How to Build a Pet First Aid Kit

The safety of family members is always our priority, and when an accident occurs, having a first aid kit on hand is crucial! It can help with minor injuries and sometimes help manage more serious conditions until more help can be provided. For the same reason, it’s essential to have some for yourself, and the 2-legged family member is also essential for your furry friends! Luckily, there are a wide range of pet first aid kit options, but if you’d rather make your own or expand on a kit you’ve already made, you can add valuable parts to your first aid kit. . If you’re looking to take your pet on adventures in the woods or in the mountains, or even on a day at the beach, be sure to bring their first aid kit with you in addition to your own!

The basics of first aid

Although you want to customize your kit or fill it with more than the ordinary “essentials”, it’s essential to keep the basics in stock. Maintaining the basics, keeping your kit well stocked and housed in a specific location will help you react more easily and find what you need in the event of a crisis. You can see some overlap between what you have for your first aid kit and what you’ll need for your pets if you’re building your own.

• Surgical tape
• Self-adhesive dressings
• Open Weave Bandages
• Absorbent wound dressing
• Gauze
• Safety or blunt scissors
• Any medication your dog may need if he has severe allergies
• Pet safe antibiotic ointment
• Antibacterial hand or paw wipes that are suitable for pets
• Antibacterial wound spray
• Liquid dressings
• Disposable leg wraps or washable reusable boots
• Clotting gel
• Elizabethan collar, a coneless collar or an inflatable collar

The advantage of making your own pet first aid kit is that you can customize it to suit your needs! Pets with special needs or serious medical conditions will likely need additional supplies. Not sure what your pet needs? Ask your veterinarian for advice.

Neoprene wraps

Neoprene front and rear leg wraps can be a great addition to any first aid kit. A gentle leg wrap is essential for active dogs that are aging or if your pet has had problems with their leg joints in the past. These wraps and hugs work very similarly to our ankle or wrist supports. They help relieve some pain and support the affected joint as a compression element that we would use for ourselves. Wrist support is crucial for dogs in wheelchairs, as they put a lot of pressure on their front legs when active. A canine ankle and wrist support can be worn to prevent injuries or to prevent an old injury from getting worse.

Most

While it’s easy to find pet first aid kits with the basics included, it can be harder to find them with equipment that could help in case the injury isn’t just an injury. If your pet is injured on a hike or out in the world with you, or even at home, there’s not much you can do with tape and gauze. Having items that will help move your injured or even immobile pet will help you and your pet and can make the scary situation a little easier.

We can never be sure what we will need in the event of an accident, so being over-prepared is always a good thing. If you’re not sure if you need more than the basics, you’ll also want to know your pet’s breed and age, as they may be more susceptible to diseases and illnesses that can cause them problems later on. . This is why having additional tools can be very useful.

A rear support leash for emergencies

A simple rear support leash holder can be a big help in a pinch. Maybe your pet jumped off the couch badly or has an unexplained weakness in the back. It can be difficult to move a larger dog when he can’t get up on his own. So an inexpensive rear harness or leash like the Walkin’ Up-N-Go Leash is a great addition to any first aid kit.

There are two sizes based on the weight of the pets, but since they are highly adjustable between the two sizes, the leash can help pets from 5 lbs to 150 lbs. They also don’t take up a lot of space, so adding them to a backpacking bag won’t add much weight to you, although it isn’t necessary. Mid-body support slings can also be great options if you don’t know the cause of the immobility and your pet indicates that their hips or hind legs are sore to the touch.

A pet stretcher

The last thing to add to any pet first aid kit would be a safety carrier stretcher. These are usually made of a very durable material and are waterproof. They can be crucial when you have a very large dog that has completely lost the ability to move and is trying to carry them.

Stretchers are also great in situations where you don’t want your pet to move as this could cause further injury. The Walkin’ Pet Transport Stretcher is designed to hold pets up to 250 lbs. and has six handles so many people can use it if needed to lift a larger animal. Plus, a strap runs down the middle across the width of the stretcher to help stabilize your pet during transport.

A fabric pet stretcher is very portable and folds flat, so it’s easy to keep in your car or store in your backpack. Keeping one handy means the difference between getting your pet to move safely or not.

The moral of the story? Be ready.

Having a pet is one of life’s greatest joys, and keeping it safe is the most important thing an owner can do. It doesn’t matter if you have an older pet that’s a couch potato or an extremely active animal ready to hike the mountains with you, you need to be prepared in case they get hurt. A pet first aid kit should NEVER replace a necessary vet visit or emergency visit. But it can help make your pet more comfortable and get it where it needs to be so it can be cared for. Be ready for anything, so you know you’ll be ready if the worst should happen.

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