Dog first aid kit: what to put in it and what to leave out

Key points

• The first thing in the kit is a card with your vet's number, the nearest 24-hour emergency vet's number and your dog's weight.
• Gauze, self-adhesive bandage, sterile saline, chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine, a thermometer and tweezers cover most mishaps.
• Never pack human medicines: ibuprofen, acetaminophen (paracetamol) and aspirin are toxic to dogs.
• No hydrogen peroxide or alcohol on wounds, and never try to make your dog vomit at home.
• Check expiry dates every six months and replace whatever you use.

A dog first aid kit isn't for treating at home what a vet should see; it's for buying time: stopping bleeding, cleaning a small wound, taking a temperature or removing a tick. It fits in a shoebox, and it's worth keeping one at home and a smaller one in the car or your hiking backpack.

What it leaves out matters just as much as what goes in. Human medicines such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen (paracetamol) are among the most common causes of poisoning in dogs, almost always because someone was trying to help. Here's the complete list, how to use the basics and which situations are emergencies where you shouldn't waste time with the kit.

What the kit should contain

Documents and contacts

• Your vet clinic's number and that of a nearby 24-hour emergency animal hospital. In the US, also note down the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and the Pet Poison Helpline.
• Current weight, microchip number, any medication they take and known allergies.
• A copy of their vaccination record (and their pet passport or health certificate if you travel abroad).

For wound care

• Sterile gauze pads and non-stick wound dressings.
• Gauze roll bandage and self-adhesive (cohesive) bandage, the kind that sticks to itself and not to fur.
• Paper medical tape.
• Sterile saline in single-use vials, for flushing wounds and eyes.
• Antiseptic: aqueous chlorhexidine solution or povidone-iodine, to be used diluted (povidone-iodine until it's the color of weak tea).
• Styptic powder for bleeding nails.

Tools

• Blunt-tipped scissors.
• Fine-tipped tweezers and a tick removal hook.
• A digital thermometer and petroleum jelly.
• A 10-20 ml syringe without a needle, to flush wounds with saline under pressure.
• Disposable gloves and a small flashlight.
• An instant cold pack, always wrapped in cloth.
• A sock or a dog boot to protect a bandaged paw.

To handle your dog safely

• A basket muzzle they're used to: a dog in pain can bite the person they love most. Never put it on if they're vomiting, struggling to breathe or have heatstroke.
• A thermal (space) blanket, a large towel (it doubles as a stretcher for a small dog) and a spare leash.
• A cone (Elizabethan collar) or a recovery suit, to stop them licking a wound.

Medicines

Only those your vet has prescribed for your dog, with the dose written on the box and the expiry date.

What should never be in the kit

• Ibuprofen, naproxen or diclofenac: even in small doses they cause stomach ulcers and kidney damage in dogs.
• Acetaminophen (paracetamol): it damages the liver and red blood cells. In cats it's deadly.
• Aspirin: ulcers and blood clotting problems.
• Human anti-diarrhea medicines, antihistamines, antibiotics, eye drops and creams: don't keep them for your dog “just in case”. If your dog needs one, your vet will tell you which and at what dose.
• Hydrogen peroxide: on wounds, it damages healthy tissue and slows healing. Given by mouth to induce vomiting, it can cause severe ulcers in the esophagus and stomach.
• Alcohol: it stings and damages tissue; not in the ears either.
• Salt or mustard to induce vomiting: salt can cause severe poisoning.
• Essential oils and tea tree oil: toxic or irritating to dogs.

How to use the basics

Taking their temperature

Rectally, with the digital thermometer coated in petroleum jelly, inserted 2-3 cm (about 1 in), with another person holding the dog. Normal is between 100.4 and 102.5 °F (38 and 39.2 °C). Above 103 °F (39.5 °C), or below 99.5 °F (37.5 °C), call your vet.

Stopping bleeding

Press directly on the wound with several gauze pads for 5-10 minutes without lifting them to look. If they soak through, add more on top without removing the first ones. Then secure them with a bandage that's firm but doesn't cut off circulation, and go to the vet. Don't apply a tourniquet.

Bandaging a paw

Dressing, gauze and self-adhesive bandage from the toes upward, without pulling tight: you should be able to slip a couple of fingers under the bandage. Check that the toes don't swell or turn cold, and don't leave a bandage on for more than 24 hours without your vet seeing it.

Bee or wasp stings

If you can see the stinger, scrape it out with a card and apply cold wrapped in cloth. It's an emergency if they've been stung in the mouth or throat, if their face swells a lot or if they're struggling to breathe.

To remove ticks, follow the step-by-step in our ticks guide, and for nails, our guide on how to trim their nails.

Poisoning: what to do and what not to do

• Call right away your vet or a 24-hour emergency vet, even if your dog has no symptoms yet; in the US you can also contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center or the Pet Poison Helpline.
• Don't make your dog vomit at home, not with hydrogen peroxide, not with salt, not by putting your fingers down their throat. Some toxins, such as caustic products or petroleum products, do more damage coming back up, and your dog can inhale the vomit. If vomiting is the right call, the vet will induce it at the clinic with safe medications.
• Bring the packaging or the label and write down what they ate, how much and at what time, and their weight.
• If the product has got on their skin or coat, wash it off with plenty of water and a mild soap, wearing gloves.

