First Aid Kit

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.