In Saint-Herblain, unique training to learn the first canine rescue actions

On this Monday morning, the chairs arranged in a semi-circle quickly found takers in the Civil Protection premises in Saint-Herblain, near Nantes (Loire-Atlantique). Once the group is complete, Sébastien Gaudin, the trainer, launches a tour around the table. Mathya, 41, opens the ball. “While doing my “citizen first aid” training a few months ago, I discovered that the association also offered canine first aid,” explains this digital marketing employee. “Having owned a dog named Lucky for four and a half years, I thought it would be useful to take care of him and save on veterinary costs. » In passing, she decided to take her husband on board the adventure. “€140 for both of us is a small investment. But in an emergency, we won’t have too many thinking heads to know how to react. »

Launched in 2013, the training does not aim to train apprentice veterinarians but to teach the first aid actions to provide to your four-legged companion while waiting for a consultation. Last year, 1,153 people followed it nationally. Mostly women, often linked to the animal world: dog-sitters, veterinary assistants, dog trainers… Élise, 32, is starting out in the profession. “I know that in the course of my activity, I will find myself confronted with complicated situations,” she says. So I prefer prevention rather than cure. »

Know how to observe

Impeccable in his blue and orange uniform, Sébastien grabs a stuffed toy and begins his presentation. “How do you know that a dog is not doing well? » he asks. “He moans,” replies an intern. “He’s amorphous,” adds another. Signs that you can only spot if you know your animal well. “You must therefore observe it carefully on a daily basis, palpate it regularly, smell its general odor, check the color of its mucous membranes to determine a reference behavior,” advises Sébastien.

First practical exercise: taking your pulse. The rescuer lays his foam companion on his side, then slides his hand inside his thigh. “We always count the number of pulses during a whole minute,” he insists. Be careful, a thready pulse can mean hemorrhage, in other words heavy bleeding that does not stop. It is then necessary to quickly stop the blood loss. “Before intervening, we take care to muzzle the dog. A simple strip of fabric tied around his nose does the trick,” explains Sébastien.

Francine, 54, listens attentively. “I already had to treat a wound on my Korthals griffon, injured after an attack by another dog,” she says. “Being a home nurse, I did very well, but looking back, I think I didn’t do the right thing in terms of protecting myself. » Place the pressure bandage. Kneeling at the bedside of her stuffed dog, she grabs a piece of clean cloth which she applies to the wound, continuing to compress. Then she surrounds everything with a band which she tightens with a double knot. In no time, the operation is completed.

Master the right gestures

Heatstroke, burns, suffocation, envenomation… the session continues between general explanations and practical cases. The last part addresses what to do in the event of loss of consciousness. “What do you do if your dog is unconscious but breathing?” » asks Sébastien. “I tell him ‘squeeze my paw if you hear me’,” jokes Elsa, 37, an animal fanatic since she was little. Lots of laughter in the room. Sébastien doesn’t give up. “We must place him on the right side and free his airway. »

A heavy silence sets in when the subject of cardio-respiratory arrest comes up. “It is important to anticipate this situation and question yourself,” insists the trainer. Are you starting a cardiac massage? At what point do you decide to stop it? » A dog trainer for three years, Alexandra, 36, is overwhelmed by emotion. “I’m very sensitive,” she bellows, embarrassed. All it takes is for an animal to die in a movie for me to burst into tears. » At the end of the seven hours of training, however, she feels better equipped. “I found myself confronted with stomach twists three times,” she says. I actually lost one of my dogs like that. If this were to happen again today, I know I would panic less because I have the necessary background. »