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We keep first aid kits at home or in our vehicles for minor human medical problems. In the same way, it’s wise for all dog owners to keep a dog first aid kit in case of minor canine medical problems. You can of course buy a canine first aid kit but you can also make one up yourself.
In this post I’m going to explain what to put in a dog first aid kit to help you build your own little medical pack for minor medical problems you’re likely to encounter as a dog owner.
Table of Contents
- Why Should You Keep a Dog First Aid Kit at Home?
- What to Put in a Dog First Aid Kit if You Want to Make One
- Summary
Why Should You Keep a Dog First Aid Kit at Home?
Dogs can easily get themselves into mischief. They often pick up small cuts and grazes, hurt their paws or suffer bee or wasp stings.
Though many of these scrapes are not medical emergencies, some things require some form of medical treatment that you can administer at home.
If you always had to make a trip to your local pet care store or supermarket whenever you needed a canine first aid item, your poor dog would have to wait until you returned.
Keeping a dog first aid kit containing the items you’d most likely require for your pooch will mean that you could swiftly treat minor injuries quickly, leaving your dog to carry on about its business.
What to Put in a Dog First Aid Kit for Home Use
I’m going to provide a list of products that you might put in a dog first aid kit. I’ve chosen these based upon practicality and likelihood that they’ll be required.
I should advise that a first aid kit you keep at home for your dog is not designed to replace the advice and treatment offered by a veterinary clinic. I am not a qualified veterinary professional and my recommendations here for what to put in a dog first aid kit do not mean it should be used in place of veterinary help.
A first aid kit is only suitable for treating minor injuries, or for making a dog more comfortable in cases of more serious injury until you can get them to a vet.
With this in mind, here are some of the items you might put into a dog first aid kit to treat small injuries and scrapes at home. Each may be purchased on Amazon.
Canine First Aid Book
Although perhaps not something to keep within a kit bag, a book about canine first aid is something all dog owners will need.
A practical guide to common dog first aid techniques will help you make informed decisions when your dog has a need for first aid.
Useful to prepare you for times when your dog gets has an injury or health problem, a book on canine first aid will also help you to make the best decision in an emergency.
50% of the proceeds of this particular book by veterinary doctor Lorrie Boldrick DVM go to Freedom Dogs.
First Aid Kit Bag
Firstly, you’ll need something in which to store your first aid items. This multi-purpose set includes 2 waterproof and moisture proof medicine bags.
The bags are made from a waterproof oxford fabric exterior and a moisture proof internal polyester lining to keep items stored within them dry.
Available in green, grey and pink the bags offer ample size for canine first aid items:
- Large: 25cm x 20cm x 13.5cm
- Small: 11cm x 14cm x 2cm
This set will make it possible for you to have a larger dog first aid kit for home use and another smaller one for keeping in your vehicle, just in case.
Non-Stick Bandages
These strong and gentle self-adhering elastic bandages are simple to apply and adapt to the shape of a dog’s body.
Since the tape only adheres to itself, it will not stick to your dog’s fur, meaning they’re easy to remove.
Useful for providing support to muscles, tendons and joints, they’ll also hold an absorbent dressing in place for cuts and grazes.
Not only this but they’re water-repellent and breathable to keep the injured area dry.
This pack of 6 bandages contains 2 different bandage sizes:
- 3 x 5cm width and 457cm long.
- 3 x 2.5cm and 457cm long.
Surgical Sticky Tape
This 2.5cm x 914cm micropore tape from 3M comes in a pack of two and is recommended for sensitive skin.
Since it’s a micropore fabric it enables the skin to breathe and yet it holds well on damp skin.
Useful for holding gauzes or dressings in place, it’s latex-free and gentle on the skin should it come into direct contact. The 3M micropore tape is easy to tear, which might make it useful in scenarios where you need to dress a wound quickly.
Although some may find non-stick bandages will be more useful, surgical sticky tape may still serve a useful function.
Non-Adhesive Absorbent Dressings
Care Science’s antibacterial non-adhesive absorbent dressing pads provide a non-stick solution for covering wounds your dog may sustain.
This pack contains 8 sterile pads that measure 7.6cm x 10.1cm. Each pad offers antibacterial protection, while cushioning and protecting wounds at the same time.
The antibacterial pad is made from a 100% cotton absorbent middle layer with an outer layer of non-stick transparent polyester for easy removal.
Alcohol Wipes
Alcohol wipes help to prevent infection for small cuts and abrasions and so are ideal for carrying with you when you’re out on dog walks.
This particular box of alcohol wipes by Care Touch contains 200 individually wrapped wipes saturated with 70% isopropyl alcohol.
