Couple encourages animal owners to learn pet first aid

What would you do if your dog or cat was bitten by a snake?

What if your pet was cut badly, choking, had a broken leg, was having a seizure or received an electrical shock?

Hank Jackson and his wife, Farrar, of Southeastern Remote Medical Training, are in the business of making sure people know what to do to help their pets when bad things happen.

The couple conducts courses in pet first aid.

"We are not trying to take the place of a veterinarian, but we want to make sure a pet owner knows how to save a pet's life during an emergency or how to minimize a trauma after an injury. We want to make sure you can get to the veterinarian," Hank said.

"Knowing about animal first aid can really bring peace of mind to a pet owner, especially someone who is elderly and lives alone," Farrar said.

Hank said it is important to know the proper way of caring for the pet in an emergency so no excess of damage is done.

Asked who their courses are for, Hank said anyone interested in learning how to care for a hurt animal.

The Georgia couple lives in Tal

bot County. He is a special education teacher at Central Elementary/High School in Talbotton and she is a teller at Southcrest Bank in Manchester.

The classes are taught for a business started by their son, which features a variety of human safety courses.

The Jacksons are certified by the American Safety and Health Institute, and the course they teach has a seal of approval from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Classes are conducted for private groups, and the Jacksons also teach classes at PAWS Humane and the Pet Supermarket in Columbus.

Pre-registration is required for classes, but PAWS Humane and the Pet Supermarket do not handle registration. Contact can be made by email at southeasternremotemedical@gmail.com or 706-665-3207. Class schedules are posted on Facebook.

The Jacksons are sure the work they do is important. According to the American Animal Hospital Association, one out of four more pets would survive if just one pet first aid technique was applied prior to getting emergency veterinary care.

They say many trauma workers, kennel owners and dog sitters attend their classes.

"One important thing to learn is how to keep a wound from getting infected," Hank said.

There is a basic CPR class, a pet first aid and CPR class and an advanced canine first aid class.

The advanced class is particularly aimed at hikers, backpackers, wilderness campers or anyone who may have an extended time to reach a veterinarian.

"Anyone will find the classes interesting and useful," Hank said.

The fee for classes range from $35 to $120, and the Jacksons always donate a portion of the money earned to a local shelter. The class times range from 90 minutes to eight hours.

Students in the classes do hands-on training with a mannequin and stuffed animals.

In the advanced class, students can learn how to handle chemical burns, eye problems, gunshot wounds and seizures.

In the basic classes, CPR and rescue breathing are taught.

Asked about the difference between rescue breathing for person to person versus person to animal, he explained it is mouth to snout instead of mouth to mouth.

"It is serious training, but we make it fun," Hank said about the classes.

Participants can learn how to put together a pet safety kit, and each student receives a digital pet first aid manual.

"People learn the warning signs of trouble," Farrar said.

Participants can learn how to check for an animal's heartbeat, how to control bleeding, how to check for injuries to muscles and bones and how to recognize signs of shock.

The Jacksons teach how to make a muzzle, how to make ankle straps and how to make an Elizabethan collar out of household items.

The couple has pets, and they are longtime animal lovers.

Recently, Farrar found a hummingbird that was caught in a spider web. The Jacksons placed it on a table and removed the web. The bird sat in Farrar's lap for an hour then flew away.

"To be able to help an animal, it's a good feeling," Farrar said.

This story was originally published November 2, 2015 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Couple encourages animal owners to learn pet first aid ."