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.