Pet Owners & Pet Professionals Animal First Aid Courses

12/09/2025

This time next week will almost be time for Paws in the Park. Its a fantastic event and one Pet Owners First Aid is attending with a stand.

Come and say hello.
Learn about how first aid can help your dog.
Find out about the courses and the Paws in the Park course discount available.
Have your dogs microchip checked.
Take a look at the first aid kits and other products designed to help you dog in first aid situations.
And...Most Importantly...A treat will be waiting for your dog.

08/09/2025

Did you know you can host your own animal (cat& dog or cat or dog)first aid course?

This is often a more cost effective way to attend a course for a group of people, business or club and you can chose a venue, date and times that suit you.

This can be a productive fun way to learn essential first aid for your pets or thise within your care.

I have a few dates left this year and am starting to take bookings for next year.

If you wanted to host an event:
• You provide the venue and refreshments; I come along and deliver the course.
• The venue can be your premises or elsewhere, it just needs to have a blank wall for me to project the power point presentation, at least one table and plug sockets.
• You will be responsible for refreshments, the organisation and payment of the venue.
• Delegates are invited by yourself and will pay you directly at a fee you feel is appropriate.
• “Pet Owners First Aid” can help with advertisement of the event if applicable.
• You pay “Pet Owners First Aid” an agreed fee prior to delivery of the course.
• “Pet Owners First Aid” is more than happy to assist you organise events in any way possible.

Why would you want to host a course?
• Provide confidence to owners of animals within your care
• Increase business profile
• Improve client engagement
• If priced accordingly a profit can be made or monies raised for charity.

What is included within a course organised by “Pet Owners First Aid”?
• A relaxed interactive event with practical sessions on CPCR and bandaging.
• Small groups to allow a more personal approach.
• First aid manual (RRP £5).
• A link to the dog nose to tail examination webinar (RRP £10)
• Supporting literature.
• 4 or 6 hours CPD.
• A certificate of attendance.
• Animal specific First Aid Kits are available for purchase.

Pet Owners First Aid delivers certified (CPDUK) accredited (AMTRA & CHA) animal (cat & dog) first aid courses which meet NARCH requirements and ICH CPD criteria. The course is aimed at pet owners, groomers, dog walkers, boarders, pet sitters, hydrotherapists and anyone who is working as a pet professional or wants to.

If you host a course, I would charge you an agreed price per attendee.

The first 50 miles of travel are included in the cost, above this the mileage rate is 45p per mile. I am based in Rainham, Kent.

I am flexible and mobile so can adapt easily to most course requirements; We will decide on a mutually agreeable date and you choose the timings of the event.

Contact Information:
Kerry Stubbs RVN CertVNECC MBVNA
Phone; 07395834735
E-mail: [email protected]

06/09/2025

The up to date list of animal (cat & dog) courses 2025.

Course Dates
Wednesday 22nd October
Wednesday 3rd December
Venue:
Gillingham Golf Club, Gillingham, Kent. ME7 2AP

Course Times:
Arrive 9-9.15am
Start 9.15am
Finish 3.30pm

Course Fee:
Classroom course: £65 (Book more than one person and pay £60 each).

Hosted Events
The courses below are organised by independent businesses/groups, Pet Owners First Aid travels to the venues to deliver the course. Contact the host directly for more information, cost and to book.

Minster, Thanet, Kent:
Enve Canine Services LTD
Sunday 28th September.
Contact: [email protected]
//www.envecanineservices.co.uk/canine-first-aid-training/

Newbury, Hampshire:
Aquatic Canine Therapy-ACT Now
Saturday 18th October
Contact: [email protected]

Course Information
Who are Pet Owners First Aid?
I am qualified registered experienced veterinary nurse who is still practising in local veterinary surgeries and gained the certificate in emergency and Critical Care a few years ago. I started running animal first aid courses to enable pet owners and pet professionals to be able to do the very best they can for their pets or animals within their care in that vital time between an illness or injury occurring and reaching the veterinary surgery because, in some cases, that can mean the difference between life and death.
Kerry Stubbs RVN CertVNECC MBVNA

What about the course?
A Fully Accredited and certified animal first aid course (cats and dogs) directed at pet owners and pet professionals i.e. hydrotherapists, physiotherapists, dog groomers, dog walkers, boarders and anyone working within the domestic pet industry.

