Having a well-stocked first aid kit at home for your pet will definitely come in handy when it comes to dealing with minor issues that don’t call for a vet appointment.
It is important to remember that you can’t just open up your own first aid kit to assist your pets, as many medications, disinfectants and ointments that are safe for humans are far from pet-friendly.
Make sure to include these seven items in your pet’s first aid kit to keep you covered and prepared for most, minor incidents:
Digestive distress: Be it drinking the salty seawater during a beach outing or eating something they shouldn’t have at the doggy park – dogs get an upset tummy quite often, so it’s best to have a digestive aid such as Diomec paste, Prokolin or Canigest handy.
Gastrointestinal support: Activated charcoal aids and probiotics like Protexin are good to have on hand if your dog has a bad stomach, but if you see them vomiting, rather go to the vet immediately.
Wound care:
- Ask your vet for Hibitane or Biotaine, pink disinfectants that are good to have at home. There are also soap-based versions that you can dilute, which are very helpful for cleaning a dirty paw with a cut, for example. Ask your vet for a small bottle to keep at home.
- Keep cotton wool on hand and gauze swabs to clean the wound, and some antibacterial cream for small cuts and grazes. Gauze bandaging material is a worthwhile addition to keep larger wounds closed while you are on the way to your vet. Add some gloves and a pair of scissors to cut the gauze bandage.
Eye and wound flushing: Saline solution and clean syringes serve multiple purposes, from flushing out wounds through to eye flushing, should they have something irritating in them. However, persistent issues do require a vet’s attention as they can check for corneal ulcers or foreign bodies.
Constipation and hairballs: Laxapet paste helps with constipation in dogs and cats, and if your fluffy feline struggles with hairballs, a dose of Laxapet often helps move the hair through the gut nicely.
Ear care: Include an ear flush such as Epiotic and wipes for regular ear cleaning as it removes wax out of ear folds. If there is an ear infection deep in the ear canal, you will see the wash coming out dark brown, then you know it’s time to go to the vet for a good look in those ears.
Essential tools: Invest in a good pair of nail clippers and keep the nails trimmed to help prevent them from getting hooked on something and tearing. Tweezers are worth having if you are searching for a grass seed awn in between the toes, or if you can see a splinter under the skin, or want to remove a tick.
For more pet first aid tips, visit MediPet.
