Pet Owners & Pet Professionals Animal First Aid Courses

06/10/2025

Have you got your 2026 calendar yet?

13 dogs helped to build the 2026 Save Our Rescue calendar and raised over £3500 for South East Dog Rescue. The finished calendar is now available to order and makes for a fantastic gift for the dog lover in your life, or maybe just something special for yourself. All profits go to South East Dog Rescue.

Order your copy from the link in the comments

06/10/2025

https://conorkerrigan.co.uk/calendar

03/10/2025

🛑 Pet Safety Reminder: Household Hazards 🛑

We’ve recently received several serious calls recently about pets gaining access to medications and household products.

Here are some simple tips to help keep your pets safe this winter:

• 💊 Store medicines and household products in their original containers, out of sight and out of reach.
• 🚪 Keep storage cupboard doors securely closed at all times.
• 🔒 Replace lids tightly after each use.
• 👜 If you carry medication in your handbag, keep it well out of your pet’s reach.
• 🧽 Clean up any spills immediately to prevent accidental licking or contact.
• 🗑️ Keep bin lids firmly closed to stop pets from scavenging.
• 🗃️ Dispose of unwanted medicines safely — ideally by returning them to your local pharmacy.

02/10/2025

After dealing with 2 mycotoxin cases this week with one dog being critical and not knowing what the outcome was I wanted to share this information. One thing everyone can do to help prevent this would be to ensure ALL food waste is disposed of correctly in bins rather than bags.

A common poisoning seen at veterinary practices is the ingestion of a mycotoxin causing mycotoxicity. This usually occurs when mouldy food or fungi (mushrooms) is ingested.

• "Mycotoxin: A toxic substance produced by fungus".
• "Mouldy: Covered with a fungal growth which causes decay, due to age or damp conditions".
• "Mycotoxicity: Toxicity due to the presence of mycotoxins".

Quite often owners start to notice their dog is twitching uncontrollably after a walk or when they have been out in the garden. Often the dog has been out of their sight, so the actual ingestion of the toxin has not been witnessed but during questioning from the veterinary team the probable cause is identified. The mycotoxin can affect cats and other animals, but it is more likely a dog will eat something it should not.

Common sources of mycotoxins that dogs may ingest:

* Mouldy bread (in the bin, in the park where people have fed the ducks or in the garden where you have fed the birds).
* Mouldy food such as pasta, bread, walnuts, peanuts, stored grain, and dairy food (in the bin or in the environment where others have thrown food away).
* Ingestion of mushrooms from the garden or while out on a walk.
* Compost Heap. Compost is a decaying matter creating a warm damp environment. If you have a compost heap it is likely you will throw old food onto it which will attract the dog to eat it, it may be unlikely a dog would choose to eat actual compost.

Symptoms of Mycotoxin Ingestion:

* Vomiting.
* Tremors/Twitching.
* Agitation.
* Drooling/hypersalivation.
* Ataxia (walking unsteadily, drunk like).
* Diarrhoea.
* Seizures.
* Tachycardia (Increased heart rate).
* Hyperthermia (Increased body temperature).

These signs can be witnessed within 1-2 hours of ingestion but may also be delayed for a number of hours.

Prompt veterinary attention must be sought as some cases of mycotoxicity can be fatal.

Treatment for Mycotoxicity:

* Intravenous Fluid Therapy.
* Medications to relax muscles and control seizures.
*In some cases an antidote may be used.
* In some cases (where the ingestion was witnessed and the animal has not yet shown clinical signs or the animal has been stabilised) the stomach contents may need to be removed by sedation and a stomach tube (Gastric Lavage).
* Activated charcoal will be fed to the dog which will help bind any remaining toxins and pass safely through the digestive tract.
* Hospitalisation until all seizures and tremors have resolved, which is usually within 48 hours but can last longer.

Most dogs make a full recovery after veterinary intervention.

01/10/2025

Yes...animal first aid is a thing and it can save your pets life! Can you really afford not attend an animal first aid course?

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.

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

Tonbridge, Kent
The Helping Paw
Sunday 19th October.
Contact: 07931469224. [email protected] or www.thehelpingpaw.setmore.com

Cliffe Woods, Rochester, Kent
Canine Kingdom
Sunday 2nd November.
Contact: [email protected] or www.caninekingdom.co.uk

Smarden, Maidstone, Kent
Snowys Canine Therapy Centre
Saturday 15th November.
Contact: 01233 434068. [email protected] or www.snowyscaninetherapycentre.co.uk

Minster, Thanet, Kent:
Enve Canine Services LTD
Sunday 30th November.
Contact : [email protected]
www.envecanineservices.co.uk/canine-first-aid-training

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

01/10/2025

MUSHROOMS!
You can't walk far before seeing a wild mushroom at the moment... but how worried should you be if your dog has a nibble?
🍄There are thousands of species of mushroom and they can be difficult to identify without expert knowledge, so follow these steps to keep your dog as safe as possible:
🍄If there is more than one mushroom, or your dog has not eaten the whole mushroom, take photos of it (including photos showing where it is growing and the underneath of the mushroom,, and if possible collect a sample.(If you handle any suspect fungi ensure you wash your hands.)
🍄Contact your vet and arrange to take your dog to them as soon as possible. Take any photos and samples with you
🍄Your vet should then call VPIS on our membership line for veterinary professionals. We will give them detailed instructions on the information needed by our expert mycologists for identification of the mushroom and also advise on the best treatment plan.

Initial treatment and monitoring is essential until the species of mushroom has been confirmed.

28/09/2025

Where's Pongo?.

28/09/2025