Pet's First Aid Box - what is in yours?

gettingready

As per title - what do you keep at home in case of pet's emergencies and what do you use it for?

Had a little hospital rounds just now:

Zara - metacam for possible inflamation, efavet for her skin, chlorhexidine (diluted) for the cysts

Fred - chlorhexedine (diluted) on his head as he has some scabs there....

Macuis - same on his chin again some scabs there

George - as above

Teddy - came back from the garden with nothing on him.. for a change

So started thinking - what should I keep at home in case of minor "accidents" as not to have to rush to vets?

Have charcola at home always - very good for any sudden dihrea (never will learn this spelling LOL)

What do YOU keep at home and when/what for do you use it?

Fridaycat

diarrhoea

Don't really have a pet first aid box and not really needed one in around 20 years of cat ownership... Just have things like baby wipes for cleaning up accidents and would obviously keep any prescribed medications from the vet when needed

Kavanne

I have two rabbits and I keep liquid feed, in case they stop eating I can syringe them and I have metacam. Any meds for their gut stasis (ranitidine, metaclopramide) (which would likely be the reason they stop eating) I'd get from vet at the time. Luckily I have very good bunny savvy vets AND emergency vets nearby.

I keep their favourite treats in there as if I think something's wrong, I will offer them one - if they don't take it I know we're in vet territory!

I also keep cornflour about in case I accidentally cut their claws too much during a trim, as it stops the bleeding a treat

ETA - And the 'bunny bum bath bowl' (BBBB) with a bun-safe shampoo in case they get a mucky bum as flystrike can hit them very quickly if they have a problem and aren't kept fresh.

faerie~spangles

Nowt.

I see no need to have one.

I didn't have one for my children other than a pack of plasters.

rising_from_the_ashes

Mine's not really a first aid box - keep bits like:

• flea/tick stuff (otherwise I lose the pack once I've opened it & can never remember where I've left it when it comes to doing the next dose!)
• tick remover tool thing (after spending the best part of an hour trying to find it the other week - it now lives in here too!)
• wormer
• ear cleaner & cotton wool
• metacam
• fuciderm
• syringes (various sizes!)
• sterile dressing pads & bandage (would help stop blood loss whilst getting to the vet if there was a bad cut etc)

krlyr

I just have a box/pot under the kitchen sink and keep some bits in the dog-walking bag (backpack OH donated to me for the purpose) to have on my when out and about

- dressings and bandages (as RFTA says, emergency use, but also helpful to cover up minor scrapes or itchy spots to prevent dogs licking it, Casper is prone to obsessively licking minor cuts and creating a lick granuloma)
- Vetwrap, a cohesive bandage (good to use in conjunction with crepe bandages) - also helpful for when you twist your own ankle on a dog walk to brace the ankle!
- flea & worming products (vet prescribes 3 months worth for me to order online so I have a stash)
- Hibiscrub for cleaning out minor cuts and scrapes
- Piriton tablets for allergic reactions, bee stings, adder bites (always carried with me - won't cure an adder bite or completely solve a bee sting but can buy you time to get to a vet before serious swelling occurs - especially useful of the bite or sting could interfere with the respiratory system)
- Infacol (for baby gripe - again, buys you some time to get to the vet, in this case this is for bloat which my breeds are prone to - carried with me all the time)
- muzzles for each dog, carried with me incase they were ever injured severely and at risk of biting from pain, could muzzle them to allow emergency treatment
- manuka honey ointment, good for minor cuts and irritations
- Dermacton ointment, good for soothing itches
- doggy boots to fit both dogs, back and front paws (different sizes may be needed for front and back) incase of pawpad or nail injuries, have got a fair bit of use out of these so handy to have!
- try to remember to carry a spare lead on me. Handy if one of mine breaks or I came across a stray without a lead! A slip-lead can be handy for this as it means it's still usable even if your dog's collar broke or the stray dog had no collar, I don't like to use them permanently but for an emergency they can be useful. You can create your own sliplead with a dog lead that has a handle though by slipping it through the handle and holding the clip end instead.

