The initial Pet First Aid certification class at Bridgeville Public Library, June 2011.

Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation sponsored a four hour pet first aid certification class at the newly constructed Bridgeville Public Library during the library’s Grand Opening weekend in June, taught by Karen Sable of Pet Emergency Training, LLC.

Although there is usually a charge for attending the classes, Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation offered these sessions free of charge in an attempt to offer families the skills that they may need to save the life of their dear pet.

“It is difficult when we lose a pet who has lived a full and long life, but it is practically impossible to say goodbye when the pet is only a few years old. The grief is palpable in these situations, with families saying they had such plans for the life cut drastically short.”

And not just considering household emergencies, but with the number of weather related problems during the past several years (floods, tornadoes and large snowfalls with power outages), the western Pennsylvania area has not been spared the impact these conditions can have on our beloved pets.

The four hour class covered injury assessment, rescue breathing, canine and feline CPR, bleeding protocols, choking management, heat and cold injuries, bites and stings, seizures, poisoning, fractures and limb injuries, and the creation of a home pet first aid kit. Participants received lecture presentations as well as extensive demonstration on stuffed animals and hands on skills practice as well as training materials, a first aid handbook, Certificate of Completion and wallet card.

Because some interested people may not have had the full five hours to devote to learning pet first aid but still wanted basic information, Deb and Karen decided to offer an introductory class.

The 90-minute introductory classes touched on some of the more common situations that might be encountered such as choking, a demonstration of CPR for cats and different breeds of dogs, heat stroke/heat stress/safety precautions about hot weather, plus disaster preparedness including what you need to have on hand in case of a disaster.

Both classes help families be prepared for weather emergencies and natural disasters.

The very first class in Bridgeville was followed up with 90-minute introductory classes in Carnegie, Robinson Township, Mt. Lebanon and Bethel Park. The classes were very popular and attendance increased from 14 at the first certification class to nearly 30 at the introductory classes.

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