Make Your Own Dog First-Aid Kit

Traveling with your dog? Find an easy-to-carry, durable box, and start assembling a canine first-aid kit to take along. Include these items, and you'll be ready to help your dog in an emergency:

• Gauze rolls and pads
• Adhesive or first-aid tape
• Roll bandages that stretch and cling
• Hydrogen peroxide for cleaning wounds and for inducing vomiting
• Antiseptic cream
• Tweezers
• Magnifying glass
• Scissors
• Saline solution or eye lubricant
• Plastic syringe for administering liquid medications
• Ice pack
• Compact thermal blanket or a regular blanket
• Benedryl — if approved by your veterinarian
• Anti-diarrhea medication for dogs — if approved by your veterinarian
• Written prescriptions for medications your dog takes regularly
• Pet first-aid booklet
• Telephone numbers for your vet, a vet in the city you're visiting, an after-hours emergency vet hospital, and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: (888) 426-4435

No time to put together a first-aid kit? Order one already stocked with many of the items listed above. Several companies and nonprofit organizations sell canine first-aid kits.

If your dog is prone to motion sickness, pack some additional items:

• Ginger snaps. These cookies sometimes help alleviate upset stomachs.
• Comfort Zone spray. Spray it in your dog's crate or on the car seat where he'll ride.
• Benadryl. Some vets suggest this over-the-counter medication.
• Prescription drugs if your vet recommends them.