Be honest: Are you prepared for an emergency situation with your pet?
If you’re anything like me, you probably tend to freak out a little bit when you’re in the middle of a crisis. That’s why being prepared is so very important.
The American Red Cross has designated April as Pet First-Aid Awareness Month, and there’s no better time than now to talk about how to create an awesome and potentially life saving pet first-aid kit.
It’s very simple to put together a pet first-aid kit; just grab a small tool box and start filling it with items that will come in handy in the event of an emergency with your pet.
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13 Must-Have Items For Your Pet First-Aid Kit
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Antiseptic Solution
- Small Flashlight
- Tweezers
- First-Aid Tape
- Gauze Pads
- Soft Blanket
- Cotton Balls
- First-Aid Scissors
- Instant Cold Pack
and Instant Hot Pack
- Hand Sanitizer
- Latex Gloves
- Alcohol Swabs
Other great items to include in your pet first-aid kit are copies of important pet medical records, including Rabies vaccination certificates, and phone numbers for your veterinarian, emergency vet hospital, and poison control.
Also, be sure to download the American Red Cross Pet First-Aid app for your iPhone! There’s peace of mind in having help right at your fingertips.
Get Your FREE Pet First-Aid Kit Essentials Checklist!
This free printable checklist is a great way to make sure you’ve got everything you need in the event of an emergency! It’s available in my FREE Resource Library for dog moms! Not only will you find this useful checklist, but you’ll also find lots of printables, planners, wall art, greeting cards and more! All you need is a password to access all the good stuff!
Use the form below to enter your email address to get a password to enter the FREE Resource Library!
Remember, first-aid is not a substitute for veterinary care, but it may save your pet’s life until it can receive veterinary treatment.
Also, please remember that I am not a veterinarian, so if you have any questions about what to include in your kit or what medical treatment is appropriate for your pet, always consult your own veterinarian for guidance.
Do you currently have a pet first-aid kit?
If so, have you ever had to use it in the event of an emergency? What other items would you include? Let me know in a comment below, or come join my private Facebook group for dog moms and join in the conversation there!
P.S. Be sure to check out this blog post for 3 tips for an emergency evacuation with your dog!
I do have a pet first aid kit, but it should probably be updated! lol
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Yes, I find that doing a quick inventory every few months just to make sure things are in good shape and nothing has expired (like antibiotic ointments) is a good idea.
I have a first aid kit for our dog/cats. I do however have just a few more things in mine, maybe these items can be useful to others.
Latex gloves
Antihistamine
Vet Wrap
Nail Clippers
Thermometer
If this helps, add these to your box.
I do have a pet first aide kit and thankfully have never had to use it!
Agreed, Jen. I’m perfectly fine if everything in my first-aid kit goes to waste because I never need it!
Since we often have no idea how far away from a vet we are going to be, I have a complete pet first aid kit that I take everywhere: http://www.cascadiannomads.com/pet-adventure-blog/kit-updating-our-perfectly-complete-do-it-yourself-pet-first-aid-kit One more essential item I would add to your simple list above is QuikClot. I have read dozens of stories about the stuff saving pets lives and I would keep it in even a small essentials kit like you have started here.
You know, Bethany, I hadn’t thought of that. What a great idea! I agree that should definitely be part of any first-aid kit!
I have an extensive first aid kit for my horse, but need to put something together for the dogs. I’ve been looking for a cute vintage tin on Etsy to hold everything!
A girl after my own heart! Although I suggested a small tool box in the post, I too would prefer something cute! 😉
This really is a great list. I never would have thought of hot / cold compresses, but that makes a lot of sense. I really ought to put a kit together. Thanks for the inspiration.
You’re welcome! I hope you put a kit together that you never need to use!
TW panics easily. We have most of those items but they wouldn’t have done any good yesterday when I was attempting to cough up a hairball and couldn’t. It was horrible until I was finally able to swallow it. TW treated me with an AeroKat inhaler and some Pred in case my airway was inflamed. I’m feeling better today. This is an important post with important info.
Good lord, CK! Way to freak TW out! I would’ve been the same way! It’s hard for me to stay calm when one of my babies is sick or injured!
Great ideas, I honestly wouldn’t have thought to put a flashlight in our first aid kit. Guess I am going shopping this weekend!
Happy shopping, Kimberley! 🙂
Having a pet first aid kit is so important! Bad things happen when you least expect them to happen. For some reason, when we’re planning, we see things in slow motion like we will be able to think through ever last step during a crisis. However, when something bad happens, it happens in a split second. Always good to be prepared.
Absolutely! You just never know when a first-aid kit might save a life!
Instead of waterproof tape, I have self-adhesive wrap (for animals it’s called “vetrap” but they make the exact same wrap for humans and they even sell it at Walmart). The wrap is water resistant and most importantly, there is no adhesive to pull your pet’s fur out. They make it in varying widths or you can buy a wide width and cut it down to size. I love the stuff; it has several first aid applications. Also, my vet suggested having a bottle of activated charcoal around in the event that one of my dogs swallows something toxic. It doesn’t work with all toxins but when it does work, it can prevent the toxin from being absorbed and buy you some time to get your pet to the vet.
