Over the last few weeks, PET CARE has been focusing on caregiver acquisition, use and abuse of medications destined for pet usage. I hope that loyal readers do not misinterpret the advice to mean that no medicine/instruments should be kept at home, especially when needed during an emergency situation.
Next week, we will expend comments on what emergencies can arise in the household and what treatments can be implemented immediately, even as the caregiver attempts to contact his/her veterinarian. This means that every home with a companion animal should possess and maintain one Veterinary Medical Emergency Kit.
The list below is compiled in no order of importance:
• A sturdy (plastic/wooden) container (15” long X 15” wide X 8” deep) for the many things you may need, if a “situation” arises. A large cooler would suffice. This container should have child-proof safeguards and be kept out of the reach of children.
• A thermometer. It is imperative that families with children/pets have a thermometer in the house.
Please note that the manner of use depends on the type of thermometer. If it is a Mercury thermometer, please place it, via the anus, at least one inch into the rectum. Do not place the Mercury thermometer under the tongue or in the armpit of the pet. If you have a digital thermometer, place it gently in an ear. Hold the head/pet the forehead and wait for the final reading.
If you suspect that your pet is running a temperature, record it and repeat the procedure at least every 4 hours. Later, you will share the data with your vet.
• Roll of cotton wool. Keep some sterilised (achieved by boiling in water for at least five minutes) cotton balls in a small air-tight container. Ready-made sterile cotton balls are available in pharmacies.
• Rolls of various sizes (3”, 6”) of gauze.
• A roll of Duct Tape.
• Tweezers (such as those used for removing hairs from the eyebrow)
• Syringes (3ml, 5ml, 10ml) with 21-gauge needles.
Please note that I am not advising you to inject the animal. That is your vet’s job. Of course, if the animal has swallowed a poisonous substance such as a herbicide, pesticide, or insecticides (containing organophosphates), for which speed is of essence, it may be necessary to inject the animal with the antidote, after you would have called your vet for advice. Syringes are also useful to flush wounds or administer oral medication. I will be dealing with this topic when discussing “EMERGENCIES”.
• Q-Tips. Really, I do not want you delving into the dog’s (or cat’s) ear canal. But sometimes the outer ear flap (the Pinna) is so dirty, you must clean it. Cotton balls soaked in ordinary sterilised water are effective. We truly don’t want any liquid chemical rolling into the ear canal. The animal will react uncooperatively.
• Hydrogen peroxide – which really is only water with an extra loosely-linked oxygen atom. It is this extra oxygen atom that releases itself on contact with the skin surface, and which you see bubbling up, taking with it any dirt/dust from the surface of the wound. Do not use the hydrogen peroxide on a raw and bleeding wound. Hydrogen peroxide can also be used to induce vomiting, for example, if your animal has ingested rat bait.
• Pepto-Bismol/Kaopectate/Gravol/activated charcoal/Milk of Magnesia These items can be used for your companion animal – BUT ONLY UNDER VETERINARY GUIDANCE.
• Rubber band (1cm diameter) or a rubber tube (½ cm). These serve as tourniquets. We will discuss the uses of tourniquets when dealing with bleeding emergencies.
• One safety razor with a new (unused) razor blade. Needed to shave the hair around an open wound – before topically applying medications contained in ointments, creams, and liquids.
• Antibiotic and antifungal ointments/creams/eye drops. To be used only under the advice and guidance of your veterinarian. The methodology of administering liquids, tablets ,and creams will be dealt with separately.
• Vitamin K tablets. I have been informed by one of biggest pharmacies in Guyana that this compound can be sold over the counter.
It is not a product which should be used willy-nilly, but may assist to reduce internal bleeding associated with ingestion of toxic substances or curb heavy bleeding from external lacerations. Again, veterinary advice is imperative.
• A muzzle or a one-foot-long, one-inch-wide durable fabric. These can be used to wrap around the animal’s jaws, should you need to carry out a manipulation which could elicit pain and aggressive behaviour from your pet.
• Anti-allergy (antihistamines) tablets or liquid. These are over-the-counter drugs sold at pharmacies. Piriton and Benadryl are the most commonly-supplied antihistamines in Guyana. Use only as prescribed by your vet.
• Methylated Spirits/Dettol/Savlon for antiseptic and disinfectant purposes. Never use Dettol or Savlon on cats! Do not use Methylated Spirits on open wounds. It burns.
• Eye Drops/Eye Droppers/Eye Wash – for use in removing a foreign body from the surface of the eyeball.
Let me emphasise that the items documented above are essentials for an animal emergency kit. They have been listed for use as a first-step intervention, while you are simultaneously contacting your vet.