Be prepared with a pet first aid kit as travel season begins

SAN DIEGO – This summer, tens of millions of people are expected to travel. As COVID-19 drags on into a second spring and summer, not everyone is yet comfortable hopping on a plane, so more people are adventuring outdoors for their travel time.

Since many pet owners include their dogs (and the occasional adventure cat) in their travels, Best Friends Animal Society would like to emphasize the importance of having a first aid kit on hand and knowing how to use it, in case they find themselves far from a vet clinic when an accident occurs.

Todd Fleming knows first-hand the importance of having a first aid kit available. He and his 5-year-old adopted Rottweiler-shepherd mix, Jasper, have certainly had their share of amazing adventures. They’ve road-tripped from coast to coast, camped, hiked, backpacked, swam, snowshoed, rock climbed, mountain biked and skied together, but Fleming and Jasper were kayaking only 45 minutes from home when an unexpected injury could have ended Jasper’s adventure.

Jasper was playing in the water near the shore when he suddenly yelped and limped from the lake bleeding profusely from his front paw. Luckily, Todd’s brother-in-law Ben, who is a nurse, had already paddled back to the parking lot when the injury occurred. He grabbed his first aid kit from his truck and reached Jasper within minutes, quickly controlling the bleeding with a pressure bandage created from a thick folded abdominal pad and Coban wrap.

For Fleming, the 45 minutes to the emergency vet clinic seemed like forever. Due to COVID=19 restrictions, he waited in the parking lot while Jasper underwent vascular surgery to repair the four veins and an artery that were cut, presumably by a broken bottle under the water.

A Facebook post from a follow-up visit to the vet clinic said “Jasper is a #utahadventuredog and was out kayaking with dad when he lacerated his paw on something in the lake. Without his owner and owner’s brother’s incredibly quick actions, Jasper may have bled to death.”

Fleming now packs a first aid kit in his kayak and makes sure he always has one with him in his car and backpack, so he’s prepared for emergencies while adventuring.

“There was no way to keep pressure on the wound and also carry the dog. Being caught far away from my car and not having a first aid kit with me could have been catastrophic. Having someone there with a first aid kit saved Jasper’s life.”

Best Friends Animal Society veterinarian Dr. Michelle Lugones shares her advice on how to be prepared to help your pet in an emergency, whether in the wilderness or in the house or backyard.

“It's important to have a pet first aid kit and know some basic skills because your pet could need first aid at any time, including when you least expect it,” Dr. Lugones, said. “During COVID it's especially important because sometimes it's not as easy to get supplies at the local store as it was before the pandemic. Veterinary care is still available and emergency rooms are up and running, but it's always wise to have some first aid supplies in case you aren't close to an emergency room. That way you have the ability to say, cover an open wound before you transport your pet to an emergency clinic.”

Suggested items to have in a pet first aid kit include:

Pet first-aid book

Emergency contact list (including numbers for your veterinarian, an emergency vet clinic and a national poison control hotline)

Pet’s prescription medications

Coban self-adherent wrap

Kerlex gauze roll

Sterile gauze pads (in various sizes)

Abdominal (ABD) pads

Ace bandage wraps

Antiseptic pads or alcohol wipes

Antibacterial cream or ointment

Instant cold packs

Emergency blanket

Tweezers

Blunt scissors

Exam gloves

Styptic blood clotting powder

10 ML sterile saline syringes

Cotton balls/cotton swabs

3% hydrogen peroxide

Headlamp or flashlight

Collapsible water bowl

Muzzle

Sling for carrying medium or large dogs

“A basket muzzle is important, so if a dog is injured and in pain, he can't bite anyone, but can still open his mouth to breathe while you move him,” Dr. Lugones explained. “If a dog has broken a leg, for example, and you have to get him in the car, even as gentle as you can be, the pain may cause him to attempt to bite.”

Preventive Vet offers this information on what to put in your dog first aid kit and how to use the items, along with a printable shopping list, and an equivalent one for cats at https://www.preventivevet.com/.

It's also a good idea to consider taking an online pet first aid class, to become familiar with the skills needed to help a pet in an emergency. A little planning goes a long way in being prepared when an accident happens, which could happen at home, or out on an adventure.

Submitted by Best Friends Animal Society.