What to do if a dog is in shock

Dog shock is an acute circulatory insufficiency syndrome. Common causes in dogs include reduced blood volume such as bleeding, dehydration, trauma, etc.

The clinical manifestations of shock in dogs are: cold limbs of the dog, pale or purple oral mucosa, decreased blood pressure, fast and weak pulse, decreased urine output or anuria, weakness, and lethargy.

Causes of canine shock:

Canine shock is characterized by various pathogenic factors acting on the dog's body, resulting in extensive cellular hypoxia damage to various important organs. Due to extensive cell damage, the dog's important organ functions are lost and the body dies.

According to the different causes and nature of shock in dogs, it can be divided into: cardiogenic, infectious, allergic, hemorrhagic, traumatic and other shocks.

Key points for diagnosis of canine shock:

a), cardiogenic shock:

1. Blood pressure drops significantly, pulse is thin and rapid, blood pressure drops or cannot be measured, limbs and skin feel cold, bronchospasm, shortness of breath,

2. Kidney damage: Due to reduced glomerular blood flow, urine output is significantly reduced. Acute renal failure manifests as anuria.

3. Cerebral hypoxia occurs: the sick dog is irritable and restless. As the shock worsens, the expression becomes indifferent, lethargic, and even comatose.

b), infection and toxic shock:

1. The affected dog showed severe infection, chills, fever, and the body temperature could reach above 41 degrees Celsius.

2. Most affected dogs have elevated white blood cells and decreased blood pressure;

c), anaphylactic shock:

1. Based on the medication history, contact allergy history and clinical characteristics, the diagnosis was that penicillin, streptomycin, pioneer mycin, gentamicin, etc. are commonly used to induce allergies and shock in dogs. (Small ornamental dogs have a higher incidence rate)

2. Respiratory symptoms caused by laryngeal or tracheal edema and spasm: sudden difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, suffocation, irregular heart rhythm, thin and weak pulse, and drop in blood pressure;

3. Nervous system symptoms: The sick dog looks dull or irritable, the whole body is limp, or may have convulsions, incontinence of urine and feces, or coma.

4. Skin allergic reaction: rash can be seen in small white-skinned dogs.

d), hemorrhagic shock:

1. Sick dogs show signs of malaise, indifferent expression, pale mucous membranes, accelerated heartbeat, and shortness of breath;

2. If there is traumatic bleeding, a large amount of blood can be seen flowing out.

3. Visceral bleeding can draw blood out of the chest or abdominal cavity, causing the chest or abdominal circumference to increase and blood pressure to drop rapidly.

e), traumatic shock:

1. At first, the sick dog was irritable and restless, with pale mucous membranes, cold limbs and ear tips, decreased urination, and rapid heartbeat.

2. Then the spirit becomes depressed and the response is slow.blunt.

3. The skin temperature decreases, the mucous membranes are visible to be cyanotic, the blood pressure drops, the heart rate accelerates, and the breathing becomes rapid. Finally, the sick dog is comatose, unconscious, the blood pressure drops sharply, and is in a state of death.

Prevention and treatment measures for dog shock:

a), cardiogenic shock:

1. Let the dog lie still, and those with fever should actively control co-infections and use physical cooling.

2. For pain relief, morphine hydrochloride can be used, 0.11-2.2 mg, kilogram body weight, subcutaneous injection.

3. For those with vomiting, use atropine sulfate at 0.015 mg/kg for subcutaneous or intramuscular injection or metoclopramide 10 mg/time for intramuscular injection.

4. Correct acid-base imbalance, paying special attention to correcting metabolic acidosis. 10% sodium bicarbonate can be used quickly, 30-50 ml each time, intravenously.

5. For oxygen infusion and fluid replenishment, intravenous infusion of isotonic sugar saline and 10% low molecular weight dextran can be used.

6. Use adrenomimetic drugs and intravenous infusion at a dilution of 1:250 to keep the heart rate at 80-140 beats/minute.

b) Infection with toxic shock:

If a dog is infected with toxic shock, in addition to following the basic principles of shock first aid, it is important to take the following measures:

1. Eliminate primary infection lesions and kill pathogenic bacteria: Antibiotics should be selected based on clinical experience or drug sensitivity results. The dose should be larger. The initial dose can be doubled, and intravenous injection should be administered every 4 to 6 hours as much as possible. . When antibiotics are used, two or more types are usually used in combination.

