Doggie First-aid Kit

[Guest monasmom]

After spending almost $700 for a few stitches to Vinnie's ear (wouldn't stop bleeding), I'm working on a list of stuff to keep around so that we can exhaust every possible home treatment before resorting to the e-vet. Maybe if we had had enough vet wrap to really bandage his ear, we could have gotten it to stop on its own. Maybe. Obviously one roll was not enough because he was able to dislodge it too quickly.

 

Here's my list so far:

 

big roll of gauze

gauze pads

ace bandage

LOTS of vet wrap

roll of medical tape

little scissors

antibiotic spray

peroxide

clean rags/towel

liquid stitches (not sure what this is called)

milk of magnesia

pain reliever (what's safe and over the counter?)

clomicalm

tweezers

alcohol (for me! )

metamucil tablets

ice pack

stypic pencil (?)

cone

copies of rabies cert (in case we are traveling)

 

 

[Guest Greytluv]

You need to go to the paint store and get about 4 of those wood paint stir sticks. They make greyt splints if ever needed. Two of those with vet wrap and you have a splint. The big Popsicle sticks work for IG's.

[Guest Energy11]

**From our presentation at Mt. Hounds (part of my handout) ... hope it helps! D

 

 

FIRST AID KIT MUST-HAVES:

 

Bandaids of ALL sizes. Antibacterial ointment or Trypzyme-V for wound coverage. Toddler Socks and booties. I recommend toddler shoe size 3-8.5 for the socks , and booties from The Voyagers (high ones). Transpore tape. Stretch gauze (Kling) to wrap wounds or vet wrap. Benedryl (generic is fine) 25mg... give (2) of these, every four hours, if you know your dog has been bitten by an insect, or you know for sure he or she is allergic to an ingested food. Deramaxx 75mg, (*my choice) for pain and inflammation. You CAN use one BUFFERED 81 mg aspirin for pain, but not for extended use. Amodium AD (generic is fine) (1) tablet two times a day for diarrhea. Pepcid AC, 20 mg, (generic fine) (1) tablet a day, or ½ twice a day for gas and stomach irritation. Small bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide to induce vomiting. (2) tablespoons until vomiting occurs. (For seizure dogs) A syringe of pre-loaded Valium for trans-rectal use during a prolonged seizure.

[Guest Energy11]

If anyone would like a copy of the presentation Karen Chandler and I did for our First Aid Seminar at Mt. Hounds, I will be happy to email it to you. Just PM me with your email addresses, and I can send it to you.

 

Dee

[Guest hvacman250]

Sounds like mine, but I added:

 

staple gun

extra staples

staples remover

cauterizing sticks (for ears)

Rimadyl, 2 kinds of antibiotics

 

Sounds like mine, but I added:

 

staple gun

extra staples

staples remover

cauterizing sticks (for ears)

Rimadyl, 2 kinds of antibiotics

 

Sounds like mine, but I added:

 

staple gun

extra staples

staples remover

cauterizing sticks (for ears)

Rimadyl, 2 kinds of antibiotics

[Guest Energy11]

Sounds like mine, but I added:

 

staple gun

extra staples

staples remover

cauterizing sticks (for ears)

Rimadyl, 2 kinds of antibiotics

 

Sounds like mine, but I added:

 

staple gun

extra staples

staples remover

cauterizing sticks (for ears)

Rimadyl, 2 kinds of antibiotics

 

Sounds like mine, but I added:

 

staple gun

extra staples

staples remover

cauterizing sticks (for ears)

Rimadyl, 2 kinds of antibiotics

 

Nice additions to the kit! As a parmedic and vet assistant, I NEVER learned to staple, so I am not comfortable with that. I can take them out, though ... did that LOTS of times.

[Guest BatesieGreys]

Here is the link to the best, most comprehensive, first-aid kit that I have found yet. We are working on building this slowly, but it seems worth the expense and effort! Am sorry about the injury. Hope it heals quickly.