The course is certified by CPD UK (offering 6 hours CPD) and accredited by AMTRA (offering 14 points) and Canine Hydrotherapy Association (refresher first aid courses offering 6 hours CPD), meets NARCH requirements and ICH CPD criteria.

In a relaxed environment you will learn how to deal with a wide variety of scenarios that can affect animals within your care.

Course Overview

Module 1:
What are the different categories of emergency?
What is normal for your pet and how to recognise when something is wrong.
What is shock?
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Inc. practical demonstration.
Near Drowning.

Module 2:
What to do if your pet is choking.
How to manage dog fights and injuries.
Heatstroke.
Seizures.
Wounds & Bleeds Inc. practical bandaging.

Module 3:
Intoxications.
Road Traffic Accidents Inc. how to transport your pet.
Bites & Stings.
Electrocution & Burns.
What you can do to be prepared.

What is included in the course?
• A certificate of attendance.
• 6 hours CPD & 14 AMTRA points.
• Link to the Nose to Tail webinar (RRP £10).
• First Aid Manual (RRP £5)
• Background information pack
• Tea & Coffee

For more information contact:
Phone: 07395 834735
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.petownersfirstaid.co.uk

25/08/2025

The up to date list of animal (cat & dog) courses 2025.

Course Dates
Wednesday 22nd October
Wednesday 3rd December

Venue:
Gillingham Golf Club, Gillingham, Kent. ME7 2AP

Course Times:
Arrive 9-9.15am
Start 9.15am
Finish 3.30pm

Course Fee:
Classroom course: £65 (Book more than one person and pay £60 each).

Online course delivered via Teams
A one off 4 hour course will be delivered live via Teams on Sunday 19th October.
Course Times:
Start: 9am
Finish: 1.30pm.
Course Fee: £50

Hosted Events
The courses below are organised by independent businesses/groups, Pet Owners First Aid travels to the venues to deliver the course. Contact the host directly for more information, cost and to book.

Minster, Thanet, Kent:
Enve Canine Services LTD
Sunday 28th September.
Contact: [email protected]
//www.envecanineservices.co.uk/canine-first-aid-training/

Newbury, Hampshire:
Aquatic Canine Therapy-ACT Now
Saturday 18th October
Contact: [email protected]

Course Information

Who are Pet Owners First Aid?

I am qualified registered experienced veterinary nurse who is still practising in local veterinary surgeries and gained the certificate in emergency and Critical Care a few years ago. I started running animal first aid courses to enable pet owners and pet professionals to be able to do the very best they can for their pets or animals within their care in that vital time between an illness or injury occurring and reaching the veterinary surgery because, in some cases, that can mean the difference between life and death.

Kerry Stubbs RVN CertVNECC MBVNA

What about the course?
A Fully Accredited and certified animal first aid course (cats and dogs) directed at pet owners and pet professionals i.e. hydrotherapists, physiotherapists, dog groomers, dog walkers, boarders and anyone working within the domestic pet industry.

The course is certified by CPD UK (offering 6 hours CPD) and accredited by AMTRA (offering 14 points) and Canine Hydrotherapy Association (refresher first aid courses offering 6 hours CPD), meets NARCH requirements and ICH CPD criteria.
In a relaxed environment you will learn how to deal with a wide variety of scenarios that can affect animals within your care.

Course Overview

Module 1:
What are the different categories of emergency?
What is normal for your pet and how to recognise when something is wrong.
What is shock?
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Inc. practical demonstration.
Near Drowning.

Module 2:
What to do if your pet is choking.
How to manage dog fights and injuries.
Heatstroke.
Seizures.
Wounds & Bleeds Inc. practical bandaging.

