Corgis First Aid Kit

[Michael Romanos]

Here is what a first aid kit for Corgis should contain - either when travelling or at home :
roll cotton
some cotton balls
gauze pads
gauze tape
hydrogen peroxide
hydrocortisone ointment
scissors
eyewash
silver nitrate
tweezers
oral syringes
petrolyte (or other balanced electrolyte fluid)
baby food (meat flavours best)
large towel
exam gloves
one inch white tape
rolls of elastic wrap
emergency ice pack
thermomenter
Telephone numbers of vet and emergency vet.

[glencorgi]

What is the baby food for in an emergency first aid situation?

Debbie

Who's noticed such things as alcohol, petroleum jelly (Vaseline), vet wrap, a muzzle, triple anitbiotic ointment and a few other things she has in her kit are missing from the list.

[Peggy]

Here are some sites with suggestions for a first aid kit for dogs. Some are more informative and complete than others.

First Aid Kit For Dogs
Dog Tip: First Aid Kits and Emergency Treatments - Prepare Now!
Dog Owner's Guide:First aid kit
How to Pack a First Aid Kit for Pets | eHow.com
First Aid Emergencies for Dogs - from Chinaroad Lowchens of Australia -
Use These Dog First Aid Supplies To Build Your Own Kit

Peggy

[Michael Romanos]

Why baby food in a first aid kit? At a guess, the kit also doubles for emergency purposes and canned baby food lasts significantly longer before expiring, than does canned dog food. Or maybe baby food is a more neutral meal to give a dog suffering from a traumatic experience.

[glencorgi]

I thought you had compiled the list Michael and was wondering what your reasoning was for it.

I do have baby food in my home stores of "medical" supplies, but not as a part of a traveling emergency kit. And with baby food, one does have to read the label carefully to make sure onion is not used as a seasoning or one might have a whole 'nother medical emergency to contend with.

Debbie

[Clogs]

Maybe I'm too casual, but if the dog needs first aid, she just gets a share of what I keep on hand for humans. The only "extra" I would reach for would be her muzzle if she was injured and agitated.

[Michael Romanos]

Well Clogs I suppose a dog emergency/first aid kit is 'special' to begin with before one places supplies in the kit. I think baby food is included because of the reasons I have already given - dry food for instance may not be suitable for a sick dog and a dog that would struggle to eat hard kibble. As well, baby food is probably much more preferable to whatever a human might have to present in an all-embracing emergency.

[Clogs]

On the occasions when Rosie is sick and can't eat kibble etc, I just cook up some fresh chicken and mix in some mashed carbo-type vegetables, like kumara and pumpkin. Much more nutritious, totally fresh and you can make a meal suitably sized for the dog and the appetite.

[Michael Romanos]

Yes, another excellent carbo is cooked brown rice.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by glencorgi

I do have baby food in my home stores of "medical" supplies, but not as a part of a traveling emergency kit. And with baby food, one does have to read the label carefully to make sure onion is not used as a seasoning or one might have a whole 'nother medical emergency to contend with.

IMO, a first aid kit is for emergencies, not for general medical stuff. So IMO, if you're treating a dog with your first aid kit in an emergency, chances are eating is the last thing that dog needs to be doing at that time.

Now, for general medical supplies for a sick dog, yes, baby food would be a good idea to keep around. Along with a low sodium chicken broth and rice. (And yes, white rice is just fine for a sick dog. It is bland and easy to digest and will help with diarrhea.)

Peggy

[Michael Romanos]

White rice is not recommended whereas brown or brewers rice are - a canine nutritionist described white rice like giving your dog a human dessert. It won't do as much harm but it wouldn't be beneficial- in the sense that it might help clean out a tummy but it will have a downside unlike it's brown and brewer's cousins.

[pmavrich]

When Miller had his emergency surgery from swallowing a peach pit and getting it stuck between his stomach and small intestine, The vet recommended plain white rice and chicken broth (from scratch) for his meals and also provided us with eukanuba brand sensitive stomach food. I never heard of using brown rice, I thought it would be too coarse.

[Michael Romanos]

Properly cooked brown rice/rice bran is easily digestible by dogs.
Brown rice is a much better source of fibre than is white rice. It contains much higher levels of nutrients such as magnesium, manganese, zinc, niacin, phosphorus, selerium; higher levels of B vitamins, vitamin E. Also brown rice has amino acid lysine and protein. Brown rice is lower in calories and carbos than is white rice.