Pharmacy
Every dog owner is familiar with minor medical emergencies. Fortunately, with a little practice and a well-stocked first-aid kit, you can often treat minor ailments yourself. The kit should always be on hand and equipped with the necessary contents.
CHECKLIST
Checklist for your dog's pharmacy
- First-aid kit (wound disinfectant, wound ointment, bandage scissors and bandage material such as padding or bandage cotton, gauze bandages, self-adhesive bandages, sterile gauze compresses, etc.).
- Traumeel ad us. vet.
- Disposable gloves
- Isotonic saline solution (0.9% NaCl) for cleaning/rinsing wounds or eyes
- Tick tweezers and flea comb
- Clinical thermometer with flexible tip (insert carefully and only when your pet is calm enough)
- Tweezers to remove foreign bodies such as stones or splinters that have gotten into a wound
- Anti-diarrheal medication (e.g. probiotics)
- Remedy for mild gastrointestinal complaints
- Insect repellent
- Cream for the care of chapped, irritated skin or for superficial wounds, e.g. on the paws
You should regularly check the shelf life and usability of your dog's veterinary pharmacy and restock it.
Good to know
Would you like to be even better prepared for an emergency? Many veterinary practices offer first aid courses to train pet owners in dealing with minor emergencies or wounds. There you will learn, for example, how to apply bandages correctly or what you need to bear in mind when treating wounds.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Helpful tips for dog owners
Here are a few practical tips that can be helpful for first aid:
- In the case of a paw injury, baby socks or paw pads are useful to protect the wound.
- You can use rounded scissors (so that your dog cannot injure itself with sudden movements) to remove longer hair from the edges of the wound to treat the injury.
- Abrasions and cracked paws can be treated very well with an iodine ointment or with light-colored sulfonated shale oil (e.g. Ichtho Vet Derma-Cream). Please always make sure that your dog does not lick ointments.
- A rescue blanket is also useful in the veterinary pharmacy in case of hypothermia or a drop in body temperature due to other illnesses (diarrhea, vomiting, blood loss). A blanket can also be useful for transportation to the vet.
- Disposable plastic syringes (without needles, of course) are practical if you need to give your dog liquid or a dissolved medication directly into its mouth. Wounds can be rinsed well with sterile-packed disposable syringes.
- Caution with diarrhea: If diarrhea is severe or persistent, you should definitely consult a vet.
If you are unable to assess whether your dog needs veterinary care, call your veterinary practice or clinic. The teams there will help you make an assessment and discuss the best course of action with you.
Heel Vet
If you want to support your dog, consider the natural veterinary medicines from Heel Vet.
