One of our newsletter readers asked for suggestions on first aid items to bring along camping for a pet. This seemed an interesting question and the answer might be helpful to many of you. I asked Amanda Dame, who is a Veterinarian in town and outside a lot in her spare time, what she suggests.
Do you have a question that you want answered that might interest our readers? Email anne@wildrock.net. We'll see what we can do!
Here is what Amanda had to say: Dogs can develop allergic reactions to insect bites or to things that they have ingested. Signs are hives, red painful or itchy ear flaps, and swelling of the face especially around the eyes and lips. This will usually respond to plain Benedryl, active ingredient 'diphenhydramine', at a dose of about 2 mg/kg, so for a 25 kg/55 pound dog that's about 50 mg. This can be doubled if needed and can be repeated every 8 hours. The main side effect is lethargy.
If your dog gets porcupine quills, a pair of hemostats or even needle nosed pliers can be used to remove the quills. You grasp the quill as close to the skin as possible and pull it out in the same direction it went in. They are difficult to pull, you don't want to break them, and they hurt a lot more coming out than going in because they are barbed, so if a dog has more than a few quills they almost always need a visit to the vet for sedation or anesthesia. It is a myth that the quills should be cut off to release the poison, this only makes them harder to remove!
Bandage material such as for a cut paw can be the same as for a person. Cut paws can bleed quite a lot . . . if the blood soaks through your first bandage don't remove it, simply add another layer with a little bit more pressure to help control the bleeding being cautious not to over tighten. Usually you also need to add some tape, duct tape would do, to keep the bandage in place and a plastic bag over top to keep the bandage dry. The bag should only be left on while the dog is in wet conditions then should be removed to prevent condensation inside the bag.
Non enteric coated aspirin, or even better, bufferin, can be given to dogs for pain control at a dose of about 10-20mg/kg, so for a 25 kg/55 pound dog that's one regular 375mg strength bufferin. It can be given 2-3 times daily as needed but only for a few days in a row. Give it with food in the stomach and even then some dogs are sensitive to aspirin so if it causes poor appetite or vomiting do not give any more.
Dogs do not get poison ivy but they can pass it on to their owners so beware!