Module 3:
Intoxications.
Road Traffic Accidents Inc. how to transport your pet.
Bites & Stings.
Electrocution & Burns.
What you can do to be prepared.

What is included in the course?

• A certificate of attendance.
• 6 hours CPD & 14 AMTRA points.
• Link to the Nose to Tail webinar (RRP £10).
• First Aid Manual (RRP £5)
• Background information pack
• Tea & Coffee

For more information contact:
Phone: 07395 834735
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.petownersfirstaid.co.uk

23/08/2025

23/08/2025

Fleas
Although a year-round problem due to the fact we live in nice warm houses with carpets, central heating etc… fleas do make more of an appearance during the summer months as the warm weather provides them with their ideal environment.

To be able to treat a flea infestation it is vital to understand the flea lifecycle, it is not just a case of killing the adult flea, all stages of the lifecycle must be addressed.
The most common flea found in domesticated animals is the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis).

The Flea Lifecycle:

• Newly emerged fleas will head towards the light and a host; they will start feeding on the hosts blood within minutes and mate after 8 hours. The adult flea rarely moves form host to host and can stay on the animal for up to 4 months feeding and reproducing.
• Within 24 hours of being on the animal and after a blood meal the adult female flea will start to lay eggs (40-50 eggs per day, 1500 in a lifetime).
• The eggs fall into the environment; they do not stay on the animal.
• The larvae hatch from the eggs in 1-6 days.
• The larvae are negative phototaxic, they will move away from any light preferring to hide/burrow in dark cracks, crevices, under furniture and in carpets.
• The larvae must feed on flea dirt (contains dried blood) to develop, they also consume other organic debris including tapeworm eggs.
• The tapeworm develops within the flea, when animals groom themselves, they inadvertently swallow the infected adult flea.
• Depending on the environmental conditions the larvae will spin a cocoon/pupate within 10-20 days.
• Adult fleas can emerge from the pupae in 20 days or up to 2 years depending on environmental conditions.
• Optimal temperatures for fleas are 21-29⁰C.
• At optimal temperatures, the flea lifecycle can be complete in as little as 12-22 days.

Percentage of flea infestation in the home:

• Adult flea: 5%
• Egg: 50%
• Larvae: 35%
• Pupae: 10%

Flea control is based on:

• Killing the adult flea before it can lay eggs.
• Treating the environment with the correct insecticides, insect growth regulators, hot washing bedding (fleas cannot survive above 56⁰C, a 60⁰C wash is recommended) and daily vacuuming.
• Using a combination of methods.

Why might the flea control I am using not seem to be working?

• It is vital to use effective products, speak to your vet for advice on this, there are many products available which do not address all areas of the flea lifecycle and therefore will be limited in their efficacy.
• Although there is no published data, some flea products may not be as effective as they used to be due to the flea building up a resistance to the active ingredient.
• Are you following the manufactures instructions to the letter? It is particularly important to do this for the product to work on all stages of the flea lifecycle.
• Are you treating all the pets in the household?
• Are you treating on a regular basis as per product instructions?
• Are you bathing your pet before or after you have applied a spot-on treatment? Check the datasheet to see when you can and cannot do this as you might inadvertently be washing off the product or creating an environment where it cannot stay on the skin.
• Do you have other visiting pets in the home that may be bringing a fresh flea supply with them?
• If you are doing everything correctly and still have a problem there is a small chance the infestation is not with cat fleas, you will need to speak to your vet regarding this. If it is a rabbit flea it is unlikely to infest a home as it needs a rabbit hormone to reproduce.
• Be aware it can take up to 3 months to successfully treat a flea infestation, sometimes even longer.

What else can I do?

