Road Trip With Chou Chou Briard: The First Aid Kit

Going on a road trip with your pup? Be sure you take what you will need in an emergency. Here are some suggestions for your dog's first aid kit. ("And don't forget the treats!")

No, Chou Chou will not be the driver. 

1) Before you go, check out the closest emergency veterinary hospitals along your route and at your destination. And pack a copy of your dog's medical records. 

2) Also take along the phone number of the Poison Control Center: (888)426-4435

3) Be prepared with instructions on what to do in various emergencies. For example, dogs in pain often bite, so a muzzle is helpful; but never muzzle a pet that is vomiting. You can find medical information online, and there are apps to download that will help you determine the best procedures. You can even learn dog CPR from these apps. But the time to find this information is before you go -- before you need it -- not when you are panicked. 

4) Here are some items for a standard first-aid kit for pets (or people). Put them in a tote bag used only for this purpose, so  you will always have everything handy in one place:

           Sterile cleansing wipes

           Sterile dressing pads

           Strip gauze: hold the pad on the wound, or as a muzzle

           Adhesive tape: for bandaging

           Scissors: to cut bandage material

           Tweezers

           Vinyl gloves

           Newspaper or magazine: rolled, to use as a splint

           Elizabethan collar or Comfy Cone

           Antiseptic soap

           Topical antibiotic

           Eye wash

           Rectal thermometer

("You never know what could happen!")

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