tissues are excised and sutures and a bandage are applied in layers.

After providing assistance on the spot, be sure to take the pet to the veterinary clinic, where an experienced veterinarian can perform the operation. Penetrating wounds of the chest and abdomen must be treated within the first 2 hours or the dog may die.

Further treatment is carried out under the supervision of a veterinarian in accordance with the clinical condition of the chihuahua.

In case of prolapse of the abdominal cavity organs, a a wide sterile bandage moistened with a solution of baking soda at the rate of 2 tbsp. spoons per 0.5 l of boiled cooled water with the addition of 10-20 drops of a 5% alcohol solution of iodine. You can also use a soda solution with the addition of boric acid at the rate of 1 teaspoon per glass of water. It is recommended to lightly irrigate the prolapsed organs with a solution of synthomycin, and also lubricate the hair around the wound with it.

No less dangerous are thoracic injuries. This is the name of the wound in which damage to the integrity of the chest occurs with the possible penetration of air into the chest cavity. These wounds are life-threatening dogs with the occurrence of bilateral pneumothorax. If the heart or aorta was affected during the infliction of the wound, this will inevitably lead to death.

An assistant is needed to provide first aid for penetrating wounds of the chest cavity. Immediately after the dog is injured, you need to move the edges of the wound with your hands to prevent air from entering the chest cavity and squeezing the lungs. While one of the people assisting holds the edges of the wound, the second quickly lubricates the animal's hair around the edges of the wound with a 5% alcohol solution of iodine to a width of at least 5 cm. Part of the wound is treated with the same preparation. To do this, the edges of the wound are slightly moved apart on the treated area, and then shifted again.

To avoid injury, the Chihuahua must be walked on a harness.

The treated wound is tightly closed with a clean cloth soaked in a 5% alcohol solution of iodine with cold boiled water.

Care must be taken to ensure that tissue or wool does not get into the wound. An oilcloth or plastic film is applied over the fabric, which is pre-treated with 30-70% alcohol. Cotton wool is placed on top of the oilcloth. The resulting bandage is tightly bandaged, and the dog is immediately taken to the veterinary clinic, where she will be provided with qualified surgical care.

¦ DISTRUCTIONS, STRETCHING, BRUISES

If the pet is lame in the absence of external signs of damage to the limbs, it is necessary to check if he has a dislocation, sprain or bruise of the joint. The main sign of dislocation is the dog's unwillingness to step on the injured paw. At the same time, the shape of the dislocated joint is changed, because of the sharp pain, the dog squeals. If the owner has experience in the treatment of such injuries, you can try straighten the dislocated joint yourself. Otherwise, the dog must be given a painkiller and urgently taken to the nearest veterinary clinic.

Upholstered furniture in the room will protect the dog from bruises

Sprains are more common in young dogs. With this type of damage, the dog practically does not step on the diseased limb, the joint area is painful. First aid is to apply a tight bandage on the joint, you can put an ice pack on top. To reduce pain, the dog is given an analgesic drug.

Sometimes lameness is the result of a bruise. In this case, there is a painful reaction to feeling the bruised joint or bending the limb, but the joint is not deformed. To treat a bruise, a cold compress is applied and an analgesic is given to the dog.

¦ FRACTURES

Fractures are one of the most difficult types of injuries. The main cause of fractures is mechanical damage to the limbs: bruises when falling from a height and traffic accidents, sharp muscle contractions, forced release of a pinched limb, etc. There are also indirect causes that increase the possibility of a fracture: rickets, beriberi, osteomalacia, pregnancy (in case of lack of calcium in the body).

In an open fracture, sharp pieces of bone rupture the skin. Such a fracture is accompanied by bleeding.

Enmity with other pets can lead to injury

Fractures are divided into open and closed, as well as fractures with and without displacement of bone fragments; in the second case, the fracture is usually closed. If the dog is lame, feels pain on palpation of the injured limb, which has swelling, the bone outside the joint on the paw is mobile and deformed, but there is no open wound, a closed fracture can be diagnosed.