 

Oops...HERE is the link.

 

Greytdogs.com-Recommendations for a Canine First Aid Kit

Edited July 4, 2009 by BatesieGreys

[Guest BatesieGreys]

For pain this kit lists low dose (81 mg I think) buffered asprin.

[Guest TurnerMiller01]

Everybody has great lists here.. i have been gathering supplies now to keep at home since all my events lately...

 

However some of the supplies i cannot find or locate...so i was just wondering if it would be possible to list where you made the purchase of some of the items?

 

that would be just as helpful

 

or if you know of a place online to purchase the supplies as well.

 

thank you...

 

have a great 4th of July...

[Guest Energy11]

Everybody has great lists here.. i have been gathering supplies now to keep at home since all my events lately...

 

However some of the supplies i cannot find or locate...so i was just wondering if it would be possible to list where you made the purchase of some of the items?

 

that would be just as helpful

 

or if you know of a place online to purchase the supplies as well.

 

thank you...

 

have a great 4th of July...

What items are you looking for? :-)) Will try to help! D

[greysmom]

To Monasmom -

 

For ears, here is what we do: Make a big roll of gauze long enough to have one end in the top of the ear canal and the other out over the top of the ear. The roll should be big enough that the ear doesn't have to fold too much to go around the roll, but not TOO big. Put a non-stick gauze pad over the wound and wrap the ear around the roll then wrap both with vet wrap. Make sure it's not too tight so you don't impede blood flow to the ear. You can follow this with Elastikon wrap or regular medical tape for added security.

 

If it keeps coming off, make a chin strap out of medical tape. Attach one end to the wrapped ear, pass the strap under the chin/neck and attach the other end to the wrapped ear with more tape. The whole bandage probably needs to be changed every other day or so.

 

If the wound isn't super big you can use stiptik powder or even regular black pepper to stop the bleeding. It does sting though.

 

Red Cross has First Aid kits for pets for sale through their web site. And I recommend their Pet First Aid course for the basics.

 

greysmom

[Blaidd49]

I would not suggest Rimadyl unless it is for a specific dog that is known to tolerate it and has had a recent blood work - there are safer emergency pain meds

Pam

 

 

 

Rimadyl,

 

[Guest Energy11]

Just realized, I don't have Quik Stop (for ears and nails) on my list :-(

 

I, personally, keep three kinds of antiboitics on hand, and get them from my former employer/vet, but as Blaidd49 said, like with the Rimadyl, one has to be careful with giving antibiotics, as well. I would check with your vets before randomly giving these.

[ahicks51]

Since I need them for plant tissue culture, I have lots of long forceps around the house. I particularly like the Russian thumb forceps:

 

 

I figure if anything gets caught in the throat and they're unconscious, if I can see it, I can grab it.

 

Other'n that, I have my old EMT jump kit in the trunk of my car.

 

Also useful in a pinch: Krazy Glue can be used to hold bandages to skin or fur when there's no other way for it to adhere. It comes off with a bit of acetone or nail polish remover, but it can be used with caution.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Add EMT Gel and liquid/spray bandage material.

 

ETA: Greyhound muzzle (with guard or duct tape to prevent licking) and/or e-collar, inflatable collar, etc. You might need to keep the dog from licking or chewing while you're transporting to the vet. And you might need to muzzle to be able to treat an injury.

 

My emergency kit is in the trunk of the car. But I need to make sure there's always a muzzle in it, in case a dog gets hurt while we're away from home but don't have a muzzle handy.

Edited July 4, 2009 by KF_in_Georgia

[Guest Energy11]

Since I need them for plant tissue culture, I have lots of long forceps around the house. I particularly like the Russian thumb forceps:

 

 

I figure if anything gets caught in the throat and they're unconscious, if I can see it, I can grab it.

 

Other'n that, I have my old EMT jump kit in the trunk of my car.

 

Also useful in a pinch: Krazy Glue can be used to hold bandages to skin or fur when there's no other way for it to adhere. It comes off with a bit of acetone or nail polish remover, but it can be used with caution.