Very interesting, thanks for sharing! I’ll definitely keep a look-out for the vetrap! And I’ve heard the same thing about activated charcoal, and I agree it would be a great item to add to my list!
You’re welcome! I’ll be adding a flashlight to mine. Thank you for the great post!
I forgot to add that my first aid kit has telfa pads instead of regular gauze because regular gauze can stick to wounds but telfa pads will not. Unfortunately, I had to use my first aid kit for a major wound several years ago and since then, have changed out my peroxide for Dermachlor (Chlorhexidine Gluconate 0.2%). My dogs were playing outside several years ago and our dog, Rosie, ran past our other dog, Cooper, and he went to give her a bit of a playful nip and Rosie ended up with an awful tear in her skin that required surgery to suture up. Peroxide can sting and Rosie didn’t appreciate that at all. My vet told me to switch to Dermachlor as it an effective disinfectant, gentle, safe for pets and is ouchless. It’s an excellent all around disinfectant for irrigating and/or disinfecting wounds or post surgical areas. I use it on my dogs, cat, the rats I foster and even myself and it works wonderfully. One other thing we have at home is the Pet First Aid book from the Red Cross. I got mine from my local shelter but I think you can find it on Amazon. It’s a great source of information. I so appreciate being able to learn from other people; I think we all have knowledge that we can share to help one another be prepared for an emergency. I hope that all of us never have to use our nifty little first aid kits but it’s nice to know we have them just in case.
I totally agree – hope we never have to use them! 🙂 Thanks for all the great information!
We always have a first aid kit handy, especially on our frequent road trips. We use hydrogen peroxide and triple antibiotic cream a LOT, we’ve needed it w/ just about every trip! It’s always for my Husky; she’s so energetic and athletic, she’s always into something! Great tips, sharing!
Thanks for sharing, Cathy!
Great list! Fortunately, I have everything on it, plus coban (vetwrap) and styptic powder.
Those are more great items to include, Rebekah! Thanks for sharing!
Does it count as a “kit” if all the things are in different rooms/cabinets/drawers? I can’t even keep track of a box of band-aids, my kids go and take stuff and never put them back where they belong. 🙁 The only time I’ve ever needed to use first aid with a dog (thank heaven) is a septic (sp?) stick for a nicked nail. I cried. *sigh* (Must at least make a kit for the pets and hide it from the kids.)
Bwahaha, yes Elizabeth I think you can still call it a kit even under those circumstances! :p And I totally know what you mean about those darned kids!
I have no excuse not have have one of these kits already; thank you so much for the reminder. I don’t want to find myself in the middle of a situation kicking myself for not having things prepared.
I’m lucky that I get to steal (I ask first, of course :D) lots of things from work for my pet first aid kit, but as a result my first aid kit is pretty big. I have it in a not so cute clear storage container that’s slightly awkward to carry. A toolbox is a great idea and could be decorated with fun stickers and duct tape!
I have a giant rubber bucket full of doggy first aid supplies! Having some very active pitbulls around make for lots of bumps and bruises. I agree with vet wrap instead of other wraps. It holds up much better (remember to roll to the front and into the body to protect the tendons/ligaments of legs). One other thing I keep in mine is saline solution. This is great to flush out any punctures or cuts. We’ve had a few of these over the years. Once I had my pitbull mix and my last pitbull out hiking and they were playing on the trail. One dog bumped the other into a tree and he got a broken branch through his side. Lots of saline was used to flush the little splinters out. Clumsy pooches!
Fantastic list of items to have on hand. With the warmer weather on its way, and more trips to the park and outings with Edie, I keep a duffle bag in my car with items that I might need including extra towels, blankets and fresh water, although I don’t have a flashlight so I guess I should update my bag!
Thanks for sharing this important list.
I have a first aid kit, but thankfully, I haven’t had to use it. Hopefully I never do, but it is always best to be prepared.
We have first aid kits for Gus and our horse, Magic. We have used the horse one numerous times when the kids were showing. One thing that I found was indispensable was having it is a red container! As in, go get the red container in the tack shed, bathroom etc. Much easier when it is all in one place or container.
After one extremely unpleasant experience with being completely unprepared and having to wrap masking tape around Simon’s body in order to secure maxi pads to a nasty wound, I will never be without a pet first aid kit again! I have one in the house and one in the car.
In addition to the items you mentioned, I also include that sticky vet tape (forget what it’s called) that comes in pretty colors 😉 and I now take a sling with handles whenever I am away from the house with Zora. She’ll be 13 next month and sometimes her arthritis kicks in. I can slip the sling under her belly and help her walk back to the car. (She’s a 70 lb lab)
We even include a pet first aid (as well as human) in our car – and we switch it out with new/fresh products every January 1st. We buy the items for one of our Christmas presents! Great post!
Great list, I would include activated charcoal, because it is a real life saver in case they eat something toxic.
Used mine two weeks ago, Dobbie torn open his side on a fence. Used vet wrap 2x2s, first aide ointment and spary saline. Had the kit for years used it a handful of times.