What You Need in Your Pet First Aid Kit

Pet first aid is no laughing matter, and just as you need your own first aid kit for your accidents and needs, so does your pet. Learn how to make your own first aid kit for your pet, quick and easy, so you and your pet are never caught off-guard!

Items you need in your pet first aid kit are not surprisingly similar to what people would need in theirs. For your pet first aid kit you need the emergency number and office hours number of your preferred vet, and a back-up emergency vet number in case you cannot get ahold of your preferred veterinarian. Having the animal poison control number handy (1-888-426-4435) is highly beneficial.

Don't keep bandages designed for humans in your pet first aid kit, but rather keep gauze and nonstick towels and adhesive tape in your kit so you can treat and wrap cuts and wounds in your pet without catching their fur in it. Milk of magnesia and activated charcoal are essential to have on-hand in the event your pet accidentally ingests something toxic or foreign.

3% hydrogen peroxide is kept in a first aid kit for pets to induce vomiting in the event of poisoning, but use this (as well as the Milk of magnesia and the activated charcoal) under the advice of your vet or a professional consult unless you have no other option than to just use them on your own judgement.

Keep an eye dropper for administering medications or for removing objects from the eye, a leash, a muzzle, and a collapseable stretcher (even just a board left near the kit will do) so you can transport an injured pet. Always have a leash handy to restrain the pet if you need to, and if you don't have a muzzle to keep them calm and to keep yourself from getting bitten, you can wrap the leash around their snout as an alternative.

Keep your pet first aid kit in an area where it can be easily reached, and make sure everyone in the household is aware of your pet first aid kit and how to use the items within. When traveling, take the kit with you if your pet is also traveling, and as an added precaution, carry a pet carrier with you whether you intend on using it or not. You never know when you need to fully restrain your pet to protect them.

Source:

http://www.avma.org/firstaid/supplies.asp