• Put a flea collar in the hoover bag to kill any adult fleas that are sucked up, otherwise they will hop back out again.
• You will need to treat all areas in the house, not just the ones the pet has access to, eggs and larvae can be transported by you, not just your pet.
• Frequent hoovering will help eliminate eggs and larvae but not the pupae as it is very tough and has a sticky outer coating which anchors it to fibres etc… within the environment.
• Wash pet toys, bedding, soft furnishings in a hot soapy wash.
• Treat the car as well if your pet spends time in there.

Written by K. Stubbs RVN CertVNECC MBVNA

References
https://www.vettimes.co.uk/article/fleas-three-cases-of-control-breakdown-and-how-to-rectify-it-cpdparasitology/
https://mypetandi.elanco.com/en_gb/parasites/fleas/the-flea-life-cycle-and-how-to-break-it
https://www.petmd.com/dog/parasites/evr_multi_understanding_the_flea_life_cycle
https://www.theveterinarynurse.com/review/article/flea-infestations-epidemiology-treatment-and-control

22/08/2025

Pet Owners First aid will be there. Make sure you come and say hello.

Need more barks in your inbox? Sign-up here: Welcome to Paws in the Park Paws in the Park are Britain’s favorite fun dog shows, with lots of have-a-go dog games and activities to try from flyball, agility, cani-cross and gundog scurries. Win super

21/08/2025

You can use this online form to report a problem you're experiencing with dogs in , which includes:

💩 Dog Fouling
🐾 Stray Dogs
⚠️ Dangerous Dogs
🐕 Dogs off of Leads
🔎 Missing Dogs
💔 Mistreated Dogs

You can also find information on Barking, where to get bags and the Yellow Dog UK Campaign 💛

https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200140/environment/380/report_a_problem_with_dogs

21/08/2025

Flystrike or myiasis can happen in any animal but is most seen in pet rabbits. It is caused by flies (usually blue and green bottles) laying their eggs on the animal, the eggs hatch into the larvae form (maggot) which feed on the animals’ skin and tissues.

Flies want their eggs to incubate in a warm damp smelly environment and a rabbit’s rear end (above and/or below the tail) can provide everything required to enable the eggs to hatch and the larvae to feed.

There are many reasons why rabbits can provide the perfect environment and unfortunately most are due to owner neglect or lack of knowledge…. BUT this is not always the case, sometimes even very well cared for rabbits with vigilant owners suffer from flystrike.

Poor Diet:
• Soft faeces/diarrhoea will become stuck to the fur.
• Obesity will prevent rabbits from cleaning themselves effectively.
• Being overweight could lead to arthritis and the rabbit being unable to lift its rear end up enough off the ground when passing urine and faeces leading to them soaking/sticking to the fur.

Wounds and Sores:
•Urine-soaked fur will cause urine scalding which will eventually breakdown into open sores on the skin if not dealt with promptly.
• Flies are attracted to the smell of blood and want to lay eggs in areas of broken skin.

Bad Husbandry:
• Dirty smelly hutches will attract flies.
• The damp dirty bedding can attach itself to the rabbits’ fur.

Dental Disease/malocclusion:
• If your rabbit’s mouth is painful, it will not want to or possibly be able to clean itself effectively.

Time of the year:
• Warm weather will bring out the flies and therefore the increase the risk of flystrike occurring, but it can happen at any time of the year.

Taking measures to prevent flystrike occurring is important, it can take only a few hours for rabbits to go into shock and die once the larvae has hatched and has started to eat; maggots can do a lot of damage in a short space of time.

1. During the warm weather check your rabbits bum and environment twice a day.
2. Clean any dirty areas on the rabbit thoroughly.
3. Clean out your rabbits’ hutch regularly, this could mean once a day during the warm weather.
4. Feed a good quality complete diet to help prevent soft faeces and obesity.
5. If your rabbit is overweight speak to your veterinary team regarding a weight loss program.
6. If your rabbit has wounds or sores seek veterinary advice and ensure they are kept clean and dry.
7. Regular veterinary check ups are advised to make sure your rabbits’ teeth are not over growing and monitor for signs of arthritis.
8. Regular weight checks will help detect gradual weight gain and help prevent obesity.
9. Provide ample space for your rabbit to exercise and move around.
10. Speak to your veterinary staff about products available to help repel flies.

