Like our family, many of you are active with your retired dogs, hiking, camping, canoeing or travelling. If you haven’t already done so, I would highly recommend having a first aid kit with you, for your dogs. This may be a modified human one, or one specifically dedicated to your dogs.
My suggested list for a first aid kit is as follows, and it is based on some of the most common issues we see at our practice and your dogs will be no exception.
- Self-sticking bandage material (Ex: Vetrap)
- It sticks to itself and can be used to help with cut pads, bleeding toe nails and wounds on legs. In a real pinch it could double up as a tourniquet.
- Nail scissors or something to yank off a nail that is broken and causing pain
- Something to stop nails when bleeding (ex: Kwik)
- If you accidentally cut one too short or they catch a nail while out hiking there might be some bleeding. Alternatively, throw some of your bandage material on it to stop the bleeding and let it clot, which it will do if you leave it alone and keep your dog from moving around too much.
- Thermometer
- It is always nice when owners can check a temperature at home if there is a worry about heat exhaustion or a fever. You can use a human digital one but it is used rectally in dogs. A normal dog temperature is 37.5-39C. Pro-tip: don’t re-use it on yourself!
- Tweezers
- These are handy to remove ticks and thorns/spear grass
- Saline
- This is useful to help flush wounds, eyes and ears
- Triple antibiotic cream (ex: Polysporin)
- This is good to apply to superficial wounds. You need to prevent dogs from licking this off and don’t use it on their eyes.
- E-collar/Buster Collar
- Have one of these on hand to prevent licking a wound or tearing off bandage material, or pawing at an eye injury
- Non steroid anti-inflammatory drug (Ex: Metacam which we talked about in the last issue)
- This is helpful for inflammation and pain for things like soft tissue injuries especially for the more senior retired dogs. This is a prescription medication from your veterinarian.
- Probiotic (Ex: Forti Flora)
- Have this on hand in case of gut upset/diarrhea
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Use this for making a dog vomit if they have eaten something they shouldn’t like rat bait or chocolate and you are too far from a vet hospital. It can’t be used for sharp or caustic things as those just hurt as much on the way back up as they did going down and make more damage.
- Leash
- Having one for the obvious reason of controlling your dog, but it can double up as a muzzle around the nose if your dog becomes agitated if in pain and tries to bite you or someone helping you.
- Antihistamine (Ex Benadryl)
- This is useful if your dog has an allergic reaction to something it ate or an insect bite.
- Any medication your dog has required in the past- make sure to bring them with you if away from home. Remember if you are leave your home province/territory, your veterinarian cannot renew prescriptions across provincial lines, so you will need to see a veterinarian in the new province if you run out of medication.