Buddy enjoys a day at Lanikai Beach knowing his first aid kit is prepared.
My mom made me a doggie first aid kit. It makes her feel less anxiety when I get ill or injured knowing she can use the supplies on hand to make me all better. I drank some water once that was dirty at the beach and got really sick. Mom took me to the VET and I had to take some big white pills to make me well again.
I get allergies and mom gives me children’s liquid Benydryl. I get sleepy and stop sneezing.
I go running in the woods everyday and sometimes I get too silly and run into branches and cut myself. Mom always fixes my boo boo’s. If is serious we have to go to the doctor. Our first aid kit has all we need to keep the VET bills down. First aid for pets is pretty much the same as for you humans. The only bad part is that we cannot talk and tell you where we hurt.
Here are some things you can do to help your pet, especially after-hours or on weekends when the VET office is closed.
First Aid Dog can handle any emergency.
Basic Supplies:
Gauze pads, gauze roll/ bandages, roll of cloth, thermometer, tweezers, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic ointment, Q-tips, instant cold pack, rags/ rubber tubing for tourniquet, First Aid book.
Complete first Aid Kit for Dogs:
- Gauze sponges -- 50 four-by-four inch sponges, two per envelope
- Triple antibiotic ointment
- Rubbing alcohol
- Ear syringe -- two ounce capacity
- Ace self-adhering athletic bandage -- three-inch width
- White petroleum jelly (Vaseline or similar)
- Eye wash
- Sterile, non-adherent pads
- Pepto Bismol tablets
- Generic Benadryl capsules -- 25mg, for allergies
- Hydrocortisone acetate -- one percent cream
- Sterile stretch gauze bandage -- three inches by four yards
- Buffered aspirin
- Dermicil hypoallergenic cloth tape one inch by 10 yards
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Kaopectate tablets maximum strength
- Bandage scissors
- Custom splints
- Vet Rap bandage
Other suggested items were:
- Blanket
- Tweezers
- Muzzle
- Hemostats
- Rectal thermometer
- Ziplock bags
- Paperwork, including the dog's health record, medications, local and national poison control numbers, regular veterinary clinic hours and telephone numbers, and emergency clinic hours and telephone number.
Your Cat's First-Aid Kit
Everyone who shares a home with a cat should have on hand a basic feline first-aid kit. A good pet first-aid book is a must for your kitty kit.
- Phone Numbers:
- Veterinarian
- The nearest emergency veterinary clinic
- A poison-control center or hotline
- Paperwork:
- o Proof of rabies vaccination status
- o Copies of other important medical records
- Rectal thermometer (your cat's temperature should not rise above 103°F or fall below 100°F)
- Sterile gauze rolls and pads for bandages
- Adhesive tape
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Tweezers
- Petroleum jelly
- Antiseptic lotion, powder, or spray
- A pillowcase to confine your cat for treatment
- A carrier
- Cotton balls or swabs
- Splints and tongue depressors
- Towels
- A muzzle or strips of cotton to prevent biting
- Penlight or flashlight
- Scissors
- Needle-nosed pliers
- Ice pack
- Plastic eyedropper or syringe
- Sterile saline solution
- Latex gloves
- Ear-cleaning solution
- Nail clippers
Handling an Injured Animal:
Any animal injured or in pain can bite or scratch you. Even the friendliest of pets must be handled with care for the safety, of all involved. If you are accidentally bitten or scratched, seek medical attention. Both dog and cat bites can become infected quickly!
CATS AND DOGS
Vital Statistics: Pulse and Heart Rate
Normal resting rates:
Cats: 150-200 bpm
Small dogs: 90-120 bpm
Medium dogs: 70-110 bpm
Large dogs: 60-90 bpm
Pulse should be strong, regular and easy to locate.
Checking the pulse:
The easiest place to locate a pulse is the femoral artery in the groin area. Place your fingers on the inside of the hind leg and slide your hand upward until the back of your fingers touches the abdomen. Gently move your fingers back and forth on the inside of the hind leg until you feel the pulsing blood. Count the number of pulses in 15 seconds and multiply that number by 4. This will give you the beats per minute (bpm).
Temperature:
Normal temp. for dogs and cats: 100-102.5 degrees
Thermometer should be almost clean when removed.
Abnormalities are indicated by blood, diarrhea, or black, tarry stool.
Basic First Aid Procedures:
All of the following situations require immediate veterinary care.
Fractures:
Muzzle animal.
Gently lay animal on a board, wooden door, tarp, etc. padded with blankets.
Secure animal to the support.
Do not attempt to set the fracture.
If a limb is broken, wrap the leg in cotton padding, then wrap with a magazine, rolled newspaper, towel or two sticks. Splint should extend one joint above the fracture and one joint below. Secure with tape. Make sure wrap does not constrict blood flow.
If the spine, ribs, hip, etc. appears injured or broken, gently place the animal on the stretcher and immobilize it if possible.
Bleeding (external):
Muzzle animal.
