Dog First Aid Kit

Since you never know when an accident will happen, keeping a pet emergency kit at your home is a good idea. A smaller kit could be used in the car.

You can put a first aid kit together yourself and buy the items separately, or buy one ready-made. If you make one yourself, use a small plastic tub with a tight fitting lid to store the following items:

This page is available as a PDF download.

You will need the free Adobe Reader software to view this file.
You can get it here.

Important Phone Numbers

• Veterinary clinic phone number and directions to the clinic
• Emergency clinic phone number and directions
• Poison control center phone numbers

Equipment and Supplies

• Muzzle, or roll of gauze for making a muzzle
• Magnifying glass
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Nail clippers and metal nail file
• Styptic powder or sticks, Kwik Stop, or cornstarch
• Penlight
• Nylon slip leash
• Eye dropper or oral syringe
• Cotton swabs
• Cotton balls
• Clean towels - cloth and paper
• Rectal thermometer
• Lubricant such as mineral oil or KY Jelly (without spermicide)
• Disposable gloves
• Syringes of various sizes
• Needle-nose pliers or hemostats
• Grease-cutting dish soap
• Bitter Apple or other product to discourage licking
• Pet carrier
• Towel or blanket to use as a stretcher, another to keep your dog warm during transport (some pharmacies and camping outlets carry a thermal blanket)
• Cold packs and heat packs (wrap in towel before using)
• Stethoscope

Bandaging Materials

• Square gauze of various sizes - some sterile
• Non-stick pads
• First aid tape - both paper (easily comes off of skin) and adhesive types
• Bandage rolls - gauze and Vetwrap
• Band-Aids (for humans)

Nutritional Support

• Rehydrating solution such as Gatorade or Pedialyte
• Nutritional supplement such as Nutri-Cal, Vitacal, or Nutristat
• High sugar source: Karo syrup

Medicines

• Wound disinfectant such as Betadine or Nolvasan
• Triple antibiotic ointment for skin
• Antibiotic ophthalmic ointment for eyes, e.g., Terramycin
• Eye wash solution
• Sterile saline
• Antidiarrheal medicine such as Pet Pectate
• Buffered or canine aspirin
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) for allergic reactions
• Cortisone spray or cream, such as Itch Stop
• Ear cleaning solution
• Hydrogen peroxide (used to make a dog vomit)
• Activated charcoal to absorb ingested poisons (consult your veterinarian before using)