Equipment:
- A 10 ml syringe, without a needle (10 ml is 2 teaspoons [5ml/teaspoon]). Use this to give a medication, such as Benadryl. Trying to give a teaspoon of medicine to a dog that’s jumping around is not easy. You can also use it to flush out a wound or eye.
- Sharp tip splinter tweezers. Use this to remove ticks down close to the skin without handling or squeezing the body of the tick, or to remove foreign objects such as splinters or thorns.
- Hemostat forceps that lock. I like to use the large ones that can be clamped onto a stick inside a wound. These can also help clamp down an exposed artery.
- Most kits need a flashlight and a first-aid kit is no different. I use a headlamp because you have the light right where you are working and keep your hands free to work.
- Thermometer. Glass thermometers work but can be easily broken. Small electronic ones work well and fast, but the battery can go out at a critical time. FYI, as a rule of thumb, dogs run a normal temp from 100 to 103. Above 103 to 105 is a fever. Anything greater than 105 is very hot and needs to be treated immediately.
- A simple 2 oz squeeze bottle with a pointed tip can be used for many things. To mix some medicine, to flush an eye, to suck out something. It is a simple, light and effective tool. If room permits it would be nice to have an 8 oz plastic bottle as well.
- Nail trimmers. Do not buy the expensive ones with big fancy handles. They say you can change the blades, but they never work well after getting dull. It takes me a year to dull one in the clinic and that is with heavy daily use. Be sure to have some clotting powder or stick ready to stop bleeding should it occur.
- Get a pair of medical curved scissors. Small curved metzenbaum scissors work very well. Don’t overlook the small scissors on your pocket knife, these can also work.
- A pair of pliers that have a very tough wire cutter included are super handy for cutting off the barbed tip of a fish hook, allowing you to back it out. Make sure and test them on a tough hook since many will not be strong enough.
- Finally, I would have a stethoscope, but if you are not familiar with listening to lungs or heart, it won’t be much help to you.
Bandage material:
By far the most important item to have in your kit is Vet Wrap. This is a self-clinging bandage that only sticks to itself, and not dog hair. It is stretchy, and can develop enough force that I have often used it to create a tourniquet. It comes in many colors and sizes, but only get the 2 inch wide and have 2-3 rolls. Use it to cover wounds, to muzzle your dog while transporting (when in pain), but do not leave it on the muzzle longer than the few minutes it takes to move the dog into the car for transport.
If your dog has a cut foot, together with a few gauze squares you can create enough pressure to stop bleeding, but remember, everything below your pressure point will lose circulation. So, if bandaging a foot, create padded pressure from the toes up. For quick help, you can apply several wraps around the arm halfway between the elbow and the wrist until blood flow stops. This will give you temporary help to get a look at the wound without spurting blood. However, loosen it as soon as you can. Non-stick pads, gauze pads, rolls, medical tape, and a few cotton swabs will fill the rest of the kit.
Medicines:
There are over the counter medicines or more specific medicines that your veterinarian can set up for you. Over the counter medication should include Benadryl. This is Diphenhydramine HCL in generic form and is available as 25mg tablets, or liquid (commonly 12.5mg/teaspoon or 5ml). Tablets work well for larger dogs, say 25 lbs or more. For small dogs or dogs that find it difficult to swallow the pill, use the liquid. For dosage, most dogs will just take 25mg, while small dogs (say below 20 lbs), would take 12.5mg for an allergic reaction (bee sting).
Antiseptic soap in a small 2 oz bottle with a screw tight lid. My favorite soap by far is Betadine Soap. This is the best disinfectant soap that can go right into an open wound without stinging or damaging the tissue.
About 4 oz of hydrogen peroxide is very useful to stimulate your dog to vomit in the event he ate something he shouldn’t have, like wild mushrooms. Put it into that 10ml syringe, and squirt it down the throat with the head tipped up. Wait 2 minutes and if no result, repeat. Do not use this to clean wounds as it is useless for killing bacteria.
No one wants to carry a liter of saline solution, even though you can use it to painlessly flush out a wound or an eye. Get some Sinus rinse powder by NeilMed. The packets are super cheap and the size of a coffee sweetener. They will make 8 oz of saline in that 8 oz bottle we said would come in handy. Use it to fill the 2 oz squeeze bottle and flush debris out of an injured eye. You can easily carry 5 packets in your kit and that is a lot of saline when mixed with water for almost no weight. Super helpful!
Pepto-Bismol capsules, the kind made to swallow whole, are very useful to treat diarrhea. 2-4 tablets every 4-6 hours helps when your dog has gotten into something foul to the bowel. Know that this drug will turn the stool black making it look like blood in the stool for about one day. Be sure the stool is not already black and tarry before giving, so you can be aware of the blood. It will not cause a problem if there is already blood in the stool, but it will mask the problem.
Hydrocortisone cream is easy to carry and works for inflamed skin almost anywhere. Emla is an anesthetic cream available at pharmacies and can work well enough to help with a bee sting, or provide enough relief to help remove a fish hook.
Finally, get some Gatorade powder to mix with your dog’s water for electrolytes. Talk to your veterinarian and he/she can set you up with anything additional to address your specific needs.
My father mentions a lot of stuff here. You may think your canine first-aid kit would need to be huge. Yet, most things mentioned here are either small, or can double for human consumption. Remember, if you take your dog into the wilderness it is your responsibility to take care of him. Be prepared, or be prepared to fail.
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