An emergency can strike anytime. It can be a road accident or a heat stroke or swallowing a poisonous substance or an illness. Knowing what to do during these emergencies could save your dog’s life. Having a dog’s first aid kit handy helps with having a plan of action and reduces your stress level as well.
Whether you choose to buy the first aid kit or DIY it, you should know about the supplies and gears inside the kit. Once you use the first aid kit you should phone your vet and get the problem thoroughly checked.
Things to Have in First Aid:
- Tweezers and Scissors: Tweezers are essential, particularly if you spend a lot of time outside. Splinters and other foreign materials may be removed from wounds using them, and they’re also an excellent initial line of protection against ticks. Both human and canine first-aid kits benefit from scissors. They may be used for everything from cutting out an item stuck in your dog’s fur to releasing them from something knotted in their fur to cutting gauze or putting together a splint.
- Blood Clotting Powder: The power stops bleeding from gashes, bites, and even ripped or “fast” toenails quickly and efficiently. This will not only help keep your automobile clean on the trip to the vet, but it will also keep your first-aid bandages clean and, most critically, avoid significant and dangerous blood loss in the case of major blood vessel injury.
- Ice or Hot Packs: Cold treatment can help your dog feel better by reducing swelling and inflammation while also easing discomfort. It can also help to reduce muscular spasms and speed up the healing process. If your dog is suffering from a condition like arthritis, your hot pack will come in useful, since heat treatment can shorten the time it takes for your dog to recover owing to the increased blood flow generated by the heat.
- Splints: Splint rolls that are moldable and foam-covered are ideal for dogs. If you believe your dog has fractured a bone or torn a ligament in his or her lower limb, a splint can assist limit mobility and keep your dog as comfortable as possible while you seek emergency treatment.
- Adhesive tape, Cotton balls, and Bandage pads: When wrapping and bandaging burns, cuts, and other wounds, non-stick bandage pads are a suitable choice. Their gauze nature allows them to absorb blood and inflammatory fluid, but their non-stick covering keeps them from adhering to and disturbing any clot or scab that has developed throughout the healing process. Cotton balls are for cleaning wounds, as well as cleaning in and around your dog’s eyes, ears, and other sensitive areas more gently and accurately. Adhesive tape is the bandage’s outer layer, which helps hold it in place and prevents it from unraveling. No tape is required since it adheres to itself.
- OTC Antibiotic Ointment: Minor wounds in your dog can be treated with antibiotic ointment. Most over-the-counter medications are safe for pets, but you should avoid allowing your dog to lick them.
- First aid Manual: Finally, a first aid manual will always help you to guide through all the first aid situations. At times when you are unsure, they will be helpful.
Visit San Antonio Wellness Spay & Neuter Clinic to find out all about what you need to take care of your pets!