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Your Dog's Health - Packing a Summer First-Aid Kit

Scrapes, bumps and bruises, and insect bites can ruin a perfectly good picnic or camping trip if you aren’t prepared. While you are packing band aids and aspirin for the kids, don’t forget to pack a first-aid kit for the dog, also.

Water, water, and more water.
Water plays many roles in your dog’s health while at the park, campground, or beach. Her activity and excitement levels on the road are likely to be much higher than at home; coupled with copious amounts of sun, she can quickly succumb to heat injuries or dehydration. Make sure she has constant access to plenty of cool, clean water.

Water is also useful for washing wounds and cleaning caked mud from between toes. Before the family piles back into a closed-up car for the trip home, clean water and a little dog shampoo are also very useful for cutting the "wild-thing" odor dogs seem to generate on camping trips!

Scrapes and cuts.
Scrapes and cuts are common for a dog while playing and exploring. While most cuts will not require immediate treatment, all cuts should be cleaned and larger cuts should be protected from infection. Band aids work well on the kids, but not so well on our fuzzier friends, so be sure to have gauze and hurt-free gauze tape handy, as well as an anti-septic ointment.

Wash the wound with clean water and apply the ointment. To keep roving tongues from licking off the ointment and to keep it from collecting dirt on the wound, cover the ointment with gauze and wrap it with the hurt-free tape. The wrap will get dirty, but the wound will stay clean.

Stickers, stings, and bites.
While pups recover quickly from bumps and bruises, thorns are a … well … thornier issue. Tweezers are a handy tool to remove thorns and stickers from soft paws. After removing the thorn or sticker, use clean water to wash the entire paw, including the hollow between their pads and in-between their toes.

Any encounter with the local wildlife or insect nests inevitably results in a swollen, tender snout. There are many possible injuries that can result from wildlife encounters which are beyond the scope of first-aid, so the best treatment is prevention. Keeping a tight leash while on the trail may just save you a hurried trip to the vet and will prevent your dog from annoying or frightening other hikers.

Wildlife encounter first-aid is limited to washing up, plucking out any spines or stingers, and treating any reactions to allergens or toxins. Benadryl is a very handy first-aid supply that can stop itching, control vomiting, ease motion sickness, combat snake-bite toxins, and reduce the swelling from bee stings and insect bites. However, Benadryl can react with other medications your dog may take, and may not be safe for canines with certain heart conditions. You must discuss the use and dosage of Benadryl with your veterinarian before it is needed for first-aid!

After a day romping through the weeds, make sure to check your dog for ticks. Thoroughly inspect her entire body including inside her ears. If you find a tick, grasp it with the tweezers by the head, not the body, and yank it straight out. A quick jerk will help ensure the jaws come completely out. Watch the area where the tick was found for signs of Lyme Disease for the next few days.

A fresh application of flea and tick control medication approved for your breed prior to heading out for your camping trip is highly recommended.

Having a well-stocked first-aid kit handy can prevent a fun day in the park or a weekend camping from becoming a nightmare. When packing for the kids, give some consideration, also, for your dog and the special needs she may have.

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