As you probably learned at some point in your life, it can be dangerous to move a person with an injury. The same is true for dogs. If your pug is injured and must be moved out of harm's way or transported to a veterinary hospital, you can take steps to reduce the risk of potential injuries from moving him.

Cradle him in your arms, with the injured side away from your body.

Support his rear with one arm.

If necessary, hold the front and rear legs to prevent kicking.

If he appears to have a back, neck, or spinal injury, transport him on a firm, flat surface such as a cookie sheet (for a puppy) or a sturdy board of some kind.

On the way to the veterinarian, keep the dog as still and warm as possible. Cushion him with pillows, towels, or rolled blankets. Keeping him warm with a blanket or towel will help ward off shock.

Most emergencies are pretty obvious. Heavy bleeding, broken bones, choking, electrocution, heatstroke, and poisoning all qualify. Insect stings, deep cuts and lacerations, and animal bites might not be immediately life-threatening, but they can turn into big trouble if they're not dealt with appropriately. The following tips will help you recognize and handle most emergencies your pug might encounter.

Bleeding

No matter what kind of injury your pug has, if he's bleeding, that's what you need to deal with first. You need to put pressure on the wound and keep it there until bleeding stops. Using sterile gauze bandages (ideally) or any type of clean cloth, apply firm, consistent pressure to the wound. It may take five to ten minutes for bleeding to stop completely. Tourniquets can do more harm than good, so use them only as a last resort.

Broken Bones

Assume that a bone is broken if your pug can't stand on a leg, if a bone is protruding through the skin, or if the dog can't move — which may indicate a spinal injury. Stabilize the dog and then get immediate veterinary care. A compound fracture is one in which the bone sticks out through the skin. If the break has caused an open wound, cover it with sterile gauze pads or a clean cloth, wrapping the cover loosely with a bandage to keep it on. Don't try to set a broken leg. It's most important to keep the dog warm and get him to a veterinarian quickly. Broken bones take eight to twelve weeks to heal.

Choking

Pawing at the mouth, gagging or retching, or having difficulty breathing are all signs of choking. If coughing doesn't dislodge the object and your pug is conscious, get him to the veterinarian to have it removed. Trying to get your fingers around it to pull it out can push it farther into the throat.

If your pug loses consciousness because he can't breathe, lay him on his side, open his mouth, pull his tongue forward, and sweep your fingers through the mouth to see if you can grasp the object and remove it. If you're successful, perform rescue breathing or CPR as needed. If the object doesn't come out easily, move on to the Heimlich maneuver. To perform the Heimlich maneuver, hold your pug upside down in your lap with his back against your chest and your arms around his waist. With your hands at the dog's upper midabdomen (just behind the last rib), make a fist with one hand and grasp it with the other hand. Quickly thrust up and in with the fist four or five times. This forces a burst of air through the larynx, which should dislodge the object. Keep in mind that you are doing this on a very small animal. There is no need to use as much force as you would on a human.

If the Heimlich maneuver doesn't work, try holding the dog's hind legs in the air and thumping his back between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. When the object is dislodged, perform rescue breathing or CPR as needed. Take the dog to the veterinarian for an exam to make sure he's okay.

Deep Cuts or Lacerations

First, stop the bleeding. Then clean the area around the wound with povidone iodine or chlorhexidine to reduce the risk of tetanus or other infection. Don't touch the wound with either product, as they can sting and irritate the skin. Then flush the wound with tap water until it looks clean. Don't rub the wound with anything, not even a gauze pad, or you could start the bleeding again. A gaping wound or a cut that's more than half-an-inch long should be closed with stitches.

Electrocution

If you find your pug unconscious near an electrical outlet, don't touch him. Shut off the main power, then pull the plug. Administer rescue breathing or CPR as needed. If CPR is effective, take the dog to the veterinarian as soon as possible for further treatment. A dog that is shocked but doesn't lose consciousness may cough, have difficulty breathing, drool, or have a strange odor in the mouth from electrical burns. Take him to the veterinarian.

Heat Stroke

Too much activity on a hot day, or too much heat at all, being left in a car on a hot day — even with the windows rolled down — or going without shade or water on a hot day, especially on a concrete or asphalt surface, are all causes of heat stroke. Pugs are not outdoor dogs and must stay in air-conditioned comfort on hot days. Signs of heat stroke are heavy panting and difficulty breathing. The tongue and mucous membranes look bright red. Your pug may drool thick saliva or start vomiting. His body temperature can climb to 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If left untreated, he'll go into shock, collapse, and die.

