[kernel]

Does anyone have a good website for a "how to" build a good canine first aid kit? What human meds are ok for the beloved K9.

 

[Calculated]

What a great idea!!! I too am interested in this...thanks for posting.

 

[Zonny]

Google search turned up this:

Keep this kit handy and update it every so often to ensure that the liquid's and pill's freshness are still intact, and that any used items have been properly replenished.

Storage container with tight-fitting lid
Muzzle (rope or strip of cloth)
Tweezers
Scissors
Adhesive tape (1 inch roll)
Cotton balls
Cotton roll
Gauze pad (3" by 3")
Gauze roll (3")
Q-tips
Rectal thermometer
Rubber gloves
Dose syringe
Tourniquet
Towel
Emergency Telephone Numbers

Activated charcoal tablets
Panalog (antibacterial eye ointment)
Furacin ointment
Syptic Powder
Pepto-Bismol
Milk of Magnesia
Dramamine
Baby aspirin (buffered or enteric, not ibuprofen)
Kaopectate
Hydrogen Peroxide
Petroleum jelly
Rubbing alcohol
Benadryl
Cheracol - D Cough Syrup
Mineral Oil
Mylanta

Doses by Weight of Dog

Buffered or enteric aspirin: 1 five-grain tablet per 30 lbs every six hours
Charcoal: 1 Tablespoon in 4 ounces of water per 30 lbs
Cheracol - D (Cough Syrup): 1 teaspoon per 30 lbs every four hours
Mineral Oil: 1 teaspoon per 5lbs added to meal.
Mylanta: 6 to 12 ounces
Milk of Magnesia: 1 teaspoon per 5 to 10 lbs every six hours
Kaopectate: 1 teaspoon per 5 lbs every four hours
Hydrogen Peroxide (3%): 2 teaspoons per 30 lbs every ten minutes for three doses, or until dog vomits
Dramamine: 25 to 50 mg one hour before traveling
Benadryl: (Dachshund dose) Use the dosage instructions for a 12 year old human

[Top of Page][Canine Care]

Giving Pill Medication

Open dog's mouth by placing your thumb in the space behind one of the teeth in roof area and exert pressure against roof. Pull down lower jaw with other hand. Insert the pill well to the middle of the back of tongue. Close dog's mouth and hold shut while stroking the throat for a second or two. Check to be sure that the dog has swallowed the pill.

 

[Dalton Wayne]

This would make for a great sticky
You could start with a soft bag basic first aid kit and build on that, Add something to stop severe bleeding, a small flash light for checking eyes a razor to shave fur a syringe to irragate the wound with water
Just for starts

 

[Bushwhacker]

Might want to add a snake bite kit also.....

 

[dkbrucedvm]

Google search turned up this:

Keep this kit handy and update it every so often to ensure that the liquid's and pill's freshness are still intact, and that any used items have been properly replenished.

Storage container with tight-fitting lid
Muzzle (rope or strip of cloth)

Can't overestimate the importance of this. A dog WILL bite if it hurts enough.

...
Rectal thermometer

Modern digital oral thermometers are fine. Normal dog temperature is reported to be 100-102.5 F, cats up to 103 F

...
Panalog (antibacterial eye ointment)

Medicated ointments can sometimes make things worse. Also, panalog is a brand-name ointment that isn't for the eyes. A bottle of saline eye rinse (same as people use) would be better. As a topical wound treatment, plain old neosporin is a better choice.

Furacin ointment
Syptic Powder
Pepto-Bismol
Milk of Magnesia

I'm not a big fan of any of these. Furacin might be useful if it was all you had for a few days, but there are better choices such as plain old neosporin. Styptic powder will stop bleeding from over-agressive nail trimming, but isn't good for much else (and digging the nail into a bar of soap generally works as well). Pepto-bismol will turn the stool dark and so may mask blood in the feces; and both pepto and kaopectate contain an aspirin-like compound (NOT for use in cats!).

Dramamine
Baby aspirin (buffered or enteric, not ibuprofen)
Kaopectate
Hydrogen Peroxide

Peroxide is good to induce vomiting, but will slow wound healing if it's used as a disinfectant. Betadine works better as a disinfectant and is less irritating to tissues.

Petroleum jelly

KY is often a better choice. It is available in small, sterile packets and is more compatible with body tissues.

Rubbing alcohol

Povidone/iodine is kinder to tissues than alcohol and an excellent disinfectant. Using alcohol to cool a heat-stroke dog can cause big problems. So I'd substitute the povidone/iodine for alcohol.

Benadryl

This can be used instead of drammamine as well. It's not quite as effective, but can save space in your first-aid kit.

Cheracol - D Cough Syrup
Mineral Oil
Mylanta

These are generally not that useful for dogs. I'd leave them out.

Doses by Weight of Dog

Buffered or enteric aspirin: 1 five-grain tablet per 30 lbs every six hours

5 grains is an adult tablet, I think (325 mg). Doses I've seen published for aspirin are usually lower (about half of a 325 mg tablet in a 30 lb dog), and longer (12 hours rather than 6). Keep in mind that studies have shown aspirin is much more likely to cause stomach ulcers in dogs than in humans. NO ASPIRIN OR ACETOMINOPHEN IN CATS! NO IBUPROPHEN IN DOGS OR CATS! (I'm sure most of you already know that, but I feel compelled to say it anyway...)

 

[kernel]

dkbrucedvm: What about imodium liquid.

 

[dkbrucedvm]

Immodium generally isn't recommended. Immodium works by slowing the transit time of material down the colon. I don't know much about diarrhea in humans, but apparently this slowing allows the colon to absorb more water and decrease diarrhea.

In contrast, most diarrhea in dogs is thought to be related to toxins - something they ate, or perhaps toxins released by gut bacteria. Slowing transit just allows for further absorbtion of these toxic substances, and so often makes things worse.

Kaopectate used to be great for treating diarrhea in dogs, because it simply absorbed stuff in the gut. It was reformulated a few years ago, though, so now it's essentially the same thing as pepto bismol. You may still be able to find kaolin-pectin tablets OTC, but it's been a while since I looked. If you can find them, they'd be a good addition to the first aid kit.

There are specific cases where immodium is helpful, so your vet may recommend it from time to time.

 

[Magicmanmb]

You can order the original formulation of Kaeopectate from Canada. They have it w/o the bismuth compound. Also check vet supply houses. If you can find it gel foam sponge is expensive but will stop bleeding rather quickly. Also make sure you have a Muzzle to fit the dog or cat hurts like a mother to get bit. You can also add a skin stapler to the kit easier than trying to learn to suture properly but I still keep some around & use the out of date stuff for practice. For eye problems if you can still find it yellow oxide of mercury has worked for me in the past. Also if you can find a friendly vet technician of paramedic to show you how to start an I.V. wouldn't hurt to keep some ringers solution, D5, or Normal saline I.V. solutions. Remember this is for a
SHTF situation not if you can get to a vet.