A first-aid kit for your dog
Having a first-aid kit for your dog can bring you peace of mind in an emergency.
Every summer, I update our canine first-aid kit. This kit is something I’d had to put together a few years ago, as part of my small animal massage coursework.
Over time, we’ve taken items out of the kit as needed, such as the styptic pencil when Daisy broke a toenail outside, and we used the hydrogen peroxide and medical syringe when Petey ate a loaf of raw bread dough and, another time, an outdoor fly trap, and we were instructed by the animal poison emergency hotline to induce vomiting.
Do you have a first-aid kit for your beloved companion? Check out the list below and see what you have on hand and what you might need to source for your kit. Children usually enjoy helping to put together a first-aid kit for their dogs and cats. We keep everything in a reusable shopping bag for easy grabbing when needed.
If you have lots of outdoors adventures with your dogs, consider keeping a smaller version of the kit in your car. Sterile pads, wound wash, compression pads, and wound wrap are a good start.
One thing I would add to the kit is a basket muzzle. If she is in pain, even the sweetest, gentlest dog might bite someone who’s providing assistance. I can help your dog enjoy wearing a muzzle in a few simple training steps. Reach out if you would like help. The Muzzle Up Project is another great resource.
Front to back, left to right, kit items:
Heat Patch
Empty plastic bags
Cold Patch
Baggie containing sanitary napkins for pressure bandage, sitting on top of a bath towel
Disposable gloves
Cotton balls and cotton swabs
Leash and pickup bags
Baggie with eye droppers and medicine syringe
Wound wash, antibiotic, and hydrogen peroxide (to induce vomiting)
Safety pins for securing bandages and wrappings
Baggie with thermometer, safety scissors, tweezers, styptic pencil, and nail cutters
Petroleum jelly and alcohol
A variety of sterile pads
Wound wrap
Bandage tape
Hand sanitizer
Also useful:
A tick remover - my favorite tool is this type of pronged device
Nonperishable treats for rewarding your dog (realizing she may be too upset to take one - that’s normal!)