Bonus – it will work on me too.
If I show this to the wife, she’s gonna make me wear one.
Where’s the piece of dark chocolate, in case you need to euthanize the dog?
I just got back from the Dalmatian National Specialty in Huron, Ohio. These would have been a great thing to have and give out to people–especially those doing agility and, more importantly, road trials. I frequently work as ring crew, leash runner, or general kennel help, but this would be something else I could contribute.
Matches are a good inclusion. Not only are they useful for starting a fire if you need it they can also prompt your dog to take care of business. You don’t want to be guilty of fouling the ring.
I remember making a first aid/survival kit way back when I was in Boy Scouts. One thing we did that I thought was pretty cool is that we used the old-fashioned blue tipped “strike anywhere” matches, dipped about halfway up the wooden stick in melted paraffin to protect them from getting wet. An added bonus was that the wax made them burn more vigorously making it easier to get a fire going without wasting matches. That was back before the introduction of the Bic lighter which I’d definitely include in a kit today. (Yes…I’m old).
It looks like a Tick Key http://kk.org/cooltools/archives/6650 might fit in the container, maybe with a little careful trimming. Dog owners seem to swear by them. Like many of the other items, it is good for humans too.
The only thing I’d recommend is to not include the aspirin. Dog liver physiochemistry doesn’t work quite the same way as humans, and most NSAIDs can be fairly hepatotoxic (including aspirin). Most larger dogs will tolerate a small dose of aspirin, but it will be nowhere near as effective as it would be for a human. In most cases, the degree that aspirin is going to be nominal, but it could potentially cause coagulation issues if your dog needs surgery later, and could also preclude the use of other safer and more effective NSAIDs. Can’t tell you the number of times I’ve told clients “Well, I’d love to use previcoxib or deracoxib etc…, but since you gave an aspirin we have to wait a minimum of 48-72 hours before we do that. Here are some pain meds (which have only anti-nociceptive effects, and no anti-inflammatory effects) to use while you wait…”.
What I would add would be a couple of 2x2 gauze pads and a maybe 8-10" strip of vetwrap or some other self adhesive wrap. That’s going to work a hell of a lot better than that bandaid on something with fur. (disregard if you are the owner of a Chinese Crested or Xoloitzcuintle…)
It’s good to be prepared, but if you really think your dog is really going to be competent at administering first aid in an emergency situation then you’re in for a disappointment.
I would recommend a small container of styptic powder - the swabs are OK for small dogs but useless if you have a bigger bleed.
“She says if Timmy gets trapped in the mineshaft one more time she’s moving to Malibu.”
If you want to get hardcore about it, these are great!
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
