If you missed last week’s episode of the new CBS hit Greatest American Dog, a show that for some reason has me completed hooked, you may have seen where one of the pups in line for the title of….you guessed it Greatest American Dog was injured off camera by what may have been a stray cat or ground squirrel. Star the purebread Britany in question turned out to be ok with nothing more then a nick on her ear, but the show did manage to raise my eyebrow as to how to handle a situation in which you pet has somehow been injured.

Running straight to the animal and scooping it up in your arms may be the your first instinct and obviously an understandable one, it may not be the safest. According to the guidelines set by the American Red Cross, when you discover an animal has been hurt the first thing you need to do is approach it cautiously and look for any warning signs coming from the animal. The animal’s body language combined with the noises it makes should be a good indication as to its current state of mind. Don’t take for granted that you’ve had the animal so long it would never harm you, under a state of severe pain and alarm even the most docile of house cats will turn on their owners the second they feel endangered.

If the animal is resistant to touch or if you feel threatened, but feel something must be done use a blank to wrap the animal up so that you can take it to the local vet. Speaking of vets you may want to keep the number for a nearby after hours vet or pet hospital posted on the fridge with you other emergency numbers just in case something happens after 5:00 P.M. The most important thing though is to remember to be slow, cautious, and above all else protect yourself and your family before charging into a situation that is unknown.