hi, putting a dog first aid kit together, can you give me any advise or tips on what to put in it.
thanks
dog first aid kit
Moderators: CarolynM, janrobinson
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John
This was an article I wrote a few years ago for our club "News Letter"
Over the course of the last year or so I seem to have heard of so many accidents happening to dogs while out both just walking and working. Rather more than usual, which got me thinking. Accidents can happen at anytime and any place. An acquaintance of mine’s Golden retriever was working in a Gundog Working Test the other summer, was sent for a marked retrieve, dropped a paw into a Rabbit hole whilst running at full speed and broke her leg! In another case, a friend was exercising her two dogs when the young bitch “Shoulder Checked” her old dog and broke his leg! Soon after the start of the shooting season one of the Springer Spaniels belonging to our keeper ran onto the jagged end of a fallen branch and tore its chest open. In yet another accident on the shoot, another Springer jumped a wire fence and dropped a leg in between the strands of wire and became entangled. All of these accidents have something in common, no matter what the dogs were involved in at the time, they could just as easily happen to any dog, any place.
So, in the event of an accident happening to your dogs when out, what could you do? How well prepared are you? Do you have a First Aid kit for your dog? And if you are going to equip yourself with one, what should you have in it?
The first thing to remember about any First Aid Kit is to not have anything in it that you don’t know how to use. The smaller and lighter it is and the more likely it is that you will have it with you if you ever need it!
Because of the fact that I work my dog I possibly carry more than the average. Also, because Land Rover’s are always available on the shoot, weight is not a problem, so I can afford to pack rather more than most people would want to.
Most things to carry are rather obvious. Alcohol Free Wipes, for cleaning wounds. Antiseptic, for treating wounds. Sterile Dressings, to cover the wound plus something to secure the dressing. The “Something” includes Conforming bandages, (For most occasions), Adhesive Bandages (Great for cut pads) and Micropore adhesive tape.
This little lot will cover 90% of your likely needs but to that I add some pods of Saline eye wash, great for flushing mud and grit from the eyes. They can be squirted rather like a squeegee bottle to really flush muck out of the eye.
One more thing for my kit is an ordinary standard bandage. Not the most useful thing for covering a wound but it still has a very important use! A dog in pain is not responsible for its actions and more than one person has been bitten by their own dog at such a time. This is where the bandage comes in. Wrapped around the muzzle, drawing the head down, wrap it around the neck then around it’s body and tied it can make a very simple but effective muzzle!
This would form the basis for a very serviceable first aid kit but a few more bits and pieces come in useful. A decent pair of scissors are sure to come in handy for removing fur from around a wound or just cutting the bandage! Chose a pair with rounded ends rather than points, this makes life so much easier and far less chance of stabbing a struggling dog! A pair of tweezers could be useful as well. I carry a rectum thermometer and some Vaseline but in all honesty it is unlikely to be used in the field! Some hand wipes to clean yourself up both before and afterwards just about completes the kit.
As said earlier, on a shoot at the start of this season a dog, jumping the wire fence dropped a foot between the strands of wire and twisted it around his leg. The poor dog was hanging by it’s leg and time was of the essence! With a good heavy pair of pliers the strand of wire was cut and the dog escaped unharmed! So, into my game bag goes a pair of pliers! A farmer may not be very keen on you cutting his fence and obviously cut the bare minimum and try to make good afterwards. If there are cattle or sheep in the field please inform the farmer of what you have done so he has a chance to effect a permanent repair! He may not be pleased but he would be far less pleased to find his cattle wandering all over the country!
This really concludes first aid equipment but there are three more items of note. Into my game bag goes a towel. Apart from the obvious, passed under the tummy it makes a wonderful support to help an injured back to the car or even home if help is needed. The other thing is the good old Wax Cotton Jacket! With the help of a passer by it makes a great stretcher to get an unconscious dog to help. The very last item is a mobile phone with your vets number programmed into the memory. It could be a life saver!
Regards, John
Over the course of the last year or so I seem to have heard of so many accidents happening to dogs while out both just walking and working. Rather more than usual, which got me thinking. Accidents can happen at anytime and any place. An acquaintance of mine’s Golden retriever was working in a Gundog Working Test the other summer, was sent for a marked retrieve, dropped a paw into a Rabbit hole whilst running at full speed and broke her leg! In another case, a friend was exercising her two dogs when the young bitch “Shoulder Checked” her old dog and broke his leg! Soon after the start of the shooting season one of the Springer Spaniels belonging to our keeper ran onto the jagged end of a fallen branch and tore its chest open. In yet another accident on the shoot, another Springer jumped a wire fence and dropped a leg in between the strands of wire and became entangled. All of these accidents have something in common, no matter what the dogs were involved in at the time, they could just as easily happen to any dog, any place.
So, in the event of an accident happening to your dogs when out, what could you do? How well prepared are you? Do you have a First Aid kit for your dog? And if you are going to equip yourself with one, what should you have in it?
The first thing to remember about any First Aid Kit is to not have anything in it that you don’t know how to use. The smaller and lighter it is and the more likely it is that you will have it with you if you ever need it!
Because of the fact that I work my dog I possibly carry more than the average. Also, because Land Rover’s are always available on the shoot, weight is not a problem, so I can afford to pack rather more than most people would want to.
Most things to carry are rather obvious. Alcohol Free Wipes, for cleaning wounds. Antiseptic, for treating wounds. Sterile Dressings, to cover the wound plus something to secure the dressing. The “Something” includes Conforming bandages, (For most occasions), Adhesive Bandages (Great for cut pads) and Micropore adhesive tape.
This little lot will cover 90% of your likely needs but to that I add some pods of Saline eye wash, great for flushing mud and grit from the eyes. They can be squirted rather like a squeegee bottle to really flush muck out of the eye.
One more thing for my kit is an ordinary standard bandage. Not the most useful thing for covering a wound but it still has a very important use! A dog in pain is not responsible for its actions and more than one person has been bitten by their own dog at such a time. This is where the bandage comes in. Wrapped around the muzzle, drawing the head down, wrap it around the neck then around it’s body and tied it can make a very simple but effective muzzle!
This would form the basis for a very serviceable first aid kit but a few more bits and pieces come in useful. A decent pair of scissors are sure to come in handy for removing fur from around a wound or just cutting the bandage! Chose a pair with rounded ends rather than points, this makes life so much easier and far less chance of stabbing a struggling dog! A pair of tweezers could be useful as well. I carry a rectum thermometer and some Vaseline but in all honesty it is unlikely to be used in the field! Some hand wipes to clean yourself up both before and afterwards just about completes the kit.
As said earlier, on a shoot at the start of this season a dog, jumping the wire fence dropped a foot between the strands of wire and twisted it around his leg. The poor dog was hanging by it’s leg and time was of the essence! With a good heavy pair of pliers the strand of wire was cut and the dog escaped unharmed! So, into my game bag goes a pair of pliers! A farmer may not be very keen on you cutting his fence and obviously cut the bare minimum and try to make good afterwards. If there are cattle or sheep in the field please inform the farmer of what you have done so he has a chance to effect a permanent repair! He may not be pleased but he would be far less pleased to find his cattle wandering all over the country!
This really concludes first aid equipment but there are three more items of note. Into my game bag goes a towel. Apart from the obvious, passed under the tummy it makes a wonderful support to help an injured back to the car or even home if help is needed. The other thing is the good old Wax Cotton Jacket! With the help of a passer by it makes a great stretcher to get an unconscious dog to help. The very last item is a mobile phone with your vets number programmed into the memory. It could be a life saver!
Regards, John
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