To help a dog with a closed fracture without displacement of bone fragments, a fixing splint should be placed on the limb and an analgesic given to the animal. The fixing plaster bandage should, like the temporary splint, capture the fracture zone and 2 nearest joints. In this regard, it is impossible to plaster fractures of the femur and humerus. Other methods are used to fix them. Gypsum is removed on the 45th, and in young dogs - on the 30th day.

An open non-displaced fracture can also be treated with a plaster cast, but a window should be left over the wound for treatment. In addition, cases of such fractures in animals are extremely rare. Basically, open fractures in Chihuahuas occur with displacement of bone fragments and require surgical treatment.

First aid for an open fracture is to stop bleeding, compensate for blood loss, and eliminate shock. The limb is fixed with a temporary splint, and the dog is taken to the veterinary clinic.

The operation for an open fracture begins with shaving the hair from the affected area, cleansing the wound from blood and dirt, treating the operating surface with alcohol and a 5% alcohol solution of iodine. Visible non-viable tissues are excised, a thorough examination of the fracture site is carried out. Free local fragments of bones are removed, which have not lost their connection with the surrounding tissues, and large fragments are left in the wound and connected in an anatomically correct way. In the treatment of broken bones that cannot be fixed, osteosynthesis is performed.

In order to fix bone fragments, intraosseous metal and biocompatible polymer pins are used, as well as Lane fixation plates and screws with wire.

In order to correctly and quickly select the desired pin, it is best to take an x-ray of the damaged area of ​​​​the bone before the operation. The width of the pin is selected based on the diameter of the narrowest part of the body of the bone, the length - depending on the size of the damaged bone and the nature of the fracture itself.

A dog with a limb injury should be taken to the veterinarian.

The osteosynthesis operation is performed under general anesthesia or local anesthesia. The dog is fixed so as to facilitate access to the damaged bone.

For example, if the bone is damaged in the upper part, the pin may not be very long and go into the lower (main) fragment by 4-6 cm. In case of low fractures, the pin must necessarily pass through almost the entire bone.

The pin is removed from the medullary canal under local anesthesia on the 35-45th day after its introduction.

To carry out the operation, the pin head is felt through the skin, the skin freed from hair is treated with a 5% alcohol solution of iodine, an incision of 2-3 cm is made, the pin head is released, inserted into it hole in the hook and remove the metal retainer by lightly tapping the hook with a hammer.

Euthanasia
Regrettably, sometimes even the most experienced veterinarian can do nothing to help a sick animal.

If death is inevitable, and the animal is suffering, the law allows euthanasia, or euthanasia. This is a rather difficult step, but sometimes it is the only way to end the suffering of a pet.

The very word "euthanasia" means "facilitating dying." It is allowed to use this method only in relation to terminally ill dogs, as well as dogs from which the owners categorically refuse, and they fail to find new owners.

Euthanasia производится и в тех случаях, когда собака проявляет необоснованную и постоянную агрессию. All other cases of euthanasia are unjustified and illegal.

The humane implementation of the euthanasia procedure involves the interruption of the functions of the main systems and organs of the dog with the mind turned off and general anesthesia. Most often, 50% barbiturates are used for euthanasia. Falling under their influence into a deep narcotic sleep, the animal dies in a few minutes due to respiratory arrest.

Before чем констатировать смерть, ветеринар обязан выждать время клинической смерти (3 мин) и произвести регистрацию отсутствия дыхания, сердечных сокращений и постоянного изменения формы зрачка при надавливании на глаз.

When deciding whether to euthanize a Chihuahua, no veterinarian has the right to advise the owner to euthanize the animal or spare its life. He is only entitled to offer euthanasia services based on one of the above factors.

The final decision is made by the owner, and here it should be remembered that, on the one hand, an unjustified interruption of a dog's life is a crime against a faithful friend, but, on the other hand, one should not subject a hopelessly ill dog to unnecessary torment.

8
Rights and obligations of a dog owner
By purchasing a Chihuahua, the owner of the dog expresses his willingness to