Dog owners have been equipped with life-saving skills to help their animals in an emergency, thanks to a district veterinary nurse.

Samantha Flavell, of Midlands-based mobile veterinary practice Dignipets, delivered the “First-aid for dogs” training session to employees of pet food company Fish4Dogs at their “dog-friendly” headquarters in Worcester.

Canine CPR

The team learned how to delver canine CPR, what to do in the case of a road traffic accident and how to apply bandages.

They also mastered tick removal and how to help a dog suffering from heat stroke, before putting their newfound skills into practice on their own dogs and a selection of toys.

Formal training

Fish4Dogs customer service advisor Jill Aston said: “While many of us are trained in human first-aid, we hadn’t had any formal training in first-aid for pets. With so many of us owning dogs and with up to 12 dogs regularly in the office, we wanted to bring our skills up with specialist input.”

Positive

Ms Flavell added: “The training session at Fish4Dogs was such a positive and life-affirming opportunity which has provided members of the team with essential skills that can be applied should the need arise.”