Everyone who shares a home with a Doodle should have a basic pet first-aid kit on hand. Keep your pet's first-aid kit in your home and take it with you if you are traveling with your pet.
One way to start your kit is to buy a first-aid kit designed for people and add pet-specific items to it. You can also purchase a pet first-aid kit from a pet-supply store or catalog. But you can easily assemble your own kit by gathering these items:
Phone numbers: your veterinarian, the nearest emergency-veterinary clinic and ASPCA poison-control center (800) 426-4435
- Self-cling bandage (bandage that stretches and sticks to itself but not to fur—available at pet stores
- Absorbent gauze pads
- Adhesive tape
- Antiseptic wipes, lotion, powder or spray
- Blanket (a foil emergency blanket)
- Cotton balls or swabs
- Gauze rolls
- Hydrogen peroxide (to induce vomiting—do this only when directed by a veterinarian or a poison-control expert)
- Ice pack
- Non-latex disposable gloves
- Petroleum jelly (to lubricate the thermometer)
- Rectal thermometer (your pet's temperature should not rise above 103°F or fall below 100°F)
- Scissors (with blunt ends)
- Sterile non-stick gauze pads for bandages
- Sterile saline solution (sold at pharmacies)
- Tweezers
- Benadryl, if approved by a veterinarian for allergic reactions. A veterinarian must tell you the correct dosage for your pet's size.
- Ear-cleaning solution
- Expired credit card to scrape away insect stingers
- Nail clippers
- Non-prescription antibiotic ointment
- Flashlight
- Plastic eyedropper or syringe
- Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) to clean the thermometer
- Splints and tongue depressors
- Styptic powder or pencil (sold at veterinary hospitals, pet-supply stores, and your local pharmacy)
- Temporary identification tag (to put your local contact information on your pet's collar when you travel)
- Towels
- Needle-nosed pliers
In addition to the items listed above, include anything your veterinarian has recommended specifically for your pet.
Check the supplies in your pet's first-aid kit occasionally and replace any items that have expired.
For your family's safety, keep all medical supplies and medications out of the reach of children and pets.