Doggy First Aid?

[huntergirl270]

An incident with our Springer this morning is making me rethink what we have available in our doggy first aid kit.

I am starting this thread so we can all add information on what we believe is necessary in a "field kit" for your dog.
I thought I had everything necessary but realize that the one thing I didn't have was a styptic (minor cuts) or caustic (more serious cuts) pencil to stop bleeding. There is a powder that is available as well called Kwik Stop. Does anyone know where this can be purchased besides online?

Please feel free to add any more suggestions of items that you deem necessary to have in your field kit.

Thanks !

Sherry

[bopper]

Hi Sherry!
You probably already have it, but if not, it's good to have a roll of vetwrap (elastic bandage). If you're tavelling, it's good to have some pink bismuth
for dogs with stomach upset, and some flagyl tablets for severe diarrhea. Not good to use flagyl often, but it really works for severe cases that you need to have corrected in a hurry.
Doug

[Ddog]

the styptic can be purchased at petsmart in Langley, When i lived in the LM and hunted with my yellow lab, i basically had a first aid kit for him and me, in his kit i also had some muscle relaxers that i received from a vet when he separated his tail, they were so powerful he would not move a muscle when he was on them. I also had various bandages and tapes.
one day i out duck hunting i dropped a mallard in some tall grass and you know how they love to run full tilt through the grass, well there was a stump that stopped him dead in his tracks. good thing this stump did not have any branches out of the bottom or they may have punctured him. This also happened to a friend of mines dog, but his dog lost an eye.

[Kasomor]

An incident with our Springer this morning is making me rethink what we have available in our doggy first aid kit.

I am starting this thread so we can all add information on what we believe is necessary in a "field kit" for your dog.
I thought I had everything necessary but realize that the one thing I didn't have was a styptic (minor cuts) or caustic (more serious cuts) pencil to stop bleeding. There is a powder that is available as well called Kwik Stop. Does anyone know where this can be purchased besides online?

Please feel free to add any more suggestions of items that you deem necessary to have in your field kit.

Thanks !

Sherry

The well equipped pet store will have Kwik Stop. Try Oly's, The Mill Store, Animal House or The Scruffy Tail.

Regards

Kasomor

[Riverratz]

Consider adding;

Epicac - to induce vomiting should Fido ingest something poisonous or harmful.

Activated Carbon - administer orally after vomiting to help absorb the substance while you transport to Vet.

Peroxide 3% - to sterilize cuts

"Viaderm KC" - ointment to apply to "hotspots", raw, festering, open sores that some breeds, (especially long-haired water dogs), can get, usually around the neck area.

All of the above available at pharmacies, inexpensive.

[Iron Glove]

Daughter put together a cabin first aid kit for us when she was a vet assistant - thankfully it hasn't had to be used yet. We've added some foot balm to use on her Lab's paws as they always seem to get cuts on them.
Had a recent incident where Moller the Toller chowed down a bottle of herbal meds and the ASPCA Poison line said to use hydrogen peroxide. Yep, not long after we had puke all over the house.

[kinderdoggin]

Our first aid kit is a basic human kit, with a few added items such as those mentioned above. Also added Chlor Tripolon this year after one dog had an allergic reaction to a bee sting.

[muledeercrazy]

cabelas sells a medical stapling kit, that is the equivelant to stiches except apparently preferable for use on lacerations to the skull (i found this out the hard way, even though the e.r. doctor didnt use the cabelas brand. Good for k-9's or people, not to expensive either. Seems like it would be alot easier for use on a dog where you might have a hard time getting it to stay still, than sutures?

[sparkes3]

quick fix for nails that you cut to short is corn starch

[huntergirl270]

