4001alex 0 Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 I just wandered what people kept in the dogs first aid kits? Also what antiseptics do you use and do people generally use staplers themselves and if yes are the easy to use? thanks alex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
albert64 1,882 Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 keep a stapler, terramycin spray, antiseptic wipes, amoxicillin, golden eye and wraps etc had to use them plenty of times over the years Quote Link to post Share on other sites
farlap 19 Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 hibiscrub for cleaning wounds, forceps, staplers and staple remover, cotton wool by the yard and vetwrap. if I can staple it I will, but if more than a skin wound (ie muscle etc) then a trip to the vets. We own a company that sells veterinary skin staplers and its scary what people ring us up for.....one night about midnite this lad rang and said his dog had had an accident lamping and he wanted to know if he could staple BONE with one of our staplers . he got a piece of my mind!!! if you havent used one before then get your vet to show you how. Knowing your limitations is the crucial factor in any 1st aid. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
4001alex 0 Posted September 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 cheers for your replys, forgive me for being stupid, how do you you use a stapler? thanks alex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Annmarie09 5 Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 My first aid kit has sterilised water (for washing dirt out of wounds also good as an eye wash), salt (ditto), sterile wound dressings (also dare I say sanitary towels for larger wounds - good ones not cheap rubbish), nappies, hibiscrub (cheap enough in large amounts from vets, will last you for ages, you can put a small amount into a clean bottle for carrying in car), vetwrap (expensive but worth it), medical tape, paper stitches, plasters, soothing wipes for wasp/bee stings, crepe bandages, conforming bandages, and a great thing from a company called Red Rum which is a roll-on tea-tree and arnica product for bruises, swellings, muscle sprains and stings and bites. With this I can treat most minor injuries to dogs, horses or people. We also have some antibiotics and pain killers for the horses, plus nappies for poulticing feet. Stapling skin has to be done carefully otherwise the would won't heal properly, you really want to get someone to show you first - I've even seen vets make a total mess of it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
driller killer 33 Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 (edited) Hello, Im looking about at the moment to get my first lurcher and obviously i want to be capable of being able to take the best of care for her as possible, i will be insuring her as i have found it to be a life saver in the past, i would prefer to treat minor wounds myself if it well in my capability, stapaling, like ya say i should be shown, would a vet frown on me if i asked them to show me? or would i be best to find some one locally to show me, also is there any good books for more minor injurys and health care for dogs? Cheers Neil sorry alex didnt mean to poach ya thread, hope it helps you too Edited October 1, 2009 by driller killer Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Annmarie09 5 Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 In my experience vet's can be very helpful if you want to do certain things yourself, but I have been with my vet for 15 years and he knows what I can do and trusts me to go to him if it is too much for me. Obviously stapling is something that needs experience of wounds, to know whether it is just a skin wound or whether some deep tissue or muscle is involved, and making sure there is no dirt or other foreign bodies inside is extremely important. Personally I wouldn't feel happy stapling a wound myself, and so far none of my animals have needed it except after an operation, despite some pretty nasty-looking but not deep injuries from broken glass, fences and barbed wire. I don't think a new vet is likely to entertain you doing this yourself, so I would look for someone local who does their own animals and ask nicely - but make sure they know what they are doing! Pet plan are great for insurance, they pay out promptly and most vets have a relationship with them so you won't have to fork out all the money up front, plus as a lurcher is a cross breed you will get the cheaper rate. I think the excess is about £ though. I pay just under £16 a month for my pup, and as I am still paying off a £1500 loan at £ a month nearly a year after having my Whippet put to sleep I think it is worth it - only two more years to go til it's paid off... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
driller killer 33 Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 In my experience vet's can be very helpful if you want to do certain things yourself, but I have been with my vet for 15 years and he knows what I can do and trusts me to go to him if it is too much for me. Obviously stapling is something that needs experience of wounds, to know whether it is just a skin wound or whether some deep tissue or muscle is involved, and making sure there is no dirt or other foreign bodies inside is extremely important. Personally I wouldn't feel happy stapling a wound myself, and so far none of my animals have needed it except after an operation, despite some pretty nasty-looking but not deep injuries from broken glass, fences and barbed wire. I don't think a new vet is likely to entertain you doing this yourself, so I would look for someone local who does their own animals and ask nicely - but make sure they know what they are doing! Pet plan are great for insurance, they pay out promptly and most vets have a relationship with them so you won't have to fork out all the money up front, plus as a lurcher is a cross breed you will get the cheaper rate. I think the excess is about £ though. I pay just under £16 a month for my pup, and as I am still paying off a £1500 loan at £ a month nearly a year after having my Whippet put to sleep I think it is worth it - only two more years to go til it's paid off... Planning to get insurance when i get my new pup, luckily got it for the 2 cats when we got