I tend to always have a blanket in the car so this could be folded to make a sling to help lift an injured dog - would struggle to lift Casper by myself (but could just about manage) so could make a stretcher from the blanket if someone else was there to help too. Their harnesses have handles too so if they were only partially lame I could support them enough to get back to the car.
Always have tweezers in my handbag for me and a few in the house.
Have a human first aid kit in the glovebox so could use bits from that if needed.
Also tend to keep a 2l bottle of water in the car which I swap for a fresh one every so often. Multiple uses - for a drink, washing out a wound, washing off cowpats or fox poo! Cooling down a warm dog, cleaning muddy paws, etc.

Have studied the doggy CPR diagrams online too, not sure how useful it would be when panic kicked in but no harm in trying to remember it
http://www.berner.org/pages/dogcpr.pdf

There are some other bits I've been meaning to buy - I keep meaning to sew a walking bag with lots of pockets etc. and keep this as a doggy "bug out bag" - stored in the car or by the door to grab in an evacuation type circumstance, e.g. few days of dry food or self-opening tins, stash of Kiki's thyroid medication (not lifethreatening if she went without but I get given a couple of month's worth in advance so could put some aside), maybe a foil blanket, would be handy to have for human use too if needed. I'd like to get some of those little pods of sterile eyewash but can't find little packs - a big bottle is a bit of a waste as you have to bin it once open. Just little bits that I keep half an eye out for popping up cheaply

rising_from_the_ashes

krlyr wrote: »

- Dermacton ointment, good for soothing itches

Ohhhh I have some of that too! It's fantastic stuff!:D
Sudocrem in there too
Antihistamines are in my 1st aid kit so always handy (used to give them to Ben now & then as he got terrible bites, thankfully Maisie doesn't seem too bad)

krlyr wrote: »

I'd like to get some of those little pods of sterile eyewash but can't find little packs - a big bottle is a bit of a waste as you have to bin it once open.

I've got these ones in my 1st aid kit as get really bad hayfever and helps to wash the eyes out: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Refresh-Plus-Eye-Drops-Containers/dp/B000R2PV9Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1347609357&sr=8-2 (you might find cheaper online, it was just a quick hunt to find them) HTH:)

ETA just noticed these ones http://www.amazon.co.uk/Systane-Preservative-Free-vials-0-8/dp/B003YGWN4S/ref=pd_sim_sbs_d_5 - might give them a try as substantially cheaper!

Car is stashed with "emergency" stuff that would do if needed - couple of blankets, towels etc and always keep dog bowl & water in there too. In winter, the list grows as in a pretty rural area & always carry human & dog food supplies .... just in case!

Fire_Fox

I don't have one, should I? I don't even keep flea and worm treatment in stock, Lulu is an indoor city centre cat so is done intermittently. I have Advocate in at present because I bought a three pack when she had her last vaccinations.

con1888

Don't have a bag as such but have a unit that their 'stuff' is kept in.

Wormer
syringes
metacam
sterile solution
pet bandage
ice packs that snap to activate - not really for the pets but that's just where they are kept.
vaseline - frankie had a sore on his neck and vet told me to use that

Buttonmoons

Erm....nothing? Mine are indoor cats though, but I think the only thing that I actually own for them is harball paste, as Archie and Dexter get a bit choked up and I have to watch Archie as he's already had a bit of intestine removed

PixieDust

Ferrets......

• flea/tick stuff
• tick remover tool
• wormer
• ear mite liquid & cotton buds
• Sudocrem
• syringes (various sizes!)
• sterile dressing pads & bandage
• Vetwrap
• Scissors
• Nail clippers
• vitamin/hairball paste
• cod liver oil capsules
• top & tail wipes or baby wipes
• tweezers
• plastic baby spoons, short skewers and bamboo tweezers (for "hand" feeding poorly/elderly/in pain ferrets)
• rectal thermometer
• pill popper (useless thing)
• small animal mothering kit
• chicken flavour Complan
• hand alcohol rub stuff
• non-pointy ended scissors
• and finally a stethoscope *

* ferrets are notorious for going into a phase of sleep called "sleeping not dead" or SND. Which is fine and dandy, if a little disconcerting. However when a very sick or elderly ferret does SND it can be nice to reassure oneself. Or, at the end of their journey, to see if there is hope and whether to call the vet or say your goodbyes.

** I am part of a ferret rescue so I never know what I might have to deal with at the twitch of a whisker.