It’s impossible to predict what sort of emergency might happen to your pet. Should your pet become injured, quick treatment is vital. You may not have time to conduct a search for the right remedy or tools. Be proactive and have a small tool or fishing chest stocked with the necessary materials to treat the most common injuries at a moment’s notice. You can also purchase commercial first-aid kits from pet supply stores and catalogs. These kits contain all the basic items. You can also put together your own using the following list as a guide.
Pet First-Aid Kit
- Information card with your veterinary emergency clinic phone number and the local or national poison-control number.
- Information card indicating your pet’s base line temperature and weight.
- Commercial muzzle or length of fabric to make one in a pinch.
- Bandaging materials such as sterile gauze pads and Tefla pads of various sizes.
- 1 – 2 inch rolls of stretchable and non-stretchable gauze
- Elastic bandages.
- Plastic wrap to seal wounds.
- Bandage tape.
- Blunt scissors for bandaging and/or for trimming fur away from wounds.
- Duct tape or other heavy tape (to immobilize your pet on a firm surface).
- Bubble wrap (for splinting).
- Blunt-tipped tweezers or hemostats (to remove splinters and other foreign objects).
- Large needless syringe or eyedropper (to administer liquid medicine).
- Rectal thermometer.
- Clean towel or blanket (to restrain your pet, keep him warm or use as a stretcher.)
- Ready-made cold packs and hot packs or a washcloth and a hot-water bottle to make your own.
- Antiseptic liquid soap for cleaning soiled areas on the skin.
Shojai, Amy D. The First Aid Companion For Dogs & Cats. Rodale, Inc., 2001.