What you need to know for Pet First Aid Kits

Pets are members of our families. That is why there are even first aid lessons given by vets these days to pet owners who wish to learn how to treat their own pet at home. Even vets realize that accidents may happen to your pets and he or she may not be around. Ninety five percent of pets do meet accidents during their lifetime and these accidents may happen in the middle of the night when the vet is unavailable or during the holiday season. Thus, a responsible pet owner attends one of these pet first aid classes. Or they can purchase a manual usually found in the latest pet first aid kits available in most pet shops or online.

Most of these pet first aid kits have a 60 page book that teaches every pet owner what do in in cases when your dog or cat needs immediate help. Basic things that are included in a pet first aid kit, aside from the training manual are bandages, adhesive tapes, gauze and gauze pads, hydrogen peroxide in case your pet is wounded. It would also be wise to keep some hydrogen peroxide or a saline flush for wounds plus other vet approved medications like anti-bacterial creams, anti-itch creams for pets, diarrhea medicines, plus medicines that can induce vomiting in case your pet is poisoned. Tweezers, scissors are also important. Also include a muzzle in your pets first aid kit because there may be times when a wounded animal may bite when your pet is in pain.

These are only the supplies of a basic pet first aid kit. There are more modern kits available today though that takes into account the size of the dog and the dog's particular needs. Some kits that are available online even have pain killers and tranquilizers sold separately for the kit and approved by vets. You also might want to consider including an inflatable life saver for your pet just in case you live in a flooded prone area. Petfinder recommends a pet kit that is more geared to disasters that can strike anytime and hurt your pet. They include a pet life-vest, inflatables and even ropes. PETCO, on the other hand, offers all types of kits for different kinds of pets.

The most important thing that a pet owner should do is to make sure that she/he reads the pet first aid manual. These manuals are updated almost every year so make sure that you get the latest version. Information about pet first aid seems to be a rather new field and even vets agree that it's time that they give pet owners "classes" in pet emergency care. These lectures aren't free though, but you can probably find a cheap pet EMS classes online near your place. These lessons are admittedly a bit costly but they do make sure that you know what to do when an emergency happens to your pet.

In any case if you cannot afford these pet EMS type of lessons, you can simply buy one of the latest first aid pet kits and go through the manual. Learning is also part of the responsible pet care.