Lourdes del Rio-Valdes, communications associate for the Red Cross in Greater Los Angeles, said that since they started the classes three years ago, they have had feedback from grateful graduates. One man came home to find his cat stretched on the floor. He was able to stabilize the cat on a makeshift stretcher to transport him to the hospital, where the cat recovered, Del Rio-Valdes said. Another student, whose Rottweiler was choking on a piece of dry kibble, successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver on her dog. She had learned how to do it in the first aid class.
Some accidents happen outside the home.
Cornett said the most common emergency at Oradell was pets being hit by cars. As a police officer, Luthcke often gets called to the scene of such an accident. In those cases we can go to the scene, but we can t transport the animals to a hospital, Luthcke said. She said, depending on the town, police will call animal control or the local shelter. Often they are on other calls and cannot get to the animal right away.