Meet Arlo, the much-loved friend of one of our staff members. He recently made the mistake of jumping onto a lit log burner. While he quickly realised the error of his ways, he ended up getting burns resulting in painful blisters on his paws. He was lame and feeling very sorry for himself. He had to come and visit the vets at the Veterinary Centre for some bandaging and pain relief.

The most common causes of burn injuries in veterinary patients are burned pads from jumping on stovetops or fires, and general burns from electric heat pads, scalding water or hot drinks and automobile mufflers.

Fur often masks the severity of burns, so it is important not to underestimate and thermal injury when it happens. Untended burns can continue to cause tissue damage for several days. Please do not delay in providing first aid care and coming to see one of our friendly vets at the Veterinary Centre.

If your pet gets burned remove the animal from the source of heat. Apply cool water to the burns by running the area under cold water and/or apply cold compresses (e.g. frozen peas or an ice pack) for at least 5 minutes. If they will allow, you can place your whole pet in a cool bath, but this is not recommended for large surface burns as it may result in shock. If possible, place a sterile, non-stick pad or a clean moist cloth over the burned area and seek veterinary attention immediately. Do not apply any ointments or creams.

Arlo is making a good recovery and hopefully he has learned his lesson that the best heat is in front of the fire and not on it.