relax outside!

A Dog First Aid Kit is easy to create, and you should keep one handy. Start with some sort of container to hold all the medicines, drugs and supplies. You could use an old lunch box, a tackle box, or any other shoebox sized plastic container. It should be water-proof, strong enough to withstand a little pressure and have some sort of clasp so you can latch it. 

You can label it (on all sides) with a red felt tip marker so that it’s easy to read. Write something like “Dog First Aid Kit” and maybe put a big red cross on it. Just make sure everyone can easily tell the difference between your human first aid kit and this one for your dog or puppy.

Tape an index card under the lid of your dog first aid kit with the phone numbers of your local veterinarian, poison control, and other canine emergency numbers for your dog (emergency vet, etc). It would also be a good place to put your dog’s color, weight, health issues, distinguishing characteristics, and a recent photo labeled with the name of each pet. This could help others in the case of some sort of disaster or emergency when you’re not at home for some reason.

Here’s a list of items to place in your dog first aid kit and a brief explanations of what each item is for.

Dog First Aid Kit Ingredients

• Activated charcoal: for poisonings (1 gram per pound, mixed with water)
• Antihistamine tablets: for insect stings and allergic reactions
• Betadine or Nolvasan: for cleaning and disinfecting open wounds
• Blunt nosed scissors: to cut tape and clip
• Canine rectal thermometer: to take the dog or puppies temperature
• Cortisone ointment: Used as a topical anti-inflammatory
• Cotton balls and swabs: mainly for cleaning wounds
• Eyedropper or dosage syringe: to apply medications to your dog
• Eyewash: to irrigate your dog’s eyes
• First-aid cream: to sooth and protect wounds
• Gauze bandage: for wrapping wounds
• Rubber Gloves: to avoid contamination
• Hand towels: to dry hands, for clean up, etc.
• Hydrogen peroxide (3%): for flushing wounds, and to induce vomiting
• Ipecac: used to induce vomiting (1 teaspoon per 20 pounds)
• Kaolin and pectin: to help diarrhea (1 teaspoon per 10 pounds)
• Magnifying glass: to help locate any tiny objects
• Muzzle: even the best German Shepherd may bite when injured. If you don’t have one you can make one from strips of soft long fabric, tube socks, etc.
• Non-stick adhesive tape: to help tape bandages in place
• Non-stinging antiseptic spray: to help clean wounds
• Pepto-Bismol , Maalox or Kaopectate: to help relieve minor stomach upsets
• Petroleum jelly: for use with the rectal thermometer, and to relieve constipation (1/2 teaspoon per 10 pounds)
• Saline solution: for flushing open wounds
• Stretch bandages: for wound dressing
• Styptic pencil: to stop minor bleeding
• Tweezers or hemostat: use to pull out splinters or other small foreign objects
• Vegetable oil: for mild constipation (1 teaspoon per 5 pounds, mix it in with food)

You might also want to store several blankets near your dog first aid kit. They can be helpful in treating shock in the event of an accident or injury and are also a good way to transport an injured dog, Remember, your dog’s health may depend on it!