First Aid Kit For Dogs

[Jasslyn]

I wanted to know what people would recommend for a first aid kit specifically for pets.

I had an unfortunate incident on Friday night - Flynn found out how to push open a door to a room I never let him go in, and while he was in there he found the mouse bait that is in there and ate quite a bit of it. I took him to the emergency vet, they made him vomit it all up and then gave him charcoal to absorb anything that didn't come up. I have to continue to watch him for signs of internal bleeding but the vets are hopeful that he will be okay.

I'm now wondering what I can keep in the house for first aid in case of emergencie like this in the future. I have thrown out all the bait but Flynn does have a habit of eating/chewing anything he finds (the vets on Friday night said he is the only dog they have ever come across that willingly ate charcoal) so I can't guarantee that he won't eat something he shouldn't again. For instance, a few weeks ago someone threw an onion into our yard while I was at work and he did have a small chew on that. And sometimes on windy days we end up with other people's rubbish blowing in - so far the stuff that has blown in hasn't been dangerous to him but one day it could be an empty chemical container that he decides to chew on. Is there a product I can get that I can use to induce vomiting if necessary? I plan on asking the vet when I take Flynn back for a check up/refill of the vitamin K syrup he has to take but thought you wise DOLers might have suggestions too.

What things would you recommend having in the cupboard "just in case"?

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Firstly, thankfully your dog is okay - this time.

Secondly, if your dog is prone to eating ANYTHING, you will need to manage its environment to a higher level than a dog that won't pick up things that are harmful.

Thirdly, never have anything in your property that may harm your dog when ingested - clearly if it will harm your dog, it will also harm other critters. If you have a rodent problem, why not use mouse or rat traps? Much more humane than bait which literally sucks the blood from the system in order that the animal dies. Snail bait will kill plenty of critters along with the snails so instead, use something 'friendlier' such as a small pot (submerged) with beer in the bottom. The snails are attracted to the beer and go in after it but can't get out so they drown AFTER getting slightly tipsy. Or use some lengths of off-cut poly plumbing pipe - place them around the yard where snails like to hide, every morning go out and knock the snails out of the pipes then tread on them. Quick death and it doesn't hurt other critters either. Or get some ducks. Ducks love to eat snails.

Fourthly, if your dog ingests something it shouldn't, you MUST take it to the vet. That's one of the responsibilities of having a dog - you have a legal responsibility to take it to a vet when necessary. While a first aid kit may help in some cases, in the example of poisoning, you MUST seek vet treatment ASAP.

Fifth - anything that's in a human first aid kit belongs in a canine first aid kit. Bandages, antiseptic wipes and washes (betadine is good), alcohol wipes, splints, tweezers, saline wash, non-stick wound care, etc...all are good to have to hand.

HTH.

[Jasslyn]

When it is my house, I will definitely be managing any pest problem differently - but this is not my house therefore I cannot set the rules, the owner wanted the mouse bait down and my only option was to keep Flynn away from it or get rid of Flynn. Keeping the door closed to that room was working well, unfortunately the door has now stopped latching closed properly and he discovered that he could push it open - which is when I discovered that the latch was broken. I've since spoken to the home owner again about not having the bait down and he has agreed to remove it, only because this has happened, he did not understand the danger before and thought that the room could be secured properly. We'll be moving at the end of the month and there won't be any bait used in my home because I agree that the poisons cause a very nasty painful death.

If something like this were to happen again, I would definitely still take him to the vet. I was not implying that I wouldn't. However, the vets he saw on Friday night made a point of saying that the sooner you can get a dog to vomit after poisoning, the better the prognosis for the dog is - so having something on hand to immediately cause vomiting is good for the dog. Then seek medical attention. It was a 20 minute drive to get Flynn to the emergency vet on Friday night - that is 20 minutes that he had the poison in his system because I couldn't induce vomiting at home.

I've seen that there is a list of plants that are toxic to animals on this forum so I'll be consulting that when I plant my garden at the new house, but I'm also considering poisons like that when I ask "what to do if he does this again". Because as you say, his environment will have to be watched very carefully given that he doesn't seem to be growing out of the "put everything in your mouth" phase. I'm really just putting the question out there because I can't control everything that he comes into contact with - it might be a neighbour who throws something at him, he might eat a plant I don't know is poisonous to him, he might chew on some rubbish... so I want to have the right stuff on hand to administer first aid next time with the full intention of then getting him real medical attention.

[lucknow]

To induce vomiting try the advice given at http://www.petalert.com.au/faid/fa15.php. In particular note when not to induce vomiting! Always keep product of emesis for your vet to examine.

I keep the washing soda crystals on hand at all times as well as a clean cat litter tray to aim under their mouth. It is very important to be confident and fast if you use the crystals as they can cause ulceration of the mouth and throat, I give a drink of water after administering.

And by the way it's not just for poison, one of my dogs has a fascination with socks

[Jasslyn]

To induce vomiting try the advice given at http://www.petalert.com.au/faid/fa15.php. In particular note when not to induce vomiting! Always keep product of emesis for your vet to examine.

I keep the washing soda crystals on hand at all times as well as a clean cat litter tray to aim under their mouth. It is very important to be confident and fast if you use the crystals as they can cause ulceration of the mouth and throat, I give a drink of water after administering.

And by the way it's not just for poison, one of my dogs has a fascination with socks

Thanks for that Lucknow. My mum had mentioned it might be good to keep some Ipecac around but she wasn't sure if it was for children/humans only. I also have lectric soda in my bathroom but I think I'll get some Ipecac for just in case. And thanks for pointing out that not all poisons should be regurgitated.

Flynn also has a sock fettish. So far he hasn't swallowed any of them though.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Do you share this house with the owner, or are you his tenant and he lives elsewhere?

Either way, I think it's a tad irresponsible on his part to use rodent bait when he's obviously aware you have a dog. As you live on the premises, IMO you do have a choice as to what is used within it.

I assumed you would take your dog to the vet again should it ingest another toxin, however there will always be people reading forums such as this who wouldn't necessarily take a poisoned dog to the vet IF there was a way around it - such as by inducing vomiting. There are enough threads here and on other forums that start off, "My dog has x-problem, but I can't afford to take it to the vet, what can I do?" for me to know that some people just won't want to spend the money required of a vet visit.

Have you tried refusal training with your dog?

[Mystiqview]

The thing to be careful of about vit K and any other "medication" they all have expiry dates!

As for a first aid kit, I have a standard human type one:

Saline solution for washing wounds

tweezers, scissors, scalpel

various size bandages (either for splinting, packing as in the case for puncture wounds)

Iodine

gloves (as I cannot handle iodine)

non stick dressings/swabs

small kidney dish

gastro stop (for diahorrea)

straight antihistomine

The last two are to be used with caution as they are both human products and you need to know dose rates for dogs