At the first signs of heat stroke, move your pug into an airconditioned area and take his temperature. If it's above 104 degrees Fahrenheit, begin cooling him by immersing him in cool water for up to two minutes. You can also place the wet dog in front of a fan to help lower his temperature. Take his temperature every ten minutes. When it falls below 103 degrees Fahrenheit, you can stop cooling the dog and dry him off. Take your pug to the veterinarian as soon as possible after heat stroke. It's associated with breathing problems, seizures, and other serious conditions, which can develop hours after the dog has seemingly recovered.

Hypothermia and Frostbite

Pugs aren't any more suited to cold weather than they are to hot. If exposed to extreme cold, they can develop hypothermia (excessively low body temperature) or frostbite, which occurs when a part of the body — usually an extremity such as a paw or ear — freezes. Frostbite often accompanies hypothermia.

Signs of hypothermia include shivering, lethargy, and a body temperature below 95 degrees Fahrenheit (remember that a dog's normal temperature range is 100 to 102.5). To treat hypothermia, warm the dog by wrapping him in blankets. Dry a wet dog thoroughly. Take the dog to the veterinarian if his temperature is below 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Suspect frostbite if your pug's skin looks pale white or blue. Apply warm compresses to the frostbitten area until the tissue begins to regain color. Take the dog to the veterinarian as soon as possible.

Insect Bites and Stings

Allergic reactions to stings or bites can include hives (raised circular areas on the skin), swelling, rashes, itching, and watery eyes. A bite or sting on the face or neck of a pug can cause dangerous swelling that closes off the dog's airway. Anaphylactic shock is a system-wide reaction characterized by agitation, diarrhea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and collapse. Any time your pug has these signs, rush him to the veterinarian.

Minor reactions such as a rash or itching can be treated with calamine lotion or a paste made of baking soda and water. A topical steroid can reduce swelling, and ice packs help reduce pain and swelling.

Poisoning

Snail bait, putrefying animals, garbage, medications, rodent poisons, antifreeze, plants, and insecticides are all sources that can poison your pug. Sometimes even your best efforts at pug-proofing your home fail. If you see your pug eat something that you know or suspect is toxic, check the ingredients. Look on the label or call the National Animal Poison Control Center (see Appendix A).

Depending on the substance, you may be advised by your veterinarian or a poison control center to induce vomiting by giving the dog hydrogen peroxide. The usual dose is one teaspoon for every ten pounds the dog weighs. Give the appropriate amount every twenty minutes, up to three times, until the dog throws up. After he vomits, give a five-gram tablet of compressed activated charcoal (you may want to keep this handy in your first-aid kit). The activated charcoal prevents absorption of any remaining poison in the dog's stomach. Take your dog to the veterinarian for further treatment.

Signs of poisoning may not become apparent for several days. Suspect poisoning if your pug is weak or shows signs of internal bleeding such as nosebleeds or bleeding from the mouth or rectum. Take him to the veterinarian immediately. If you suspect what the poison might be, bring the packaging with you.

Common Poisons

Poison	Symptoms	What to Do
Antifreeze	Depression, vomiting, seizures, stumbling as if drunk.	Take to veterinarian immediately.
Bacterial	Stomachache, bad breath, vomiting, and diarrhea.	Take to veterinarian immediately.
Contact poisons	Absorbed through skin by coming into contact with toxin.	Flush with water for thirty minutes. Bathe dog to ensure he does not ingest poison orally.

Puncture Wounds and Animal Bites

Puncture wounds are caused by sharp, pointed objects such as nails, barbed wire, or jagged pieces of wood. Bite wounds are serious because they're chock-full of bacteria from the other animal's mouth. Treat bite and puncture wounds the same way. First, stop any bleeding. Then thoroughly clean the injured area with povidone iodine or chlorhexidine. If a bite is severe, your pug may need stitches. A course of antibiotics can help ward off any infections. Signs of wound infection are swelling, redness, heat, and pain. If you suspect that the animal that bit your pug was rabid, notify your veterinarian immediately.