Each 2-ply wipe measures 3.175cm x 3.175cm and is gamma sterilised to render bacteria harmless. The wipes are contained within a 4-layer wrapper, making them airtight preventing leakage and drying out.
Cotton Wool Balls
Cotton wool balls are useful for gently bathing and cleaning skin cuts, grazes and sores or applying topical medication.
This pack of organic cotton balls by Sky Organics contains 100 cotton balls that are 100% cruelty free.
They’re also made with GOTS certified cotton and guaranteed chlorine and fragrance-free and each ball is 100% biodegradable.
Wound and Skin Care Spray
An wound spray can help to neutralise bacteria from wounds without causing irritation or preventing the skin’s natural healing processes.
This wound and skin care formulation from MicrocynAH is an over the counter spray for skin cuts, grazes, burns and general irritations.
It contains no alcohol, antibiotics or steroids and is non-toxic and non-irritating for pooches with sensitive skin.
MicrocynAH’s wound and skin care spray comes highly recommended on Amazon for a range of pet skin problems.
Elizabethan Collar (Cone of Shame!)
Useful when recovering from an injury or surgical procedure, an elizabethan collar (or cone of shame as it’s often known) stops your dog licking the affected area.
Sometimes dogs will excessively lick wounds or sores, which makes the healing process more lengthy.
Many elizabethan collars are made of plastic and can be uncomfortable for dogs. However, the Comfy Cone is a far more comfortable design utilising foam-backed, padded nylon that’s water-resistant.
Although you may not use an elizabethan collar often, it’s a handy item to put in your dog first aid kit for when you need it.
Blunt Ended Scissors
Nothing fancy and expensive required here… unless you really want to pay for more than you need, of course!
A pair of cheap, blunt edged safety scissors will be safe and efficient for cutting bandages or dressing pads down to size when needs must.
Although not at all expensive, these Fiskars blunt edged scissors will provide more than enough cutting power for what you’ll need in your dog first aid kit.
Tweezers
For the times you dog pick up splinters or small thorns, these precision tweezers by Tweezer Guru will be the perfect tools to remove them.
Although designed for human use, they’ll be perfectly practical to put in your dog first aid kit. They’re built to last since they’re made from premium-grade stainless steel and have a matt finish so they’ll never slip in your hand.
This two-piece set includes one pair of slanted tip tweezers and one pair of pointed tips.
Tick Remover
If you take your dog for walks in fields, woods or forests you’ll need to be prepared for ticks. Ticks spread a number of diseases such as Colorado tick fever and Lyme disease, both of which are dangerous for dogs and humans.
The TickCheck Tick Remover kit is an essential item to add to any first aid kit, especially if you live in areas where ticks are prevalent.
The TickCheck kit comprises two high-quality stainless steel tick removal tools for removing ticks of any size that are partially or full embedded. The kit also includes a neat carrying pouch as well as a tick identification card.
Dog Eye Rinse
An eye rinse is extremely useful for cleansing and soothing a dog’s sensitive eyes.
Nutri-Vet’s eye rinse can help to fight infections caused by irritants such as dust. Using it regularly also removes tear stains, dried mucous, pollen and other foreign bodies.
Nutri-Vet eye rinse is a sterile ophthalmic eye wash that should feature in any dog first aid kit.
Microfiber Towel
A useful item to have in your home and car, a microfiber dog towel is great for drying a wet dog or wrapping it up to keep it warm.
This microfiber towel by Bone Dry is durable, absorbant and fast drying so it’s ideal when you’re on the move.
It’s a lightweight towel with an embroidered paw print design and it comes in a range of colours for the fashion conscious pooch!
Small Flashlight
What happens if you find yourself outside in an emergency situation in the dark? This mini MagLite might just save the day.
MagLite is considered the Rolls Royce of flashlight manufacturers. This mini flashlight version is weather-resistant and resistant to corrosion making it the perfect outdoor tool.
MagLite’s mini flashlight produces a powerful LED light beam that will be more than strong enough to get you out of a fix if your dog hurts itself at night.
Struggling to Figure out What to Put in a Dog First Aid Kit?
If you just want a quick solution for a dog first aid kit, and don’t want to build your own, here’s a popular kit available on Amazon.
Summary: What to Put in a Dog First Aid Kit
I have a dog first aid kit at home just in case of accidents. However, I also recommend keeping a small kit in your vehicle, since it’s entirely possible that your dog will get into scrapes while outdoors on walks.
This is something we experienced when our Whippet suffered a skin tear while out running in woods near where we live.
If you’re out walking your dog and it suffers a more serious injury, having a first aid kit in your vehicle might just help you to make your dog more comfortable before taking it to see a veterinarian.
Have I missed anything? Do you feel there’s something else important that should be included? Tell my what you would be put in a dog first aid kit.
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