Here is a breakdown on the contents of a pig hunters dog first aid kit.
Carry bag, pretty self explanatory.
Scalpel blades or you can use razor blades, handy for trimming bits of tissue hanging by a thread, also good for shaving wound edges prior to closure after wetting hair.
Isotonic saline. The best type of liqiuid for cleaning muddy and dirty wounds, also good for flushing eyes when sterile. This is a flexipac, to use in the field snip a corner off with scissors and tip out. The odd pig hunter in the tropics knows how to rig these intravenously to treat for heat exhaustion but that takes training and a bit more gear.
Wound dressing, good to apply after cleaning the wound, helps to soak up and "wick away" ooze from an open wound, put over exposed tissue prior to applying a bandage.
Swabs - similar to wound dressings, good to pack in to open wounds to apply pressure before bandaging. Best not to pack in to an opened abdominal cavity if you can help it as they will be hard to find later.
Wound powder. Hated by vets as its messy as all hell but can help to reduce infection in an open wound, puff away! Iodine solution is harder to carry but a very good alternative (diluted 50/50 or even 1/10).
Clamps/haemostats. Clip on to large arteries. Head for the vet.
"Vetrap" or cohesive bandage. Sticks to itself but not to hair, loses stick with blood, very flexible. A great bandage to apply pressure, breathable.
Elastoplast bandage. Sticks to hair, slightly flexible, slightly breathable. A good bandage layer for anchoring a bandage in place and less easy for a dog to get teeth in to. Be careful of getting too tight if leaving on more than a few hours.
Stapler. Pull edges of skin together and staple every 0.5 to 1 cm. Good for closing long rips, if closing over dirty tissue (not recommended)or an open pocket, its advisable to still get it tidied by the vet who can clean it/place drains under anaesthetic. Shaving the hair on wound edges can give a cleaner and quicker healing time - dont leave hair under the skin.
Staple remover. Remove staples 14 days later, "crimp" staples in the middle and they should be removed pain free.
Scissors for trimming bandages, opening fluid bag, if boiled and sterile can be used to trim a wound.
Happy hunting.
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Fly-My-Pretties
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Re: First Aid Kit Reply #1 - May 13th, 2012 at 7:00pm
Ethos the wound powder - I was forced to use a vet that was not my regular vet last year for a good rip that my dog got. I had puffed it with wound powder. Now admittedly this vet is known locally as a real homo, and his reaction shouldn't have surprised me but it did - basically he claimed the wound powder was crap for 'messing up a nice clean wound' - your thoughts please.
Aunty, yes vets loathe the wound powder- if a dog is coming straight in for stitching dont use it, but if you are a day or more away from civilisation and you want to reduce infection in a less serious wound, then it has its place.
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jerry
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Re: First Aid Kit Reply #6 - May 14th, 2012 at 1:24pm
Great post, very useful and comprehensive Just one point I would like to clarify - when using vetrap/coban whatever - it has many names depending on the producer, just watch when applying that it isn't too tight when not being used for pressure (and that it is checked once wound clotted/stiched if it has been used for pressure). It is very stretchy and in the haste to create a good firm bandage sometimes it can become too tight and seriously affect circulation.
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Re: First Aid Kit Reply #8 - May 14th, 2012 at 9:00pm
Hi Ethos, one product that i used to use was EMT gel, however no longer available in NZ. Do you know of a similar product? http://emtgel.com/ Cheers Martin
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Re: First Aid Kit Reply #9 - May 14th, 2012 at 9:21pm
I reckon that kit is a bit over priced, but good size to carry and includes most of the basics, however i spend fifty bucks down the safety shop and brought a good 1st aid kit with twice as much stuff and only very slightly bigger.....i also added stapler and a few odds bits the vet gave me. Its sometimes not only the dogs that need a staple or 2
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ethos
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Re: First Aid Kit Reply #10 - May 14th, 2012 at 11:40pm
Hi Ethos, one product that i used to use was EMT gel, however no longer available in NZ. Do you know of a similar product? http://emtgel.com/ Cheers Martin
Yep, that is great stuff... I still ahve a tube here.
BTW Ethos, I have used Manuka honey on wounds... is that an old wives tale or is it a good natural remedy??? It seems to have done the job for me, but am interested in a pros opinion.
I'm sorry if I offended you when I called you stupid! I honestly thought you already knew!
I think the consensus is that makuka honey does have some mild antibacterial properties- I know of several dog and horse owners who use it and swear by it.
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Re: First Aid Kit Reply #13 - May 15th, 2012 at 7:18pm
...haha he looks smaller than he is, 128lb. I stuck myself in the leg wrestling with him....lesson learnt!! but still carried him out by myself. Now i have one of these in the truck and just carry bare essentials on me. Follow link thru to 1st aid kits and i got the premium vehicle kit for $54. http://www.nzsafety.co.nz/servlet/Srv.Ecos_Signon?CN=15366&AC=185E7D4D361E7D4D&U... I added stapler and remover, electrical tape, superglue (for those hard to staple areas), antibiotics and a small bottle of iodine.....i think i got a tube of drycow antibiotic cream or simalar. I will add some internal stitching gear on fly in trips.
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Re: First Aid Kit Reply #14 - May 15th, 2012 at 8:28pm
An alternative to manuka honey is a good high concentrate tea tree oil, the active properties in the oil are far more concentrated than the honey. However not all manuka honeys or tea tree oil are created equal - some have a higher medicinal rate than others.