Perhaps you should verify with your vet, but IMHO you'd treat snakebite in a dog much the same as you would in a human: that said, there's an exhaustive and exhausting thread on snakebite ongoing here. I think the Sawyer has no role in treating either species for snakebite.

Ask your vet for 1 or 2 2" rolls of "Vetwrap". This is a somewhat elastic, self-adhesive roll bandage (Kerlix is similar). I've never had a bandage stay on a dog if only taped, so I overwrap with vetwrap much like an ACE bandage, if the wound allows.

My vet also gave me a vial of Dermabond for pad cuts. I've used superglue also.

A final suggestion: I've owned and/or trained some great dogs. Highly trained. They'd hold a "down-stay" and not nip, even when sutured. But even so, I'd always muzzle. You never know. And, people will be more willing to help you with an injured dog if the dog is muzzled....no matter how sweet and gentle you assure them your dog is.

So a question about skunks - is the stuff mentioned better than tomato juice (the old stand-by)?

Also, if a dog gets sprayed, wouldn't shaving your dog and disposing the fur get rid of most of the smell? Just a thought...

I've used tomato juice, and it doesn't work at all. It's just that after close contact with a skunked dog, the sensors in your nose kind of shut down.

The Massingill douche was GREAT! But they don't seem to make it anymore. I knew of a hairy German guy who got sprayed right in the bare chest, and his wife made several pitchers of the stuff and made him pour it over him. They went to a pary that same night, and no one said anything about skunks.

The homemade deskunker recipe is from my vet. The combination of ingredients are supposed to have a firm basis in science.

You might be able to cut the hair off a shaggy type of dog, but if you've got a Lab or Pitbull, why bother?

OOOPS! Don't use the recipe above around the eyes. For the face, mix one tablespoon of Trichotine Douche Powder to 1 quart of warm water, and use that. One 5oz jar costs about $14. If that's all you have and you're desperate, dilute it all and saturate the dog with it.

Sue

Well,


Thank you all! The following is list of things I will look into.

(note: to avoid repeats of suggestions I am only listing them under the name of the first person to post a suggestion.)


KenK
- What, "...works for a human is good enough for a dog."
- Cut back fur to keep it from matting into/around a wound.
- General antibiotics----? (any sugestions on how to get them, as none of the doctors I have asked in the past would perscribe them when I was not sick, even when I told them I was going over seas on a month long trip.)
- Sawyerextractor doesn't do all that much. (So, I should dump the extractor and just carry the safetyrazor that comes with it.)

Susan
- 1 to 2mg of Benedryl per pound of animals bodyweight.
- A 10ml/cc syringetaped to liquid bottle.
- 2by2" & 4by4" gauze pads.
- A couple of rolls of sticky/strech bandaging for cut feet.
- Hemostat to pull cactus thorns.
- Pliers, used with hemostat to remove fish hooks.
(note: if swallowed take animal to Vet)
(been there, done that with mom's dog when I was a kid fishing with dad. 7 hours after sheba, the dog, swallowed the hook and way more money than my dad wanted to spend on an emergency office visit on a Sunday, sheba was good as new,but the fishing trip was ruined.)
- foot injuries to dogs should recive a tetanus shot.
- a cople of plain rolls of gause as an emergency muzzle.
- have a vet show you how to do CPR.
- if possible catch scorpion and bring to vet with dog.

these are to long to repeat so check Susan's second post on page one.
-Bufo toad poisoning
-skunk encounters
-a dogs normal temperature

from Susan's 3rd post
- de-scenting after a skunk encounter
DO NOT USE Around OR Above EYES
Mix 1 tablespoon of Trichtine Douche Powder to 1qt warm water.

Christina
- Tiny tube of superglue for cuts/tears of pads
- Conforming gauze
- Dog Booties
- 3 days worth of food
- Leash w/waste bags
- Harness
- set of plastic foldupdog bowles
- hamster water bottle
- Indegestion and pain killers wright animals weight dosageon container
- CHECK WITH VET ABOUT ANIMAL FIRST-AID COURSE

drahthaar
- EMT gel- to stop bleeding
- a Muzzle

LED
- Pepcid AC
- Water soluble fiber ( LED please forgive my ignorance but, what is the fiber for? I have never heard of adminestering it to a pet.)
- Styptic Powder (Kwik Stop or other)

NAro
- Check snake bite thread
- Ask Vet for 1 or 2, 2" rolls of "Vet wrap" (self adhisive bandage to prevent dog from removing dressing)


Apparently I was unclear about the first-aid supplies in the original post. I carry one first-aid kit, not one for people and a seperate one for the dog. In addition most of my hikes are day hikes, so food does not usually get carried for the dog, just lots of water and a bowl for her to drink from. The pedialite would stay in the car, as the desert travel would be by car. There is always more stuff in the car than the small day pack I carry can hold. Car supplies, in reguards to pet stuff, are food and water

Again, thank you all, you have helped me see many new ideas and made the older ones a little clearer.

-Joe-

More of a at home remedy, unless you like lugging along cans while hiking....
If your dog has really loose/runny bowels feeding it canned pumpkin mix (like for pies) seems to do the trick at getting them back to normal. Probably, as an educated guess, was what LED was talking about when he suggested water soluable fibre.
IMHO the sawyer extracter kit is "good", just not overly effective. If you or your wife or dog are out in the styx I'd rather use the pump for the roughly 30% effective venom removal than letting it all stay inside. Not a replacement for getting anti-venom, but if every little bit helps I'll take all I can. At the very least it may have a slight mental calming effect on a human victim and a lower heart rate/staying calm is a good thing.

-Bill Liptak

I agree with the canned pumpkin remedy. We've used it several times on our Irish Wolfhounds when we started raw feeding them.
Just be sure it is pure pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie mix.

I guess it only applies if you have an older dog. We rescued an older pup who needed a little 'help' so the vet recommended a little daily fiber in his diet. (mixed with some water and chicken broth) Made his life so much better.

Hey guys,

LED, BillLipitak and KRamas thank you for the infomation. thinking about gerneal pet safety over the last few days has opened my eyes to how unperpared I am. I had never thought of a muzzle for my dog before and after reading your replies to my questions and some other sources I will be picking one up this week.

Looking at book stores I was disapointed in the 2 books on animal first-aid I found. I was hoping to find some type of home reference book on the subject, but as of yet have not.

-Joe-

I THINK that water-soluble fiber (like oatmeal) is gentle and soothing to an intestinal tract, and is a way of adding some easily-digested bulk to the diet. Non-soluble fiber (like brown rice) is rougher on a digestive tract that isn't used to it.

Sue