The incident this morning was Zena tearing one of her nails out when she jumped off the back steps. Normally I would have used corn starch but it was spraying blood. We stopped the bleeding by applying pressure to her leg and then I bandaged it up with thick eye patches to pad the nail that was sticking straight up and only attached by a bit of skin.
Took her to the vet to get the nail removed completely but we could have dealt with it mainly ourselves had I had some Kwik Stop or a caustic pencil of some sort on hand. A good cleaning, yank on the nail, kwik stop and some antibiotics would have done the job.
Growing up on a farm we always had this stuff readily available in our barn first aid box but I never even thought to add it to our doggy one.
Thanks for the info on where to purchase as I've never seen it in the average pet store. We live near the Mill Store so I'll head over there this week. If I can't find it maybe I can convince my friend who manages a vet hospital to order me some.
Hey Doug ... thankfully we did have some elastic bandages (vet wrap) in there. They came in mighty handy as did the thick eye patches. I buy the eye patches in large quantities because they work really well to build up padding if it's needed for things such as this or if someone gets something stuck in them and it needs to be padded and wrapped to limit movement of the object.
Is flagyl available from the vet or over the counter? That is something I don't have in there either.
Thanks!
Sherry

[Jimbo]

Glad to hear everything worked out. Dog injuries are always traumatic when they first happen what with all the yelping and crying.

[Kasomor]

The incident this morning was Zena tearing one of her nails out when she jumped off the back steps. Normally I would have used corn starch but it was spraying blood. We stopped the bleeding by applying pressure to her leg and then I bandaged it up with thick eye patches to pad the nail that was sticking straight up and only attached by a bit of skin.
Took her to the vet to get the nail removed completely but we could have dealt with it mainly ourselves had I had some Kwik Stop or a caustic pencil of some sort on hand. A good cleaning, yank on the nail, kwik stop and some antibiotics would have done the job.
Growing up on a farm we always had this stuff readily available in our barn first aid box but I never even thought to add it to our doggy one.
Thanks for the info on where to purchase as I've never seen it in the average pet store. We live near the Mill Store so I'll head over there this week. If I can't find it maybe I can convince my friend who manages a vet hospital to order me some.
Hey Doug ... thankfully we did have some elastic bandages (vet wrap) in there. They came in mighty handy as did the thick eye patches. I buy the eye patches in large quantities because they work really well to build up padding if it's needed for things such as this or if someone gets something stuck in them and it needs to be padded and wrapped to limit movement of the object.
Is flagyl available from the vet or over the counter? That is something I don't have in there either.
Thanks!
Sherry

Last time I bought it was at the Scruffy Tail over here in Sardis by the Pharmasave. You can buy it at the dog shows too.

When Tikka tore a nail off the day before the Lab HT (that of course she was entered in ...arggggg) there was no way I could have torn it off or cut it off. She was fine running around but once SHE saw it spurting blood... it HURT! Pressure bandaged it and then took her to the vet.

The quick was like a short piece of spaghetti sticking out of the broken nail. She had to be sedated, with enough sedation to knock out a dog twice her size, because both the nail and the quick both needed to be cut back to healthy nail and there was no way she was letting anyone touch that toe.

Here's another thing to have in your truck with you always. Not really a first aid thing until your dog has heat stroke but I can't believe how many people do not travel with WATER all the time. We would have lost one of those black dogs one time without the bucket of water to slop over her.

Regards,
Kasomor

[Lots'oLabs]

We have also learned to keep booties in our first aid kit.
After one of our dogs got a nasty cut between the toes during a Logan Lake trial we got him bandaged OK, but we were on the road for another couple of weeks and we needed him to heel quickly without disturbing the bandage.
Thankfully one of our Alberta friends keeps booties and it worked perfectly.
Ian also keeps a needle for relieving stomach gas due to bloat.
Not something I could do but he's taken a canine first aid course.

[bopper]

Sherry:
Re 'Flagyl' ......the generic name is "Metronidazole"......you should be able to get it at a drugstore, or farm supply store.
Doug

[Kasomor]

Ian also keeps a needle for relieving stomach gas due to bloat.
Not something I could do but he's taken a canine first aid course.

Where do they have canine first aid courses?

Kasomor

[Lots'oLabs]

Tracey Griffin gave one several years ago. Ian said it was excellent.
It may be time to ask her to put on another.

[cavebear]

this should be a sticky:-D

[835]

I got a gooder.
If you are hunting keep some crazy glue in your truck to fix Pad cuts.
Old timer version: My great uncle used to smear pitch into a pad cut and then dust it with dirt so it isn't stickey.
The latter version is not as clean but thoes of you who have had your pooch get cut bad on the paw have seen how much it can bleed

[cavebear]

if your dogs heart ever stops in the bush, take your nail or a small stick and press extremely hard where the upper lip comes together undder the nose. apparently there are tons of nerve ending right there and you can actualy jump start your dogs heart :-D. Heard this in a dog first aid course

[northof49]

Also might want a muzzle handy. My guy has picked up thorns in the pads several times and as much as he knows I'm trying to help he can't help biting at me when I try to dig it out. Depending on the scenario, when you try to help it often causes more pain and they might chomp at your hand.

