Medicine To Keep In Your Dog's First Aid Kit
Posted on: 8 January 2015
In addition to the usual bandages, disinfectants and splints, you should also keep some medicine in your dog first aid kit. There are a few common medicines that can be used to help out your dog should they ever be in distressed.
Antibiotic Ointment For Cuts
If your dog ever gets cut, it is important that you clean out the cut. You do not want your dog to develop an infection. Make sure you keep some strong antibiotic ointment in your first aid kit.
Bismuth Subsalicylate For Diarrhea And Stomach Aches
If your dog is suffering from diarrhea or appears to have a stomach ache, you can treat it with bismuth subsalicylate or with kaopectate tablets. These are the same type of tablets that you would take for indigestion.
Diphenhydramine For Allergic Reactions
Just like humans, dogs can have adverse reactions to different foods and chemicals. Your dog can experience an allergic reaction to certain foods as well as to chemicals, pollen and mold. Some dogs suffer from seasonal allergies just like you do.
Some common signs of allergic reactions in dogs include itchy skin, watery eyes, sneezing, sniffling, and ear aches. You can give your dog benadryl or diphenhydramine to ease their allergies.
Hydrocortisone Cream For Rashes
If your dog starts to develop a rash, you can ease their suffering by applying hydrocortisone cream. This is a topical ointment which contains steroids. It helps stop rashes from spreading and from itching.
Hydrogen Peroxide For Toxic Food
If you witness your dog ingesting a toxic food, such as chocolate or alcohol, you will want to induce vomiting right away to prevent the food from getting into your dog's bloodstream. Make sure you keep a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution in your dog first aid kit for this purpose.
Activated Charcoal For Poisoning
Along with hydrogen peroxide, you can also give your dog activated charcoal if you see your dog ingest a toxic food, plants or chemicals. When your dog ingests something toxic, it is important that you act within the first thirty minutes to avoid more serious consequences. Activated charcoal can be used to absorb any poison that is inside of your dog's stomach. Having this in your dog's first aid kit could save its life.
In addition to the typical items such as gloves, scissors, tweezers, thermometer, splints, bandages and blankets, you should also keep the medicines listed above in your dog first aid kit. These medicines can relieve your dog's suffering from common conditions such as allergies and stomach aches. In the case of a poisoning, having hydrogen peroxide and activated charcoal on hand could save your dog's life. Talk to your veterinarian, such as Animal Medical Center of Deer Valley, for more information.
Share