First Aid Kit for Pets
A Checklist of Basic Emergency Supplies
Summer is finally (almost) here and you’ll be out more, doing fun things with your pet. The possibility that your pet could get injured increases with the warmer weather. I’m sharing a basic First Aid Kit for pets in the event that an accident should happen.
You’ll need a box to put your emergency supplies in, which will help keep it all together if you need it in a hurry. Put it where you’ll easily find it — in your home, your car, or both.
How to Handle a Pet Emergency: Accidents and Injuries
First Aid Kit For Pets – What you should have
If you are traveling with your pet, bring along the following:
- Pet first-aid book
- Phone numbers for your vet, nearest emergency-veterinary clinic, and a poison-control center or hotline (such as the ASPCA poison-control center, which can be reached at 1-888-426-4435)
- Your pet’s paperwork, including proof of rabies vaccination, and any other important medical records.
- Blanket, muzzle, carrier, or leash to secure your pet
First Aid Kit For Pets – Basic supplies
- Non-latex disposable gloves
- Adhesive tape
- Antiseptic wipes, lotion, powder or spray
- Antibiotic ointment
- Alcohol swabs
- Hand sanitizer
- Sterile gauze pads or bandages
- Blanket (a foil emergency blanket)
- Cotton balls or swabs
- Gauze rolls
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Heat and Ice packs
- Rectal thermometer (your pet’s temperature should not rise above 103°F or fall below 100°F)
- Petroleum jelly (to lubricate the thermometer)
- Scissors (with blunt ends)
- Sterile non-stick gauze pads for bandages
- Sterile self-cling bandage (bandage that stretches and sticks to itself but not to fur, You can buy this at your local pet store.
- Sterile saline solution (sold at pharmacies)
- Tweezers
- Styptic liquid to stop minor bleeding
- A pillowcase to confine your cat for treatment
- Splints
- A pet carrier
- Muzzle (even the most gentle animal may bite if injured or scared)
First Aid Kit for Pets – Other useful items
- Diphenhydramine (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
- Glucose paste or corn syrup (for diabetic dogs or those with low blood sugar)
- Nail clippers
- Non-prescription antibiotic ointment
- Penlight or 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
*** Always have water on hand, especially in the warmer weather.
You may prefer to buy a First Aid Kit for Pets
Most of this list was supplied by the Humane Society.
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First Aid Kit for Pets, Emergency Supplies Checklist #Pets Share on X
A QUESTION FOR YOU:
I’m curious — Do you have a First Aid Kit for your pet(s)?
Her own animal experience is vast, having raised and rescued Alpine Goats, Chickens, Turkeys, Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pigs, Turtles, Raccoons, Cats, Dogs, and even an Opossum and Bearded Dragon.
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You have some great advice for keeping emergency pet supplies. If something were to happen to my dog, it would be important for me to have supplies to use until we could get her to the hospital. I had never thought to pack hand sanitizer before, so thanks for that!
Thanks for visiting my blog today, Silas. Good to hear from you. 🙂
I like your tip to have contact information for your local vet, emergency animal hospital, and poison control center. If your pet gets suddenly injured or becomes sick, you want to be able to get them to an animal hospital as soon as possible. It’s still important to have the other supplies that you listed as well so you can take care of your pet before you make it to the hospital. Thanks for the article.
Thanks for your visit and comment, Hazel. I appreciate it. I’m glad you enjoyed the post about First Aid Kits for Pets. Take care, and come back again sometime.
We love our dogs and we consider them part of the family so learning health and first aid kits are very helpful, though i hope i wont have to use it. Thank you for sharing your first aid kit list.
An A-list of must haves for my emergency kit. Very nice! Thanks for this wonderful post.
And thank YOU for stopping by my blog today, Phillip. Stay safe!
My husband and I are getting really focused on emergency preparedness as one of our New Year’s resolutions. I love how comprehensive your list is for pet first aid. I hadn’t ever thought about needing saline solution or a pillowcase for my cat. This list will definitely help us be as prepared as possible! Thank you!
That’s great, Veronica. I’m happy that my “First Aid Kit for Pets” was helpful to you. All the best in the new year!
Outstanding write up Jeanne!! We are putting together first-aid kits for our cars and we will definitely be putting an additional one together for our Miniature Pinscher, Bentley. Thank you for the great idea’s, I am sharing this on Facebook right now.
Awesome post! We keep a first aid kit in the car and a miniature one in the backpack for when we go hiking! The girls have been stung so many times! 🙁
Thank you for stopping by, Lauren. I’m glad to hear that you keep a kit handy when you’re out and about. You never know … Take care! 🙂