[BlacktailStalker]

Staple gun and super glue.

[sakohunter]

Hey,
This is a great thread! Some of the items that i have in my Dog F/A kit Are, EMT gel, Quick clot, sterile saline,Tuf Foot or Blue Foot, Benedril, Hydrogen Peroxide 5% to induce vomiting, Standard gauze wrap and pads, Staple kit, Forecepts(great for cactus), White sports tape, Vet wrap, and Lewis dog boots for Blown pads, and for fractures towels help for imobilization and comfort during transportation.

It was stated in an earlier post to use peroxide for cleaning wounds. Never Never use Hydrogen Peroxide to clean a wound as it destroys tissue. Only ever use water or sterile saline!!!

So other than some Dog specific items a standard Human F/A kit will work fine for our best friends in the field.

[Piledriver]

After a bad allergic reaction last night (probably a spider bite) I had this same conversation about first aid kits this morning. Polysporin, Neosporin... in addition to plenty of Benadryl. Just so you know what dosage The Emergency Vet told me at 02:00 this morning... 2 tablets @ 25mg. per tab for my 71lb Black Lab. It helped. He was a mess! Pink skin, and a face that looked like Rocky Balboa!

[buck nash]

Good sharp scissors that can cut dog's hair. Most of the scissors that come with first aid kits are crap.

[Trapper D]

whats the best way to remove tick off dogs, it looks like its been there a couple of days , just noticed it, the old girl couldnt get to it under her throat, is hot pin the way to remove???????

[Kasomor]

While that may work to get the tick off your dog it may cause the
tick to disgorge itself ...puke...while still attached to your dog. That's how tick-borne disease gets going.

[Trapper D]

While that may work to get the tick off your dog it may cause the
tick to disgorge itself ...puke...while still attached to your dog. That's how tick-borne disease gets going.
i took it off with teezers. i got it as close to the skin as possible, it all came out.. it must have been there a couple of days. now she does have a ring of reddness around where it bit her, and isnt that the signs of lyme disease?????

[vortex hunter]

Kwik you can get at a dog groomers a friend who own dirty doggs in north van sells it

[Trapper D]

what is kwik???

[Trapper D]

thanks kasomor and vortex hunter, i will be picking up some kwik stop tomorrow morning .. keepin a close eye on her ,thanks again

[Kasomor]

Kwick Stop is used to stop bleeding from a cut toenail......I've used it to stop bleeding from umbilical cords too.....

I don't know what you would use it for regarding a tick bite. ????? Think Vortex is talking about what to put in your dogs first aid kit.

You may want to start a new thread on your dogs tick bite.

There is many tick sites and how it relates to dogs on the internet and that may be your best bet for information

Depending on where you live, who you talk too and how informed your vet is....you may get poo-poo'd for your concern about the tick.

That said YES there is Lyme Disease in BC and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I know...my friend has a young dog with RMSF. It's not nice nor is Lyme.

Keep the tick....your vet can send it away to be tested.

[Trapper D]

thank you for the info i have kept it

[Bow Walker]

i took it off with teezers. i got it as close to the skin as possible, it all came out.. it must have been there a couple of days. now she does have a ring of reddness around where it bit her, and isnt that the signs of lyme disease?????
I regularly pull ticks out with tweezers. If the tick is bloated and has been there long enough to start feeding, I apply some Polysporin antiseptic to the site. My vet says that Polysporin works just as well on dogs as it does on humans.

[835]

whats the best way to remove tick off dogs, it looks like its been there a couple of days , just noticed it, the old girl couldnt get to it under her throat, is hot pin the way to remove???????


Vasaline,
use a qtip and smear a tonne of the stuff around the tick. It suffocates them and they back out. This is what my friends parrents did with their lab, She got them all the time. It worked on the one I found on Chase just fine.

Seemed like a good one to me, If anyone knows a bad side i'd like to hear it Because it is what i will do.