2. Replenish effective circulating blood volume: Use normal saline and Ringer's solution to replenish it in time. The infusion volume for dogs of about 30 kg is 500 to 1000 ml each time.

3. Prevent microcirculatory stagnation: intravenous injection of low molecular weight dextran at 20 ml/kg body weight should be used. In addition, vasoactive drugs should be used.

4. To correct acidosis: 5% sodium bicarbonate or 5% sodium carbonate can be used. Usually 20-50 ml each time, intravenously.

5. Strengthen myocardial contractility and increase cardiac output.

6. Dealing with complications: For those who have difficulty breathing, provide oxygen in a timely manner, or perform tracheal intubation to provide oxygen. For acute renal failure, use dextran, mannitol, furosemide, etc. promptly. For disseminated intravascular coagulation, heparin sodium can be used, 10 mg each time, diluted with normal saline or 100 ml of 5% glucose and injected intravenously. Gastrointestinal bleeding, give blood transfusion.

c) Anaphylactic shock:

1. Immediately stop using or remove substances that cause allergic reactions.

2. Make the dog lie on its back and keep warm.

3. Immediately intravenously inject 1:1000 adrenaline hydrochloride 0.5&-1.0 ml. If the heartbeat suddenly stops, intracardiac injection of 1 ml of epinephrine 1:1000 is performed every week and chest compressions are performed. If the initial injection of adrenal cord is ineffective, the injection can be repeated once.

4. Keep breathing smooth and provide oxygen. If necessary, intubate the trachea for artificial respiration.

5. For intravenous injection of hormone drugs, hydrocortisone can be used, at a dosage of 1 to 2 ml/kg of body weight. Intramuscular or intravenous injection, once a day.

6. Application of anti-allergic drugs: diphenhydramine hydrochloride, which can be injected intravenously at 1.1-2.2 mg/kg body weight.

7. Replenish blood volume: intravenous infusion of 5% glucose saline or low molecular weight dextran. To prevent pulmonary edema, the rate should be slow, usually 20-30 drops per minute.

8. Streptomycin allergy: Add 10 to 20 ml of 10% calcium gluconate, inject slowly intravenously, and give it again half an hour later. Calcium has desensitization and streptomycin toxicity detoxification effects.

d) Hemorrhagic shock:

The fundamental measures to treat hemorrhagic shock in dogs are to stop the dog’s bleeding and replenish its blood volume as soon as possible.

1. Hemostasis: Hemostasis of surface injury bleeding and internal bleeding. Regardless of surface or internal bleeding, hemostatic drugs can be used, such as Anluoxue, Agrimony, Notoginseng, Baiyao, etc. However, the hemostatic effect of the drug is uncertain and can only play an auxiliary role. ,

2. Replenish blood volume: Intravenous infusion of dextran, 300-1000 ml depending on the size of the dog, or compound sodium chloride, or 300-1000 ml of 5% sodium gluconate solution. The infusion rate is proportional to the degree of blood loss.

3. Blood transfusion: For patients with severe blood loss, blood transfusion should be the main method, supplemented by other liquids. The volume and speed of blood transfusion should be adjusted according to changes in clinical manifestations.

e), traumatic shock:

1. Give analgesics: morphine hydrochloride can be used, at a dose of 0.11~2.2 mg/kg, subcutaneous injection, piperidine hydrochloride (meperidine), press 5-10 mg/kg body weight, subcutaneous or intramuscular injection.

2. Deal with the dog’s wounds in a timely manner: stop bleeding, fixate (if there is a fracture, fix it in time), debridement (clean the wound to prevent infection), and bandage.

3. Prevent and correct acidosis: 30-100 ml of 5% sodium bicarbonate, intravenous injection.

4. Rehydration: You can use dextran, and refer to the first aid measures for hemorrhagic shock for infusion treatment.

5. Blood transfusion. According to the blood loss of the dog, refer to the blood transfusion measures for hemorrhagic shock for treatment.

6. If blood and plasma cannot be transfused immediately, or the blood volume has been basically replenished but the blood pressure still cannot remain normal, the use of vasoconstrictors, such as isoprenaline, can be considered.

7. Give large amounts of antibiotics early.Cephalomycin, ampicillin, etc. can be diluted and intravenously dripped.

8. If surgery is needed, surgery should be performed on the dog as soon as possible.