Welcome to issue #20 of Chumka’s Weekly!

Hello there furriend and happy Caturday! Long time no see! Hope you’ve been well 💛

Have you ever considered taking a Pet First Aid Course?

I attended a pet first aid course recently and it was definitely a unique experience.

Fun story time about the course

I decided to take the course a while back but all classes were fully booked. However, couple wees ago I got an ad for the course and that there was an opening in a town nearby. Otherwise I would have had to wait until 2024 to attend it in my city.

The drive there (about 1.5 hrs) was just stunning and it’s a very scenic area… but due to road work I was gonna be late.

When I arrived at the address provided in the confirmation email, I see that it’s a diner… with no parking spots available and street parking was max 2hours 🙈 Well, I couldn’t really wait for a spot to free up, so I pulled into a nearby parking lot and paid $15 for day parking! For some it might seem like a normal price, but for this area, $6 is an average rate for day parking…

Now the place itself… I enter this older diner, there were no signs about the course so I just walk inside the dining area. There was an older (and very cranky) gentleman who told me where the course was taught. In order to get there, I had to go through the diner’s kitchen 🙈

I think my favourite thing about the location were its decorations. It was a mixture of animal skulls mounted on the walls, and black cut outs of rats 😂😂

The trainer travels throughout our province to teach Pet First Aid, so it’s not her fault that this was the only place available - but I thought it was hilarious.

Now about the course itself and my thoughts

(If you want to attend a pet first aid course, please double check if they cover cats, as some only go over caring after a dog)

The pet first aid itself is quite familiar to human first aid, but there are also some major differences. I think it’s good to have “under your belt” if you like to take your pet on adventures - especially into some remote areas.

I was very happy with the amount of training we got and how knowledgeable the trainer was. The course covered everything from small cuts, broken bones, to CPR and treating poisoning. She went over every situation, applying it to both small/big dogs, and cats; and she answered all of our questions.

One thing I would suggest (if you decide to take the course) is to imagine yourself doing each of the “procedure” taught, and if you have any doubts - ask questions. Like I said, some classes/ scenarios focus on helping dogs.

I liked that everyone had to show each procedure to the instructor(s) in order to pass. There is no test or quiz at the end, but you do get asked some questions throughout.

Another thing I really liked is that we all received a digital booklet about pet first aid to reference when needed. And a “sample pet first aid kit” list - that also contained possible “household alternatives” if we are caught in a pickle and can’t find those items.

My Final thoughts

I think Pet First Aid is definitely worth attending - especially if you like to visit remote places. I knew I needed to take the course this summer, when we went camping on the ocean… we were about 2 hours away from cell service and about 3-4 hours away from the nearest vet office. If something happened to Chumka, I wouldn’t have been able to help him out.

Some new/ updated blog posts…

How is this week’s newsletter?

If you liked it, share it with someone who would enjoy it as well 💛 

Did you know…

Cats can drink sea water in order to survive!

(In case you’re wondering, we can’t)

Cats have much stronger kidneys than us. The strength of their kidneys allows them to filter out enough salt in saltwater that they can rehydrate from it. This just isn’t hypothetical either. We know from a study done in 1959 that cats can depend for survival on solely saltwater for their drinking supply for a period of time

Some cool finds from the internet…

This one is… an extraordinary find lol 😂😂

Memes to brighten your day

That’s it for this week, see you all next week for another Chumka Weekly!

~Paulina & Chumka 🐈‍⬛