Press thick gauze pad over wound. Hold firmly until clotting occurs.
If bleeding is severe, apply a tourniquet between the wound and the heart.
Loosen tourniquet for 20 seconds every 15-20 minutes.
A tourniquet is dangerous and should only be used in life-threatening hemorrhaging of a limb. It may result in amputation or disability of the limb.
Bleeding (internal):
Symptoms: bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum; coughing blood; blood in urine; pale gums; collapse; rapid or weak pulse.
Keep animal as warm and quiet as possible.
Burns:
Chemical
Muzzle animal.
Flush immediately with large quantities of cold water.
Severe:
Muzzle animal.
Quickly apply ice water compresses.
Treat for shock if necessary.
Shock:
Symptoms: weak pulse; shallow breathing; nervousness; dazed appearance.
Often accompanies severe injury or extreme fright.
Keep animal restrained, quiet and warm.
If unconscious, keep head level with rest of body.
Restraint Methods:
If your animal is injured, you must restrain him/her for your safety as well as your pet's. Muzzle your pet to restrain it unless it is unconscious, has difficulty breathing or has a mouth injury.
Dogs--Muzzles:
Speak and move calmly and quietly.
Have someone restrain the dog with a leash.
Approach dog from the side and behind its head; do not attempt to put muzzle on from the front.
Quickly slip a nylon or wire cage muzzle over nose, secure snugly behind ears.
If a muzzle is not available, you can make one from a strip of gauze, rag, necktie, belt or rope about 3 feet long.
Make a large loop in the center. Quickly slip loop over dog's nose.
Bring ends under chin. Tie snugly behind ears.
Cats--Muzzles
Speak and move calmly and quietly.
Have someone restrain the cat by holding the scruff of its neck firmly. This does not hurt the cat; it just prevents him/her from moving.
Working from behind the cat, quickly slip a nylon muzzle over the cat's face. The muzzle will cover most of his/her face, including the eyes. Secure snugly behind head.
If you are alone, scruff the cat with one hand and put the muzzle over the cat's face with the other. Slide both hands along muzzle straps and secure behind the head.
If a muzzle is not available, one can be made with a rag or a strip of gauze. Make sure that it is carefully placed around the cat's mouth and securely fastened, as cats can escape from these temporary muzzles.
Cats--Body Restraint:
Most cats can be restrained by holding the scruff of the neck.
The "Cat Sack" can be used for fractious or very frightened cats. Slip sack over cat from tail to head, zip up appropriate zippers.
Wrap cat in a towel, making, sure his/her front legs are covered and against the body.
Gloves are not recommended for handling cats. They reduce the handler's dexterity and can easily be penetrated by a cat's teeth.
Keep your pet well hydrated in warm weather.
Preparing a first aid kit for your pet can ease the anxiety if your pet is ill or injured. Some important phone numbers for your pet are listed below.
Kansas State's College of Veterinary Medicine has a free, 24-hour animal poison control hotline at (785)-532-5679 that puts worried pet owners and other veterinarians in touch with three K-State veterinary toxicologists. The college has been operating the animal poison control center since 1969. Overseeing the hotline is Dr. Fred Oehme, a veterinarian and professor of toxicology and pathobiology.
The veterinarian’s field calls from across the country, night and day. The number of calls can vary from two or three during a whole day to two or three in one hour. The free service is staffed by on-call veterinarians who also maintain regular veterinary practices at K-State along with their teaching and research duties. For that reason, Oehme said the hotline calls should be for real concerns and not employed frivolously.
If you have an emergency and need to call the hotline, Oehme offers some tips:
- Be patient. The person who answers the phone may have to page the veterinarian on call. This may take a few minutes, especially during the nighttime.
- Call as soon as possible. If you call within five minutes to 10 minutes of ingestion, a veterinarian may direct you to induce vomiting to minimize harm. But if you wait a few hours to see how the animal reacts, it may be too late. Also, be able to tell the veterinarian how long ago the poison was ingested.
- Have product labels handy. Be able to tell the veterinarian what your pet ingested. If it was a medication, tell the veterinarian the generic name of the drug and how many milligrams were in each tablet. Also be able to tell the veterinarian how much your pet weighs.
- Know if your pet is actually in trouble. A little drool might just mean your pet is happy to see you. Unusual drooling, unexplained vomiting, frothing at the mouth, redness or burns in the mouth, difficulty breathing, unusual behavior, convulsions or unconsciousness may indicate that your animal is in trouble.
Another hotline for pets is:
As the premier animal poison control center in North America, the APCC is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call that can make all the difference: (888) 426-4435. A $55 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card.
Buddy and friends are happy knowing they have a first aid kit inside the house. Make sure you get your kit ready before an emergency happens.
Thanks for reading my column. Keep your pets safe and prepare the best first aid kit that you can. Being prepared can save your pets life. If you thought this information was useful please leave a comment at the end. Please sign up to rate this column for Buddy the Dog.
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