Fly eggs look like tiny off-white thin grains of rice in the animals’ fur, if you see any the best way to get rid of them is by using a very fine-toothed comb. There will be a lot of them, this can take a long time. After combing you may want to bathe the rabbit ensuring you dry it thoroughly afterwards as if left damp you will be creating another perfect environment for the flies. The fly eggs will not cause damage but if left the maggots will hatch.

Maggots start off small but as they eat, they grow very quickly and can reach lengths of 6-10mm. The smaller they are when you find them the better as they may not have caused too much damage to the rabbits’ skin and tissues. You can start to try to remove maggots with tweezers to try to prevent further mutilation, but a lot of people are squeamish and just cannot bear to do this. Bathing would be the next course of action but when your rabbit gets to the vets it will most likely need to be shaved, it is almost impossible to shave wet fur so it may be advised not to bathe the rabbit at home. Prompt veterinary care is essential; this is not something that can be left for a few hours as this time may be the difference between life and death for your pet. Unfortunately, maggots can cause more damage than what you may first see, and I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to treat promptly.

Treatment at the veterinary surgery will include:

• Removing all the maggots, usually by shaving the fur and bathing.
• Treating the wounds as per severity.
• Medications including pain relief, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, gut protectants and gut motility drugs, topical preparations for the wounds may be prescribed.
• Intravenous fluid therapy may be necessary if the rabbit has gone into shock.
• Closely monitored feeding regime.

Due to the delicate nature of rabbits some just do not cope with the stress of the treatment required and will die despite receiving the best care. For some too much damage has been caused prior to flystrike being detected and euthanasia may be recommended, the treatment and nursing care required is very intense and could be outside of owners’ financial capabilities.

It is important to remember that flystrike can occur in any animal it is just more common in rabbits due to their high maintenance needs as pets. Any animal with a wound that cannot move itself or clean itself is at risk. Incontinent animals that are overweight or arthritic and therefore may lay in their own urine or faeces especially the ones that are particularly furry are high risk. Examples I have seen are old arthritic German shepherds who have soiled themselves and cats who have been hit by cars with open wounds and have run away and hid.

Prevention is better than cure and early detection could greatly improve any animals’ outcome if affected by flystrike.

19/08/2025

18/08/2025

The bank holiday is almost upon us, and it is really important to remember to check your pet’s medication and re-order if you are getting near to the end of the supply.

• Your vet may be closed for a few days as well as the wholesale companies that supply them. This means if you run out of medication it may take a bit longer for it to be back in stock at your veterinary surgery.
• There are the out of hours veterinary providers, but they may not have the kind of medication your pet needs due to it not being a drug used in an emergency. For Example, the insulin used to treat a diagnosed diabetic animal is a different kind to the one used to treat a diabetic emergency.
• If the out of hours provider is an external company, they will not have access to your pets’ clinical history and will not be able to dispense the medication without a consultation.
• Due to out of hours surgeries not keeping large amounts of stock all medication is more expensive as the companies can’t take advantage of large order discounts.

Make sure you order any medication well in advance of the bank holiday. Do not leave it until the last day your vet is open as they may need to order it from their wholesaler.

17/08/2025

Congratulations to those that attended Canine First Aid training today with Kerry of Pet Owners & Pet Professionals Animal First Aid Courses. A group comprising pet owners, representatives of a dog charity, a dog trainer/walker and a kennel owner/workers. A mix of skills and experience in the room all ensuring they are up to date with their first aid training should an emergency present itself.

It’s a course you won’t regret taking. One of our instructors put the skills she learnt to good use this summer successfully performing CPR on a dog with heatstroke (not at one of our classes I will clarify!), something she wouldn’t have known how to do without the canine first aid training.

We have one remaining session booked for 2025 at Minster on 28th September. Spaces still available, please get in touch to book 🐾