Pet Owners & Pet Professionals Animal First Aid Courses

30/10/2025

Can you really afford not to attend an animal first aid course?

On the Pet Owners First Aid course you will learn how to perform emergency, life saving first aid, how to recognise early if your pet is unwell, why we do what we do...not just the how and much much more. The course has been written by and is delivered by an experienced, qualified, Registered Veterinary Nurse with a certificate in Emergency & Critical Care.

This is a Fully Accredited and Certified animal first aid course (cats and dogs) directed at pet owners and pet professionals i.e. hydrotherapists, physiotherapists, dog groomers, dog walkers, boarders, SVNs, ACAs, VCAs and anyone working within the domestic pet industry.

The course is certified by CPD UK (offering 6 hours CPD) and accredited by AMTRA (offering 14 points) and Canine Hydrotherapy Association (refresher first aid courses offering 6 hours CPD), meets NARCH requirements and ICH CPD criteria.

Course Dates:

2025:
Wednesday 3rd December

2026:
Wednesday 18th February
Sunday 12th April
Wednesday 13th May
Wednesday 10th June (CAT ONLY COURSE)
Wednesday 22nd July
Thursday 15th October
Wednesday 2nd December

Venue:
Gillingham Golf Club, Gillingham, Kent. ME7 2AP

Course Times:
Arrive 9-9.15am
Start 9.15am
Finish 3.30pm

Course Fee:
Classroom course: £65 (Book more than one person and pay £60 each).

Hosted Events:

The courses below are organised by independent businesses/groups, Pet Owners First Aid travels to the venues to deliver the course. Contact the host directly for more information, cost and to book.

Cliffe Woods, Rochester, Kent
Canine Kingdom
Sunday 2nd November.
Contact: info@caninekingdom.co.uk or www.caninekingdom.co.uk

Smarden, Maidstone, Kent
Snowys Canine Therapy Centre
Saturday 15th November.
Contact: 01233 434068. info@snowyscaninetherapycentre.co.uk or www.snowyscaninetherapycentre.co.uk

Boughton Mon Chelsea, Maidstone, Kent.
Chief Glen K9 Training.
Sunday 23rd November
Contact: 01622 749740 chiefglentraining@outlook.com

Minster, Thanet, Kent:
Enve Canine Services LTD
Sunday 30th November.
Contact : envecanineservices@gmail.com
www.envecanineservices.co.uk/canine-first-aid-training

If you were thinking of hosting your own course bookings are being made now for 2026, please be aware weekend dates go quickly booking helps to avoid disappointment.

Course Overview
Module 1:
What are the different categories of emergency?
What is normal for your pet and how to recognise when something is wrong.
What is shock?
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Inc. practical demonstration.
Near Drowning.

Module 2:
What to do if your pet is choking.
How to manage dog fights and injuries.
Heatstroke.
Seizures.
Wounds & Bleeds Inc. practical bandaging.

Module 3:
Intoxications.
Road Traffic Accidents Inc. how to transport your pet.
Bites & Stings.
Electrocution & Burns.
What you can do to be prepared.

What is included in the course?

• A certificate of attendance.
• 6 hours CPD & 14 AMTRA points.
• Link to the Nose to Tail webinar (RRP £10).
• First Aid Manual (RRP £5)
• Background information pack
• Tea & Coffee

All course dates and more information about how Pet Owners First Aid can help you and your pet can be found on the website: petownersfirstaid.co.uk

For more information contact:
Phone: 07395 834735
E-mail: info@petownersfirstaid.co.uk
Website: www.petownersfirstaid.co.uk

26/10/2025

🎃 Halloween Pet Safety Alert! 🎃

As we head into Halloween, it's important to be mindful of common toxins that can pose risks to our pets. Here are a few to watch out for:

🌟 Glow sticks
Contain a chemical called dibutyl phthalate, which has an unpleasant taste and can cause drooling, vomiting, and skin irritation if ingested or broken open.

🍫 Chocolate
Contains theobromine, which can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, elevated heart rate, tremors, and even seizures. The darker the chocolate, the more toxic it is to pets.

🍇 Raisins
Contain tartaric acid, which can cause acute kidney injury — even small amounts can be dangerous for dogs.

🍬 Chewing gum
Often contains xylitol, a sugar substitute that can trigger a dangerous drop in blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and potentially liver failure.

🎃 Pumpkins
While plain, cooked pumpkin is safe in moderation, ingesting raw or moldy pumpkins can cause gastrointestinal upset or expose pets to tremorgenic mycotoxins, which may lead to tremors or seizures.