Check which household foods are toxic in foods dogs should not eat.

Pine processionary caterpillars: a risk mainly in southern Europe (Spain, Portugal, southern France, Italy), worth knowing if you travel there with your dog. From January to April, these caterpillars come down from pine trees in long lines through pine woods and parks. In the UK, a relative, the oak processionary moth, is found in London and parts of southeast England. If your dog sniffs or bites one, their tongue swells and they drool heavily. Rinse their mouth with plenty of water without rubbing, wearing gloves, and go to an emergency vet: they can lose part of their tongue.

When to leave the kit and go to the emergency vet

• They're struggling to breathe or their gums are pale, gray or bluish.
• Bleeding that doesn't stop after 10 minutes of pressure.
• Seizures or loss of consciousness.
• Any suspected poisoning.
• Heatstroke.
• Being hit by a car or a fall, even if they seem fine.
• A swollen belly with retching but nothing coming up, especially in large, deep-chested dogs: it may be bloat with a twisted stomach (GDV).
• Straining to urinate with nothing coming out.
• Bites from another dog, even if they look small: the damage under the skin is usually worse than it looks.
• Deep wounds, or wounds to the chest, belly or eye.
• Vomiting or diarrhea with blood, or in puppies. We explain this in what to feed a dog with diarrhea.
• Snakebite (rattlesnakes and other pit vipers in the US, adders in the UK): keep your dog still, and carry them if you can, without cutting, sucking out the venom or applying a tourniquet.

What you need

• A card with your vet's and a 24-hour emergency vet's numbers, your dog's weight and microchip number
• Sterile gauze pads, non-stick dressings, gauze roll bandage and self-adhesive bandage
• Paper medical tape
• Sterile saline in single-use vials
• Aqueous chlorhexidine solution or povidone-iodine
• Styptic powder
• Blunt-tipped scissors, fine tweezers and a tick removal hook
• A digital thermometer and petroleum jelly
• A 10-20 ml syringe without a needle
• Disposable gloves and a flashlight
• An instant cold pack
• A basket muzzle, a thermal blanket, a large towel and a cone (Elizabethan collar)

Step by step

1. Put on gloves and restrain your dog

   Ask someone to help. If your dog is in pain and might bite, put on the basket muzzle, unless they're vomiting or struggling to breathe.

2. Clear the wound

   Wet the surrounding fur with saline so it doesn't fall into the wound, and trim it with the blunt-tipped scissors.

3. Flush with plenty of saline

   With the needle-free syringe, squirt saline under gentle pressure to wash away dirt and debris. Use several vials if needed.

4. Apply the diluted antiseptic

   Diluted chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine, with a gauze pad. Don't use cotton balls, which leave fibers behind, or hydrogen peroxide or alcohol.

5. Cover it if needed

   Non-stick dressing, gauze and self-adhesive bandage, without pulling tight. Change it daily and use a cone if your dog licks it.

6. Decide whether they need the vet

   If the wound is more than 1-2 cm (about ½-¾ in) long, gaping, deep, a bite, still bleeding, or becomes inflamed and oozes over the next few days, see the vet. If it needs stitches, the sooner the better, ideally within the first few hours.

Frequently asked questions

What should be in a dog first aid kit?

The basics: your vet's and a 24-hour emergency vet's numbers, gauze, gauze and self-adhesive bandages, sterile saline, chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine, styptic powder, blunt-tipped scissors, tweezers and a tick removal hook, a digital thermometer, gloves, a basket muzzle and a thermal blanket. As for medicines, only those your vet has prescribed for your dog.

Can I give my dog ibuprofen or acetaminophen for pain?

No. Ibuprofen causes stomach ulcers and kidney damage in dogs even in small doses, and acetaminophen (paracetamol) damages the liver and red blood cells. Aspirin isn't safe either: it can cause ulcers and blood clotting problems. If your dog is in pain, call your vet: there are safe veterinary painkillers, dosed for their weight.

What antiseptic can I use on my dog's wound?

Aqueous chlorhexidine solution or povidone-iodine diluted to the color of weak tea. First, flush the wound thoroughly with plenty of sterile saline, which is the most important part. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol: they damage healthy tissue and slow healing. If the wound is deep or it's a bite, see the vet.

How do you take a dog's temperature?

Rectally, with a digital thermometer coated in petroleum jelly, inserted 2-3 cm (about 1 in) while another person holds the dog. Normal is between 100.4 and 102.5 °F (38 and 39.2 °C). Above 103 °F (39.5 °C) or below 99.5 °F (37.5 °C), call your vet. Human ear or forehead thermometers aren't reliable in dogs.

Is hydrogen peroxide good for dog wounds?

No. Although it has been widely used, hydrogen peroxide damages healthy tissue too and slows healing. To clean a wound, it's best to flush it with plenty of sterile saline and then apply diluted chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine. And never give it by mouth to make your dog vomit: it can cause severe ulcers.