# Got my first "save" at a fire last night.



## Epi-do (Apr 7, 2007)

We were dispatched for a trailer fire last night around 11:00.  We get onscene and this thing is fully involved.  Nobody was home at the time, so outside of making sure the guys don't need anything and are all feeling ok, I am just "hanging out".  I brought my digital camera, so I snapped a few pictures.

After a while, one of the officers comes up to me, and because he still has his mask on, I am having a hard time understanding him with all the other noise/activity going on around us.  It takes me a minute, but I realize he has brought me a cat and is telling me that he thinks it is still alive.

The poor kitty is completely limp, and breathing very rapidly and shallowly.  Since I didn't have any human patients, I took the cat and headed off to get my stuff and do what I could for the poor thing.

Out comes the O2 tank and a peds NRB.  I hold it over the cat's face and just sit there with it, petting and talking to it.  After a while, he starts to move a little bit.  I listened to his lung sounds, and although he isn't clear sounding, he doesn't sound as bad as I was expecting.  More O2, talking, and petting, and he eventually sits up, starts moving around, and incessantly meowing.  He is scared to death and is quite content to stay cuddled up in my arms until animal control gets there.  

I hand the cat over, advise that he needs to be seen by a vet, and talk to a friend of the owner who is surprised the cat is doing so well.  In fact, everyone, including the firefighter who gave me the cat, was shocked that it seemed to be doing so well.  Hopefully the little guy doesn't succumb to pnuemonia or anything like that over the next several days.  He took in alot of smoke and appears to be a pretty lucky little kitty.

Here's a few pics.


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## fyrdog (Apr 7, 2007)

Great job! You don't have to save a human to feel good!


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## Recycled Words (Apr 7, 2007)

Congrats! Cute cat, too....

Out of curiousity, where on the cat would you listen for lung sounds?


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## Stevo (Apr 7, 2007)

a _puuuuurfectly_ good save Epi-do!

~S~


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## Emtgirl21 (Apr 7, 2007)

How does one know what is normal lung sounds on a cat.


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## Stevo (Apr 7, 2007)

i can recall asking where do i take a pulse on a dog at a fire, FF's dragged the little guy out same as Epi-do's cat

i also never did get an answer to _'can we transport an animal'?_  from anyone either

i mean transport to the vet btw...

~S~


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## Recycled Words (Apr 7, 2007)

I got a call for chest pain once, found out it was the cat having chest pain, the owner that was flat out crazy. Predictably enough, we didn't transport.


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## Epi-do (Apr 7, 2007)

Recycled Words said:


> Out of curiousity, where on the cat would you listen for lung sounds?



I guess paying attention to my vet when taking our cat and dogs in paid off.  You can listen behind the elbow, along the ribs, on each side of the cat/dog.  I am definately not a vet, but I do have a general idea of where the major things like heart, lungs, kidneys are on my pets.  I just put that knowledge to use.  As for lung sounds - you are listening for the same types of things you would listen to in a human.  (I just took one of my dog's to the vet for and URI and was able to listen to her and talk to the vet about what I should be hearing.)


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## wolfpack916 (Apr 7, 2007)

*dats alota dim!*

I know if a black cat crosses you path its bad luck, But if you save one is it good luck? Your probably gonna win the lotto! or it could be bad luck! really bad luck! you choke on a pork chop, get struck by lightning and drown in a kiddy pool.:unsure:


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## Airwaygoddess (Apr 8, 2007)

GREAT CATCH EPI-DO!!


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## Artique (Apr 8, 2007)

Congrats on the First save, no matter what life you save its worth it.


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## Epi-do (Apr 8, 2007)

It was pretty cool to see the cat come around for me like that.  I have been on plenty of fire runs in the past, but everyone has always managed to get out and be ok.  This was the first time I had a patient that really needed some help and wasn't doing well at all.

When the firefighters found the little guy, he was with a second cat that had already died.  If they hadn't found this one when they did, he would have most likely died as well.

It was just a different feeling that what you get with working an arrest.  I have had patients in that situation where pulses return before getting to the hospital, but you know that the chances of them walking out of the hospital with any quality of life is pretty slim.  This cat, on the other hand, appears to have a pretty good chance of making a full recovery.


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## Tincanfireman (Apr 8, 2007)

Epi, you are just the cat's meow...


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## Airwaygoddess (Apr 8, 2007)

Tincanfireman said:


> Epi, you are just the cat's meow...



GOOD ONE TIN!!^_^ ^_^ ^_^


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## MMiz (Apr 8, 2007)

This thread is almost as awesome as your first save.  Awesome job!


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## Alexakat (Apr 9, 2007)

I am a HUUUUGE animal lover & this story (& picture) warmed my heart.

Great job!


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## Jon (Apr 9, 2007)

I know there've been a few instances where pets, espicially dogs, have been saved from fires locally. We had one that made the front page of the paper a few years back. Our supervisor was onscene taking pictures when one of the FF's passed a dog off to him and the FD's volunteer chaplin who was also around... the Chaplin and my supervisor were on the front page of the paper giving the dog O2... if I remember correctly, the dog was transported to a local vet... but I think it might have been PD that gave the dog the ride... I know we didn't transport the dog in one of our rigs.


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## mfrjason (Apr 9, 2007)

Great job,its a save that will never be forgotten.


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## Epi-do (Apr 9, 2007)

Ran into the animal control officer that I handed the kitty off to while at the fuel pumps today.  She said that the owner picked the kitty up the next afternoon and he was alert, talking, and acting completely fine - like nothing had even happened to him.  Yay!


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## Jon (Apr 10, 2007)

Epi-do said:


> Ran into the animal control officer that I handed the kitty off to while at the fuel pumps today. She said that the owner picked the kitty up the next afternoon and he was alert, talking, and acting completely fine - like nothing had even happened to him. Yay!


How does a kitty "talk"???


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## emtwannabe (Apr 10, 2007)

Ummmm.....Meow?


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## Medic's Wife (Apr 10, 2007)

Awesome job, you are my hero!  I'm such an animal lover, and a huge softie for hurt animals.  It's nice to know there are people in EMS that care about the furry critters, too.  Glad the little guy recovered so well!


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## Alexakat (Apr 10, 2007)

Oh, kitties "talk"...oh boy do they "talk"!


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## FutureFlightMedic (Apr 16, 2007)

Epi-do, great save!! I am a licensed vet tech as well as an EMT (yes, I DO save hem both , and you did a great thing out there! You are absolutely correct that listening to lung sounds will be the same for human or animal. Great that he responded to your efforts, and hopefully will have no long-term deficits. To the poster who wondered where to find pulses you were right, too: either in the "armpit", chest or a quick way is right behind the paw, as it joins the leg. I did a lot of anesthesia on animals and always used the femoral pulse to guide me. If animal presents in lateral recumbancy (on side), the femoral pulse is the easiest one to find. 
Good job!! Animals deserve help too!


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## fm_emt (Apr 17, 2007)

*awww!*

You know, this is the happiest story I've heard in a few days.

I'm proud of you, man. Good job. 

Pets are so often forgotten about during emergencies.


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