Your dog is choking and you have minutes before you can get to a vet. Do you know what to do in between? A new set of guidelines wants to answer that question for every pet owner.
The RECOVER Initiative, an emergency care research group, released the 2026 RECOVER First Aid Guidelines in August. They cover the emergencies that most often start before a dog reaches the clinic: heatstroke, choking, burns, toxin ingestion, hypoglycemia, and severe bleeding. The recommendations were built from systematic reviews of the evidence plus international expert consensus, which puts them a step above typical online advice.
The project is aimed at whoever is first on the scene, which includes owners but also dog handlers, groomers, boarders, and trainers. The guidelines come with step-by-step algorithms and teaching figures so veterinary teams can walk pet owners through the basics during a routine visit.
What this means for your dog: the minutes between recognizing an emergency and reaching the hospital often decide the outcome. Heat safety gets its own section, a timely reminder after new rules raised fines for leaving dogs unattended in hot cars. The full details are laid out in the Veterinary Practice News report.
The guidelines are published through the Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, and RECOVER plans to use them as the basis for owner education. They are not meant to replace your vet, but they can buy your dog precious time. Consider keeping a printed copy near your first aid kit and asking your vet to walk you through anything you are unsure about.