Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Small flashlight

Roll of absorbent cotton
Some cotton balls
Clean, white cotton sock (to cover wounded paws)
Gauze pads
Tape
Small scissors with rounded tips
Tweezers
Instant ice pack
Bulb syringe for suctioning mucous from mouth or nose
Injection syringe without the needle (to give liquid medication)
Small flashlight

All of these things should fit neatly into a container that has a nice tight lid. This will help to keep everything clean and sterile no matter how long it is sitting on the shelf or in the car. It is also a good idea to have the name of the vet and his or her phone number right there on the lid so that even in a panic you will know what to do. You may even want to put the number of the local emergency animal hospital as well in case something happens early in the morning or late at night when the regular vets are all closed.

Bee stings are one of the most common of all dog injuries. It is important that you get the stinger out right away before an infection has time to set in. This will also help to minimize any pain that your dog may be in. If you have to, restrain your dog and then use the tweezers in the first aid kit to pull out the stinger. You can then wash the area with some luke warm water and baking soda. This can help to take some of the nasty stinging away and easy the pain suffered by your dog. Ice and Benadryl will also help to keep the pain and swelling to a minimum, just make sure that you ask the vet just how much Benadryl is enough for your dog. Just like kids it is important that dogs get the right dosage when they take medications.

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