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Pet Poison First Aid Kit

Pet Poison First Aid Kit If you own a pet, make sure you have a first aid kit at home. Pet Poison Helpline recommends the following items be kept on hand in case of various emergencies:

First aid kit contents

  • Hydrogen peroxide 3% (within the expiration date)
  • An oral dosing syringe or turkey baster (for administering hydrogen peroxide)
  • Teaspoon/tablespoon set (to calculate the appropriate amount of hydrogen peroxide to give)
  • Liquid hand dish washing detergent (e.g., Dawn, Palmolive)
  • Rubber gloves
  • Triple antibiotic ointment (with NO other combination ingredients - NOT for use in CATS!)
  • Vitamin E oil
  • Diphenhydramine tablets 25mg (with NO other combination ingredients)
  • Ophthalmic saline solution or artificial tears
  • Can of tuna or chicken packed in water, beef broth or tasty canned pet food
  • Sweet electrolyte-containing beverage
  • Karo syrup
  • Vegetable oil
Before you attempt anything with your new first aid kit, always make sure to speak with Pet Poison Helpline first prior to initiating any therapies at home. Never administer hydrogen peroxide to a pet without checking with a veterinary professional first, as sometimes it’s not appropriate – or even dangerous – to induce vomiting at home. Likewise, never initiate first aid or administer any over-the-counter human medications to animals without speaking to a veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline first! If you have any questions regarding the veterinary toxicology first aid kit recommendations, please call Pet Poison Helpline.

Another important thing to keep in mind is home remedies. When it comes to our pets and poisons, we don’t want to chance endangering our pet’s lives with some made up, Internet-discovered, erroneous home remedies! We hear it all - owners who use milk, peanut butter, vegetable oil, or salt...and these remedies are all WRONG! Please know that these products should NEVER be administered as they don’t work and may actually injure your pet! Consult your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline to find out:
  1. if the product ingested was poisonous to begin with,
  2. if emesis (inducing vomiting) is warranted or medically indicated, and
  3. if an antidote is available.
Remember, there’s a lot of good AND bad information out there on the Web, and you must be able to separate the wheat from the chaff!

 

Veterinarians: Learn more about treating pet poison victims

Pet Poison Helpline has many critical resources on pet poisonings, some of which we've worked with Wedgewood Pharmacy to compile for you in one eBook. Download the eBook from the Resources for Veterinarians section of WedgewoodPetRx. Additionally, you can attend webinars for CE credit. Register for the next online presentation at PetPoisonHelpline.com. Sorry pet owners – these presentations are for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, veterinary students and other veterinary professionals only! I'll be guest blogging here for a few weeks to share with you this important information on treating pet poisonings.

Michael Brown, DVM, MS
Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC
Associate Director of Veterinary Services
Pet Poison Helpline

About Justine Lee, DVM:
Dr. Justine Lee is a board-certified emergency critical care veterinary specialist, and is currently the Associate Director of Veterinary Services for Pet Poison Helpline. For the previous five years, she was on faculty as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Lee graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in Animal Sciences, and then obtained her veterinary degree at Cornell University. She pursued her internship at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital, which is affiliated with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA). In addition, she has also completed an emergency fellowship and residency at the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, she is 1 of approximately 450 board-certified veterinary specialists world wide in emergency and critical care, and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (DACVECC).

Dr. Lee has been published in numerous veterinary journals, including the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association, the Journal of Veterinary Emergency Critical Care, and the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. She is also the author of two humorous pet reference books entitled “It’s a Dog’s Life... but It’s Your Carpet” and “It’s a Cat’s World... You Just Live In It.” Dr. Lee lectures throughout the world on emergency and critical care, and recently was honored with the North American Veterinary Conference Small Animal Speaker of the Year award for 2011.

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