Dog First Aid Kit

[Wormdrowner]

Hunting with a dog for the first time this year. From your experience, what fist aid items would you carry with you? Anything to watch for....care of paws, eyes etc. Any advice would be appreciated.

[cw642]

Here's what I have in mine:

Vet wrap (or horse wrap, the stuff that only sticks to itself)

gauze

tweezers

Aspirin ( not ibuprofen )

eye drops and q-tips (getting seeds out of eyes)

wire cutter

scissors

EMT gel (wont go anywhere without it)

nail trimmer

1" hockey tape

thermometer

Benadryl

10cc syringe and various needles

styptic powder ( helps on pad cuts a little better than EMT gel)

extra collar and 2 6' leashes

needles with tread (for emergency temporary wound closure, could use stapler instead)

This is probably more than a guy would need, but I think I could handle most emergencies pretty well.

At the end of the day I check each of the dogs over pretty thoroughly before feeding them. Checking eyes and pads very well then a quick overall check of the rest for cuts and burrs. A seed in the third eyelid or a small burr in mouth nose or foot can make a dog pretty miserable if left till the next day. My dogs feet are pretty well conditioned so I don't use boots, but after they eat at night in the early season I will give them some aspirin to help with soreness.

CW

[jbdragon17]

DONT FORGET YOUR SKUNK KIT!!! I basically bring a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, some baking soda, and dawn dish detergent. There are recipes found on the net that work WAY WAY WAY better than anything you can find in a store, and the tomato juice thing is a joke!!

Also...Keep a note book with number for Vets in the area you will be hunting.

Something else that might be helpful is a pair of locking tweezers, and maybe a muzzle or something to secure your dog from biting you while you are pulling quills out of its face

[311Hemi]

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Also...Keep a note book with number for Vets in the area you will be hunting.

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Very good point!!

I have everything listed above (besides a muzzle)

To add to the list:

-Duct tape

-rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is a very effective cooling agent when used on the underside and pads of the dog. This would be for emergency cases, but I carry a small bottle on me in in the field just in case, and have two big jugs in the truck. Just rub a light amount on the dog....you don't need to douse the dog with it. The evaporation of the alcohol is what helps.

[Wormdrowner]

Thanks for all the advice guys, some things I would not have thought to bring. Is the EMT gel used for minor cuts? where would you purchase it. Also where do you get the Vet/horse wrap?

[jbdragon17]

You can actually buy a "Dog First Aid Kit" at Gander or Cabella's...then just add things you want. Not a bad option. I had one given to me and I simply added to it.

[cw642]

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Thanks for all the advice guys, some things I would not have thought to bring. Is the EMT gel used for minor cuts? where would you purchase it. Also where do you get the Vet/horse wrap?

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EMT gel is a topical gel used on for small cuts and scrapes. When it first came out I tried it on a cut on myself and it worked pretty good. Its a thick form of collagen which is the stuff in you blood that makes it clot. I dont know if a vet clinic would have it, but I get mine at Fleet Farm. Same with the vet wrap. Vet wrap is a elastic type 3" wide tape that will only stick to itself. It works great for holding bandages. A little shake of pepper on the vet wrap will keep the dog from chewing it off on long rides to the Vet. It is a very good point that a local vet # is probably just as important as anything you could bring with.

One other hint for dog boots: put a few wraps of vet wrap on the leg, then use tape to secure the boots that way you don't pull hair out when removing the tape.

CW