[Bow Walker]

When I pull them out with tweezers, I don't squeeze too hard (it'll pop the tick) and I apply gently but firm tugging pressure to pull it out. 99.9% of the time the whole tick comes out. Once I had to go back and get the rest of it, but I got it all - which is very important.

Then apply the Polysporin as an antiseptic. Both my dogs are "bush busters" who love to follow their noses. As a result, I've pulled more than my share of those nasty little buggers.:wink:



835, does the vaseline thing take a while to work, or does the tick come out quickly?:confused:

[dedapair]

I grew up in southern Ont (ya, like I need sympathy) it was a weekly part of dog maintenance to remove ticks and leaches. All we did was apply a hot match head to the but of either, wait a few seconds and slowly/gently pull them out. If they didn't come easy, hot match again.I was taught to put salt in the wounds after but I can't say why.
I have learned from hunting in Alberta to have a porcupine quill removal tool on hand at all times. The damn things seem to enjoy the same habitat as pheasants and the dogs just can't resist. I carry a sturdy pair of needle nose pliers but my brother just carries a leatherman. We fix up whatever, if any, bleeding back at the truck.

[835]

When I pull them out with tweezers, I don't squeeze too hard (it'll pop the tick) and I apply gently but firm tugging pressure to pull it out. 99.9% of the time the whole tick comes out. Once I had to go back and get the rest of it, but I got it all - which is very important.

Then apply the Polysporin as an antiseptic. Both my dogs are "bush busters" who love to follow their noses. As a result, I've pulled more than my share of those nasty little buggers.:wink:



835, does the vaseline thing take a while to work, or does the tick come out quickly?:confused:


Takes a bit, like a day or so.

[Foxton Gundogs]

Hi Sherry

You can get Kwick Stop at any Feed and Ranch supply that caters to ranchers and cattleman. Also well worth having in the kit tho probably not PC it is effective in an emergancy and very effective id a small butane toarch with a sauldering tip for for cotterizing. Nice...NO but it's VERY effective if U r miles back from a vet and in trouble.

Good hunting
Jim

[Wonderful bc]

I recently had a English Pointer, 5 years old have a seizure out in the bush. The vet said he had low blood sugar after blood work results. This is a bird dog who is very high strung. He hadn't eaten enough breakfast to keep his levels normal. The vet said to keep a bit of pancake syrup with me and spread it on his gums if it ever happined again. The sugar will bring them out of the siezure long enough for you to get your dog to emergency vet care. Be sure your dog eats more than normal when out for a day of hunting. Next time your in a resturant or Mc D's, get yourself a couple packs of it. It could save your dogs life.

[835]

My buddy is diabetic, i have talked to him about it and i am sure you are quite right. That would work.

Of course i have a lab and getting food anytime into him is never a problem!

[Wonderful bc]

Of course i have a lab and getting food anytime into him is never a problem![/QUOTE]

LOL! I've got two Retrievers and I totally understand! I feed all my dogs twice a day and if you watch them eat...its like it's the only meal theyve ever had. I even had to order some bowls to slow them down while eating. Bless those healthy eaters!

[Sasquatch]

The vet said to keep a bit of pancake syrup with me and spread it on his gums if it ever happined again. The sugar will bring them out of the siezure long enough for you to get your dog to emergency vet care.

That sounds like a good idea. Gonna make sure there is some in my kit.

Not sure about the big meal before a hunt though. I usually feed a dog less in the morning before a hunt and more for the evening meal. I don't want to work them too hard on a full stomach.

[levind]

i will give my dog a smaller meal before a hunt and i soak it in water. I heard it helps a dog not get bloat.

[Chuck]

Consider adding;

Epicac - to induce vomiting should Fido ingest something poisonous or harmful.

Activated Carbon - administer orally after vomiting to help absorb the substance while you transport to Vet.

Peroxide 3% - to sterilize cuts

"Viaderm KC" - ointment to apply to "hotspots", raw, festering, open sores that some breeds, (especially long-haired water dogs), can get, usually around the neck area.

All of the above available at pharmacies, inexpensive.

Activated Carbon can be had in capsule form and has saved my friends dog after it had eaten something really nasty.

[okas]

duck tape works well my coon hound gets hurt a lot and last time sewing yer up she just sucked it up oh put a sock on her before tape