If you have a pet, it's important to be prepared for any accidents or injuries that your fur baby might encounter. That's why it's a smart idea to put together a pet emergency aid kit for your furry friend. This handy little kit can help you deal with common emergencies like cuts, scrapes, and burns. Here are some tips on how to put together the perfect first aid kit for your beloved dog or cat.
Knowing the right things to include in your first aid kit for your beloved pet can save them from further harm. Ideally, you would never have to use the following items. But dealing with pet injuries is inevitable as a pet owner. Sooner or later, you will thank yourself for coming up with the idea to make a first aid kit for your furry friend.
So here are the items we strongly recommend you put in your pet’s first aid kit:
When your dog gets too rough during playtime, they might get bitten and wounded by their playmates. A bite wound can bleed and has to be sealed up quickly before it worsens. A blood clotting powder can do the job quickly and hold the wound until you get your pet to the vet.
Before applying a bandage or clotting powder to a wound, you must clear the wound of any debris. Debris, such as dirt, can worsen the wound and carry microbes that can infect it. A bottle of saline wound solution can reduce your pet's pain and clean the wound simultaneously.
You can buy many types of wound disinfectants over the counter. For instance, a povidone-iodine bottle can be a disinfectant for your pet’s wounds. You can purchase this type of disinfectant from almost everywhere. However, your vet may recommend a chlorhexidine diacetate solution instead. It is often used in vet clinics as a general-purpose disinfectant.
Having cotton balls and swabs can make cleaning your pet dogs easier. Cotton swabs can reach places that may be difficult to clean. However, you should be careful when inserting cotton swabs into your pet’s cavities, like their nose and ears, as you can accidentally injure them.
You can use gauze pads to clean cuts and wounds while covering them. Gauze pads are useful as they shield the affected area from further harm. For instance, they draw potentially dangerous fluids away from the wound by absorbing them. They can also be used as a first layer before applying a proper bandage.
Sometimes, regular bandages won’t be enough. Fortunately, you can apply bandage tapes on areas that can be hard to reach with regular bandages. Since they are self-adhesive, they can stick to the skin without needing to apply other adhesives. In addition, manufacturers of medical-grade bandage tapes ensure that these won't cause skin irritation or rashes.
Our furry friends may try to remove the bandages you applied. You can prevent them by applying a bandage cover as the outermost layer of your bandage. A bandage cover will prevent the bandage from being unraveled or becoming loose.
When dealing with sensitive injuries, you can’t afford to take risks. That’s why you shouldn’t use regular scissors with pointed tips when cutting bandages. Instead, use bandage scissors that were specifically designed for the job. These scissors have blunted points and can get under the bandage easier and safer than a regular pair of scissors.
Falls are probably common if your dog or cat has the zoomies. While falls can be frequent and non-fatal, an especially bad fall can cause a serious injury. In such cases, you will have to take your injured pet to the vet clinic as soon as possible. A splint can prevent your pet from moving the affected limb too much to avoid making the injury worse.
This item is not an absolute necessity for a first aid kit, but it can help in specific situations. Activated charcoal is more than a marketing gimmick as it has many applications proven by studies. That’s why you see activated charcoal used in consumer products. Activated charcoal can absorb poisons and harmful substances as a first aid item.
If you often let your pet play outside, debris like pollen can get in the eye and irritate it. Foreign objects can damage their eyes and lead to worse eye injuries. You can use an eye flush to remove these potentially harmful objects from their eyes. Another good thing to have with your eye flush is a bottle of artificial tears which can lubricate your pet’s eyes after a flush.
Do you have allergies? If you are, diphenhydramine is most likely already in your medicine cabinet. This antihistamine treats the usual symptoms of allergies, like sneezing and runny nose. Your pets may also exhibit symptoms of allergic reactions, especially when they get stung by bees. In such cases, you can use diphenhydramine to relieve their pain immediately.
When the winter season comes, temperatures can quickly drop and catch you and your pets off guard. In cases when there are no blankets or towels to spare, you can use an emergency warming blanket to keep your dear cats and dogs warm. Unlike towels and blankets, they don’t absorb moisture from the humid air and effectively trap body heat inside.
Whether your pet endured a fall or got stung by a wasp, the affected area will surely swell. The best way to prevent it from worsening is by applying a cold pack to the affected site. You can grab an instant cold pack to treat your pet’s injuries immediately.
Does assembling a first aid kit for pets seem overwhelming? Maybe you need to ease into the lifestyle of being a pet owner. Fortunately, it’s possible for you to “practice” owning a pet. You can get used to the life of being a pet owner by taking a Perfect Petzzz home! Our furry Perfect Petzzz don’t get sick, bruised, or injured, so you don’t need to worry about veterinary care.
If you need to get used to taking care of a little furry friend, a Perfect Petzzz can help you become the best pet owner that you can be!
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