🕯️ Candles
Not toxic, but if swallowed, they can cause a gastrointestinal obstruction, and hot wax can lead to burns.

🐾 Tip: Keep Halloween treats and decorations out of your pet’s reach, and contact your vet immediately if you suspect they've eaten something they shouldn’t have.

Stay safe and spooky! 👻🐶🐱

25/10/2025

What a fantastic day at Lady Paws Dog Event at The Lion, Luddesdown which raised money for Large Breed Dog Rescue.
Here are some of the lovely dogs I met today.

24/10/2025

Meet Crespo!😍

Crespo is a three year old Labrador. He belongs to Emily, one of our Information Scientists.
This picture shows Crespo receiving treatment at the vet after he snaffled a sandwich containing raisins from a picnic bench at a cafe! The vet safely induced vomiting before giving further treatment.

Crespo would like to remind you all that vomiting should only be induced under veterinary supervision. It is not safe for owners to attempt to make their pets vomit at home.
Induction of vomiting is not always necessary and may be dangerous, especially using household items.

📞If you are concerned your pet has ingested a harmful substance, call the Animal PoisonLine for advice on 01202 509000. Vets should call the VPIS member's line on 020 7305 5055 📞

23/10/2025

And this is why I do what I do, very proud of you Jackie.

Please, please if you haven't considered a Pet First Aid Course before do it now.

Over the last few years Shampaws has hosted a fair few First Aid Courses but I never expected to be actually putting that training to the test. On Tuesday evening my Lacey choked on a chew. She has had these types of chew lots of times before with no problems, however a random freak accident put my training to the test. Everything was fine until she let out a scream and collapsed in front of me. At first I wondered what the hell she had done but she was limp. I immediately picked her up and put my fingers in her mouth. I thought I could feel a bit of the chew at the back of her mouth so I turned her upside down and shook her and slapped her hard between the shoulder blades. She seemed to come round abit so I repeated it. That seemed to work and she started panting. Her gums and tongue started to pink up again and she was sitting up. I don’t know if she had stopped breathing but due to her heart and lung issues her breathing had definitely been compromised. As the chew happened come out we took her to the emergency vets to make sure that it had gone down into her stomach. Apparently when they go limp it relaxes the throat and can allow the item to pass into the stomach. As it was a round chew he thought that it had got stuck hence the scream and maybe my fingers released it enough so it passed through.

I suppose what I'm saying is because of the First Aid I immediately knew what to do, without it and if we'd panicked things may have got alot worse alot quicker. That few hours spent on the course is worth its wait in gold. What was only seconds seemed like hours. The adrenaline had kicked in so much I didn't realise that she'd actually bitten down on my fingers which were bleeding. But that didn't matter. From now on soft chews only for her.

22/10/2025

Another fantastic course at Gillingham Golf Club today...I dont like to tell tales but someone tried leaving with Vinnie the dog! Next course here is on the 3rd December, spaces are still available.

22/10/2025

At this time of year, we know many people will be tidying their sheds and garages ready for the winter months, and may decide to use rodenticides.

There are many different types of rodenticide with varying mechanisms of toxicity. Some can cause rapid onset clinical signs; for others, signs may be hours or days later. Although often brightly coloured, its not possible to identify the type of rodenticide from visual appearance.

🐭Anticoagulants - these baits interfere with blood clotting mechanism. Signs of toxicity develop 3 -5 days after ingestion and are related to bleeding problems. There are several different anticoagulants – all with different toxic doses. They are not all the same!

🐭Alphachloralose - Often coloured green and may have the word ‘rapid’ in the name. Signs of poisoning usually occur within 2 hours of ingestion, including drowsiness, disorientation, collapse, breathing difficulty, coma and convulsions. Toxic in relatively small quantities.

🐭Cholecalciferol (vitamin D) – significantly threatens dogs and cats in small quantities. Available for professional use only, brand names are Selontra® and Harmonix®. Rapidly absorbed after ingestion, and can cause a dangerous elevation in blood calcium leading to neurological signs, heart problems and kidney failure.

🐭Plant based – made from food grade plant material compressed into pellets. Over time it disrupts water absorption from the rodent digestive tract. It is of low toxicity to dogs and cats but there may be gastrointestinal upset and also a risk of obstruction.

☎️ Pet owners can call Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509 000
🤳 Veterinary professionals can call VPIS on 020 7305 5055