 

You a retired EMT? You know ... you just gave me an idea! I might get a pair of Magill Forcepts for my first aid bag (yes, mine is an old EMS bag, too :-)

[ahicks51]

You a retired EMT? You know ... you just gave me an idea! I might get a pair of Magill Forcepts for my first aid bag (yes, mine is an old EMS bag, too :-)

 

"Burned-out volunteer yahoo" EMT is more like it. Ten years of ditch medicine and SAR. Mainly firefighting.

 

The Magills are a good idea, too; I only have the Ballenger/Foeresters- I don't have a proper set of Magills.

[Guest Energy11]

You a retired EMT? You know ... you just gave me an idea! I might get a pair of Magill Forcepts for my first aid bag (yes, mine is an old EMS bag, too :-)

 

"Burned-out volunteer yahoo" EMT is more like it. Ten years of ditch medicine and SAR. Mainly firefighting.

 

The Magills are a good idea, too; I only have the Ballenger/Foeresters- I don't have a proper set of Magills.

Burned out retired Medic here! Never did the fire side. HATE heat too much :-(

[GreyAcresMom]

Since we are talking about "First aid bags" can someone explane the difference: amoxicillin vs. penicillin

 

 

**just in case someone like AJ answers..very simple terms please (not compound difference please)**

Edited July 4, 2009 by GreyAcresMom

[Guest Energy11]

Sinve we are talking about "First aid bags" can someone explane the difference: amoxicillin vs. penicillin

The are both in the same family. Amoxicillin is what is used on the dogs mostly. I am no pharmacist, but there isn't a huge difference. I just know that, my vet prescribed Amoxicillin for the dogs. Humans (unless allergic) can take both.

[ahicks51]

See, ya got your natural antibiotics, the semi-synthetic antibiotics, and the synthetic antibiotics. The natural ones come from natural sources, like penicillin comes from mold, and vancomycin comes from a bacterium isolated from a soil sample from Borneo. Good thing we're getting rid of those nasty, dirty rain forests to make room for oil palm production or we'd have more of these.

 

Anyway- sometimes the natural abx don't have the properties you want, so you take the natural ones, and do some organic chemistry magic on them, and you take one branch off and stick another one on, and- viola, magic happens. Most importantly, a new patent comes out so a drug company makes a lot of money. This is pretty rare since we're running out of new things to try, and the bacterial always win in the end (as do drugs for erectile dysfunction- gotta get your priorities right in terms of saving civilization, and this is one of the perils of living in a world dominated by white men). But more importantly, these different branches (called moieties, or functional groups) offer different properties. In the case of ampicillin, I think it offers better acid stability meaning that as it's administered orally, more of it ends up in the blood. Everyone wants a pill; nobody wants an injectable antibiotic. Of course, it might offer other really nice properties like high renal excretion, meaning it'll work nicely on urinary tract infections. Helping that would be low first pass metabolism (I don't know specifically about amp- I don't know much about the drug), meaning it would be relatively unchanged by the liver's enzymes.

 

(Sometimes this is good, and sometimes it's bad- many first pass or second pass metabolites offer GREATER efficacy than the drug that has been provided originally. One of the more notable antibiotics is clarithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic that undergoes first-pass metabolism to 14-hydroxy clarithromycin, which is about 2x as active as clarithromycin, and a half-life of 7 hours (about twice that of clarithromycin), meaning you don't have to take it quite so often, all other effects being equal.)

 

Antibiotic resistance has gotten so bad recently that mixing the old-school abx with synergists, mainly clavulanic acid. They take something old, like amoxicillin, and add clavulanic acid, call it Clavamox, and charge a buttload for it even though both components are cheaper than dirt- because it's under patent. Your run-of-the-mill beta lactam antibiotic (penicillin and its derivatives, like amoxicillin) have lost the war against the bacteria; add in clavulanic acid- which is a horribly poor antibiotic on its own- and they're effective once again. This is because the clavulanic acid messes up the enzyme that bacteria use to get around the beta lactam antibiotics.

