First aid kits for the home or car

DOG owners are usually more than capable of treating minor injuries for their pets if they have the appropriate remedies, tools, and equipment available. A home first aid kit for your pet needs to be kept in a handy place in all homes that have pets.

And if your budget allows you should have one in your car as well - perhaps as a simple extension of the human first aid kit. Even if you never have an accident yourself, you may be able to help someone else, as well as their pet, who is unfortunate enough to have crashed their car.

The following is a basic first aid kit for the home:
Gauze pads - At least six four-by-four inch pads, (usually in envelopes of two).
Antibiotic ointment - a good over-the-counter one is Bactroban, but when you use it make sure the dog doesn't lick it off.
Rubbing alcohol
Ear syringe - two ounce capacity.
Self-adhering athletics bandage - three-inch width.
White petroleum jelly (Vaseline)
Eye wash
Ear mite drops
Sterile gauze sponges - or similar for cleaning wounds.
Hydrocortisone - one percent cream.
Sterile stretch gauze bandage - 7cm by three metres.
Buffered aspirin - available from vets, especially for dogs. Take particular note of amount of medication/dog size ratio.
Hypoallergenic cloth tape - 3cm x 9m.
Hydrogen peroxide
Eyedropper
Scissors
Custom splints
Blanket
Tweezers
Iodine
Muzzle
Rectal thermometer
Worm tablets - good brand of all-wormer.

Paperwork: including the dog's health record, inoculation record, current medications, national poison control numbers, regular veterinary clinic hours and telephone numbers, emergency clinic hours and telephone number.

When travelling with your dog many of the above items would be superfluous - take only those items in your car that you could need in case of broken bones, wounds, lumps and bruises etc, and add perhaps a muzzle, car sickness remedy if your dog needs any, buffered aspirin, blanket and emergency vet and clinic numbers, hours and addresses.

If you lean towards more homoeopathic treatments for your pet you may prefer to have a homoeopathic first aid kit. This would still include the same vet, clinic and emergency hours and numbers; and you would still need the same tools - bandages, gauze pads, splints, blanket, tweezers, muzzle etc; only the medications would change:
Arsen Alb - for stomach upsets and diarrhoea.
Aconite - for fever.
Arnica - for bruises and lumps from blows.
Apis - for insect stings.
Cocculus - for car sickness.
Gelsemium - for fear and to calm nerves.
Hepar Sulph - for septic wounds.
Hypercal Lotion - for bathing wounds.
Calendula cream - for healing wounds.
Nux Vom - for digestive upsets.
Rescue Remedy - after any accident, dog fight, or trauma or stress of any kind.
Some easy remedies (not necessarily homoeopathic) are:
* For cuts, scratches or bites on the pads or paws, use Epsom salts in water morning and evening to bathe the dog's paws. It will dry up any weepy scratches.
* To heal cracks on dogs' pads use Ungvita cream (vitamin A).
* For flystrike on ears - wash ear tips with Hypercal lotion, put Hypercal cream or Rawleighs antiseptic salve on the ears, and keep the yard clear of dog pooh.
* If you are going for a trip and your dog gets car sickness, try a gingernut biscuit just before the trip. Often this is all it needs and is a cheaper and safer alternative than sedatives used for the purpose.
* Garlic helps to deter worms, but also acts as a repellent for fleas - they do not like to reside on skin that smells of garlic. It can be given as one or two garlic oil capsules daily, or as cloves with the dog's food.
* Natural vaccinations for dogs - a few of the breeding kennels use this form of vaccination and have never had any problems in their kennels. However, if your dog/dogs is often in a boarding kennel while you are away on holiday or on business, you may find that you must follow the conventional route as kennels insist on current inoculation certificates before they will accept a dog as a guest.
Nosode tablets 30c are available for: distemper, canine hepatitis, parvovirus, kennel cough and leptospirosis.

Community groups! Voluntary workers!

MANY elderly people, when they can no longer live in their own homes because of failing health, are forced to surrender their dog to the SPCA as they can not take it to the rest home, hospital, or to the home of the relative they are going to live with.

How much happier these folk would be if someone could take the dog to visit its former owner, even if it was only once or twice a year. To know that their faithful little companion was well and happy and had a caring owner would allow those affected to relax and feel much happier about their new lifestyle.

And if a visit is not possible, perhaps new owners could be encouraged to to send a note and photograph to let the previous owner know his/her dog is settled and happy - it could really make a difference.