them, the one has been hit by cars on 2 occasions (first time hit by 2 cars coming either way) fractured hip 1st time fractured skull 2nd, she should be bloody dead but fine every time, even vets said if she survives the night shell probably have brain damage but the next morning 'meow meow' wanted her breakfast,luckily that was a few years now, she seems to have learned. the other cat has now got a skin condition and o,c,d (lol) prob for the rest of her life, tablets every day and regular vet visits, we wouldnt have possibly been able to afford all the treatment, would have been thousands and thousands of pound, so i am a VERY big beleiver in pet insurance (they must hate us though). My old dog was too old to get it when we thought about it (mrs idea) but she didnt need much treatment before she needed putting down. £60 excess for the cats, were with pet plan also, ya ment to pay bills up front then claim money back nut or vets happy to wait and have it sent straight to her. But worth every penny, its a LOT more than paid for itself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RustyG 0 Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 from the sounds of things my first aid kit is a bit under stocked! ive got antiseptic wipes, frontline n drontal (so i dont loose em before i use iem!) antiseptic wash, nail clippers, tick remover, n optrex inefcted eyes in the fridge at home! I dont think my vet would be up for showing me how to staple, they seem to be more interested in makin money, so if any one knows a good workin dog et in surrey i would be so appreciative if they told me where one is! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Annmarie09 5 Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I always keep plenty of bandages, I think they are very important, one time I cut my finger on a knife (right down to the bone) and couldn't find a bandage, had to go to hospital with half a bog roll wrapped round it! Plus for a really bad cut you would want to put a pressure bandage on til you get to vets so save blood loss. You can get packs of them cheap enough in the pound shop. I also always keep crepe bandages so if one of us sprains an ankle or wrist I can bind it up myself, no need to bother doctor with it. I once slipped in the mud getting the horses in on New Year's Eve night and sprained my wrist, I was glad I had bandages to sort it myself as the shops were all shut and no way was I going to A&E - we could have waited all night. A good tight bandage takes a lot of pain out of a strain (and I'm a poet!). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cold Ethyl 63 Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I keep loads of stuff Savlon wound wash spray has been a life saver and their antiseptic spray which is dry iodine wound powder and bandages and other stuff i wont mention for obvious reasons.I also keep ear drops eye drops and dettol or tcp and a foil blanket.I would not be mentioning staplers as the rspca and sspca will have a ball if theyre on.Its totally illegal to perform Any type of wound closure on your dog unless your a qaulified vet.Seen people get s**t for this before and dogs removed over it etc so thought id warm peeps in case of this recurring.Your not even allowed to use superglue stich or staple your dog in any way now Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Annmarie09 5 Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Oh yeah I got a foil blanket too, great for cases of shock. Good point about the stapling, be careful with that. To be quite honest I find most injuries heal up fine with regular bandaging and once the bleeding has stopped try to get some fresh air on the wound in a clean area, also the dog licking it can help as long as they don't lick it too much and make it too soggy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cold Ethyl 63 Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Yeah the foil balnkets are perfect especially for the saluki xs like mine who seem to suffer shock easier than others.Its worth having just in case.Theyre really cracking down on the self med thing i take my two to the pdsa and one day had my bitch there and the sspca were removing 7 dogs for this and fighting etc.After seeing the dogs i kind of see why.I took my bitch to the private vet along the road to get chipped and a guy had his border collie taken of him and was charged on the spot arrested in front of everyone cos hed stitched his dog.Personally i thought hed done a great job and the dog wasnt upset or fussed either but thems the rules nowadays Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Annmarie09 5 Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 As usual the idiots like the ones mentioned who fight their dogs then treat them themselves because they can't take them to the vet knowing he would realise what the injuries were straight away, are ruining everything for others. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cold Ethyl 63 Posted October 5, 2009 Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 Thats exactly it and vets havent helped the case either young inexperienced vets with silly opinions when they dont know the full story or have all the facts.It used to come down to wether or not the animal suffers now its banned altogether my usual vet has lurchers and terriers and works them even though she is a pdsa vet and she thinks some of its really stupid she like me sees why its happened.Things i could deal with myself no bother have to be dragged to a vet a fair bit away must be around 45 mins in a car to be treated.Seen a new vet once and i wanted to strangle the lassie within minutes the dog needs antibiotics and painkillers and this and that and she didnt she had a few scuffs on her foot i was more interested in the fact she was ill and throwing up even water.My gran has just been skinned for over £200 for her bullx pup after she cut her foot and wrist and hit an artery and more money for drugs thats not needed the dogs on 2 different types of pain killer an antibiotic and zantac and something else.Seems to much to me plus my bitch is like my shadow wont allow anyone else near here half the time so taking her to the vets is great fun where as shed let me do almost anything to her Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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