 

In conclusion, I don't know why. Does that answer your question?

[Guest Energy11]

See, ya got your natural antibiotics, the semi-synthetic antibiotics, and the synthetic antibiotics. The natural ones come from natural sources, like penicillin comes from mold, and vancomycin comes from a bacterium isolated from a soil sample from Borneo. Good thing we're getting rid of those nasty, dirty rain forests to make room for oil palm production or we'd have more of these.

 

Anyway- sometimes the natural abx don't have the properties you want, so you take the natural ones, and do some organic chemistry magic on them, and you take one branch off and stick another one on, and- viola, magic happens. Most importantly, a new patent comes out so a drug company makes a lot of money. This is pretty rare since we're running out of new things to try, and the bacterial always win in the end (as do drugs for erectile dysfunction- gotta get your priorities right in terms of saving civilization, and this is one of the perils of living in a world dominated by white men). But more importantly, these different branches (called moieties, or functional groups) offer different properties. In the case of ampicillin, I think it offers better acid stability meaning that as it's administered orally, more of it ends up in the blood. Everyone wants a pill; nobody wants an injectable antibiotic. Of course, it might offer other really nice properties like high renal excretion, meaning it'll work nicely on urinary tract infections. Helping that would be low first pass metabolism (I don't know specifically about amp- I don't know much about the drug), meaning it would be relatively unchanged by the liver's enzymes.

 

(Sometimes this is good, and sometimes it's bad- many first pass or second pass metabolites offer GREATER efficacy than the drug that has been provided originally. One of the more notable antibiotics is clarithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic that undergoes first-pass metabolism to 14-hydroxy clarithromycin, which is about 2x as active as clarithromycin, and a half-life of 7 hours (about twice that of clarithromycin), meaning you don't have to take it quite so often, all other effects being equal.)

 

Antibiotic resistance has gotten so bad recently that mixing the old-school abx with synergists, mainly clavulanic acid. They take something old, like amoxicillin, and add clavulanic acid, call it Clavamox, and charge a buttload for it even though both components are cheaper than dirt- because it's under patent. Your run-of-the-mill beta lactam antibiotic (penicillin and its derivatives, like amoxicillin) have lost the war against the bacteria; add in clavulanic acid- which is a horribly poor antibiotic on its own- and they're effective once again. This is because the clavulanic acid messes up the enzyme that bacteria use to get around the beta lactam antibiotics.

 

In conclusion, I don't know why. Does that answer your question?

WOW,... I AM IMPRESSED! You sound like a pharmacist! :-)) D

[Guest gretzky]

Aww, poor Vinnie. Hope he's ok.

 

I have Kerry's (TBH) very comprehensive list that was handed out Wellness Day. I can email it from work Monday if you are interested.

[Guest monasmom]

Aww, poor Vinnie. Hope he's ok.

 

I have Kerry's (TBH) very comprehensive list that was handed out Wellness Day. I can email it from work Monday if you are interested.

Hi Kelly,

I think I have this--just have to dig it out. Thanks! Vinny will be fine... if we can keep him from batting the bandage and/or teach him to potty with the cone on!

[Guest Energy11]

Aww, poor Vinnie. Hope he's ok.

 

I have Kerry's (TBH) very comprehensive list that was handed out Wellness Day. I can email it from work Monday if you are interested.

Hi Kelly,

I think I have this--just have to dig it out. Thanks! Vinny will be fine... if we can keep him from batting the bandage and/or teach him to potty with the cone on!

Oakly was a HUGE pain about keeping the bandage on his head, too, after Goldie tore the end of HIS ear! I put the head up on the top of his head, and wrapped with Kling (expandable gauze), and that worked, but your Vinnie sounds very determined to KEEP his bandage off! Good Luck. Hope he doesn't have to wear the "dreaded cone!" :-((