Dog first aid kits

When most people think of first aid kits, they think of a box of supplies for humans to use, not pets. But your dog is part of your family and deserves to be protected and kept safe just like every other member of your family. And since local emergency services are unlikely to help your dog, you need to be prepared and equipped to give your dog first aid on your own until you can get him to a vet. If you are camping or travelling, the nearest veternarian office might be far away!

So let’s outline the items that would be a good idea to keep in dog first aid kits.

First of all, keep a list of important telephone numbers. These include:

-Your veteranarian’s number

-The number of an emergency pet clinic in your area or the area you’ll be visiting

-Poison control phone number

The next items to include are for nutritional aid:

-a rehydrating liquid like Pedialyte. Even Gatorade is useful.

-a nutritional supplement like Nutri-Cal, in case you dog can’t get suitable food to consume.

-a source of concentrated sugar for immediate energy. For example, Karo syrup.

Next on the list for our first aid kit are some medicines:

-disinfectant for cleaning wounds. For example Betadine or Nolvasan.

-Triple antibiotic cream, for application to skin.

-Antibiotic opthalmic cream for eyes. For example, Terramycin.

-Antidiarrheal medicine like Pet Pectate

-Canine Aspirin

-Benadryl for allergies

-Itch Stop or another cortisone product to treat itches and rashes.

-Hydrogen peroxide. This can be used to make a dog vomit if it ingests something dangerous.

-Activated charcoal. This can help absorb poisons consumed by the dog. Ask your vet for detailed information.

The last category of items to consider is equipment to aid in treatment:

-a muzzle, or guaze for making an impromptu muzzle.

-a magnifying glass

-tweezers

-scissors

-a penlight for darkness

-an eye dropper / oral syringe

-cotton swabs and cotton balls

-a rectal thermometer

-Bitter Apple or another item that discourages licking an biting of a wounded or treated area

-cold packs and heat packs

-a stethoscope

Obviously you may not bring all of these items if you don’t know how to use them or how to carry out thorough first aid for your dog, but these are all ideas to consider, and some may be more practical for you than others. The point is to keep your dog as safe and stable as possible until you can get him to a proper veteranarian for thorough treatment.

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