motion starting at the top towards the paw and then if you still have bandage left back to the top again. Hold this in place with your finger before  wrapping  vet wrap around the non-adherent bandage in the same motion as before to secure the bandage in place.  Vet Wrap (cohesive bandage) stick to themselves but not to fur so will not hurt when removed or cause further injury. If using a normal bandage or improvising with an item of clothing and tape, make sure the tape does not come into contact with the animal as this could cause more injury.

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Customer interaction.pptx

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Bandaging video demonstrating first aid skills

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This links to my Personal Development Plan as  I stated "my communication skills can let me down when working with unfamiliar people" I wanted to improve this skill by February 2025 by "being able to have difficult conversations whilst remaining empathetic...I will speak clearly" I was able to confidently have this conversation and could adapt my language to meet the customers needs.

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This links to my Personal Development Plan as  I stated "my communication skills can let me down when working with unfamiliar people" I wanted to improve this skill by February 2025 by "being able to have difficult conversations whilst remaining empathetic...I will speak clearly" I was able to confidently have this conversation and could adapt my language to meet the customers needs.

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This supports my Personal Development Plan as I was able to face the physical demands of the job "remain responsible for dogs regardless of size, strength or temperament" which I stated I would complete by October 2025.

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This links to my Personal Development Plan as I "spoke to unfamiliar people" and "remained confident" using all methods of communication including body language. I aimed to achieve this by February 2025 which I feel I have demonstrated.

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This links to my Personal Development Plan as I have developed my skills and improved my knowledge in the sector through research and training.