Rescue emergencies: what can I do?

Scenario: You spot an injured dog or cat while on the road. You want to help but you don't know what to do.

What you can do:

In the case of injured animals, quick action often determines whether an animal will live or suffer a long, painful death. Not all animals in distress can be rescued by IRO immediately due to volunteer and transportation availability. In addition, not all animals in distress can be taken in at a given time due to the limited space and number of caretakers in the IRO Rescue Center. Whether or not the injured animal gets the help it needs to survive largely depends on you.

1. The most imporant thing is that if the animal is still in the street, move it out of harm's way so it doesn't get run over (again). IRO recommends that you cover or wrap the animal, or at least its head or face, in a towel or blanket to protect yourself from bites, or find a large piece of cardboard, gently manouver it under the animal, and slide or drag it to the side of the road. Please be extremely careful when attempting to move any injured animal, both to prevent your getting bitten or scratched and to prevent making its injuries worse. Be as gentle as you can, especially if you suspect broken bones or internal bleeding. If the animal appears to be sick and not injured, or if it acts aggressively, please use extreme caution when handling the animal as it may have rabies or another contagious disease. Wear gloves if you have any (latex rubber gloves are available at most pharmacies) as an extra precaution. Be aware that the animal may be suffering from internal injuries that are not visible from the outside. Get help from witnesses, bystanders, street vendors, security guards, etc. for help moving the animal and for traffic control while you're in the street: don't get run over yourself!

2. Try to locate the animal's owner/guardian if you can. If you can't find them, or if the guardian cannot or will not take the animal to a vet, we suggest that you take the animal to a veterinary clinic yourself. Take it to the nearest available clinic or to your own prefered vet's. Explain to the vet that this is a charity recue case and that it's not your own animal. If the animal acting in an aggressive or defensive manner it's safest just to move it out of the roadway then call the City Pound/Vet's Office and/or IRO to get the animal, otherwise please try to take it to a veterinarian. (Note: some veterinary clinics offer a shuttle transportation or "pet ambulance" service for a small extra fee, and some will even send a veterinarian and assistant on site to evaluate the animal and render first aid. These may be good options as the veterinary team will already know how to safely handle and transport the animal.)

3. Contact IRO as soon as possible. Our hotline numbers are 09275174191 (Globe) and 09325621672 (Sun). Tell us what happened, give the animal's physical description, the circumstances in which you found it, the extent of its injuries, and where the animal is located now (what vet clinic you took it to, or the exact location of the accident with landmarks: be as detailed as possible so we can find it). Also please give us your name and cell number in case we need to contact you for more information.

4. If you are unable to get the animal to a vet yourself, call IRO and we'll try to arrange for our Rescue Team to help. Please stay on the scene, watch over the animal and try to make it as comfortable as possible. Don't administer food or water as these may cause harm in the event of any internal injuries. Be aware that Rescue Team members are volunteers just like yourself, and it may take as long as several hours for them to arrive on the scene. An alternative is to contact the City or Provincial Veterinarian's office, if it's during their normal business hours, to come and get the animal. Their numbers are (032) 233-5675 for Cebu City, (032) 421-0078 for Mandaue City and (032) 255-4031 or 253-0332 for the province. Be advised that they may only be able to provide limited medical care (i.e. first aid) so tell them that you've contacted IRO (please also do so) and ask them to do what they can for the animal until IRO can get to their pound and transfer the animal to Animal Wellness or another veterinary clinic.

5. If you can't stay on the scene yourself (if you're en route to work, school or an appointment) ask nearby street vendors, traffic cops, security guards, shop owners, etc. to watch over the animal while you're gone. Tell them that you've called for help, get their names and cell phone numbers, give them your cell number and ask them to text you with any developments in the animal's condition. Please give their names and cell numbers to IRO and/or the City/Provincial vets as well, so we (or they) can also check with them to monitor the animal's condition until we can arrive at the scene.

6. Wash your hands thorougly with soap and water, or use alcohol or other disinfectant, as soon as possible after handling any unknown animal. Avoid contact with your own or other people's pets until you've bathed and changed clothes, in case the animal was carrying a communicable disease.

If your question is if you can just call in the incident and not bring the animal to the vet, there are no agencies you can call except City or Provincial veterinarians, or volunteer organizations like IRO who will, in turn, try to contact volunteers such as yourself to pick up the animal and take it to the vet. We urge good Samaritans to always do something at their level even by just coordinating and initially getting the animal out of harm's way, and not just call it in to IRO or any other volunteer-based group as it may take some time before these volunteer-rescuers can come in and help the animal. It really is best if you can bring the animal to the nearest veterinary clinic yourself right away.

Sadly, IRO cannot solve all problems regarding stray or injured dogs and cats and cannot take in all strays. At present, the shelter is at full capacity. As an NGO volunteer group, IRO has limited resources and is grossly undermanned, relying on the donations, help and compassion of animal lovers and volunteers like you. Click here to contact us if you would like to volunteer or donate. (Not all strays are actually in need of rescuing. Many are perfectly happy where they are, but could just use a good meal and some water.)

IRO also cannot take in dogs and cats whose guardians wish to give up or abandon them for whatever reason. What IRO can do is offer behavior training advice (for those who wish to give up their dogs due to their pets' behavior issues), and can assist in rehoming.

The stray dog population in your area can be reported to the city pound or city municipality if the strays are causing a problem.

The above information has been screened by IRO's veterinary and legal advisors and is offered as advice only. Neither Island Rescue Organization, Inc. (IRO), its board, officers, volunteers and/or members may be held liable or responsible in any way whatsoever for any injuries, illnesses, damages or deaths resulting from following the advice given in this article. Based on an article on PAWS' website; used by their kind permission.