doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT What to put in my bird dogs first aid kit?

Chuck,

In all of the years of hunting and field trials the two most used first aid items are stop bleed and eye wash. I use the powdered type of stop bleed and carry it in the field. I use gauze or tape to hold it in place. A tiny nick in the ears and it will look as if the dog took his head off. They come over to you and shake their head and splatter blood all over you and your gun. Blood is the best thing in the world for taking the finish off of a nicely blued barrel. Eye wash. Any kind of sterile eye solution. K-9 type is not necessary. I check eyes many times during a hunt. Especially in heavy cover. As for the dyhydration problem it is best treated by preventing it. Most good hunting dogs will hunt untill they drop dead. It is your job to make them stop before they do damage. Heat is deadly, dogs are instinctive, we are the ones that are supposed to have the common sense. Most other first aid stuff is the same as you would have for yourself. I have had my share of field injuries. I hope you never need to use any of the first aid supplies. Good to know that you are preparing. Many dog owners never even think of the dogs health in the field. They think that they are machines the require no maintenence. Best of luck with the new partner.

Bill G.

Great plan to look after "Jazz's" welfare. Couple of thoughts. Tweezers not worth a twit if you have old eyes. don't forget a small magnifying glass. SD sand burrs are small and painful. Won't find them much in ag ground, but if your after ST grouse you might run into them. Energy bars in case your pup really outdoes herself and needs a pickup. Make sure her toes nails are clipped about a week before the trip. Jazz shouldn't be bothered much by the variety of burrs out there, but if her coat looks to be thick enough to have burrs hitch a ride, bring along a small deburring brush. I assume you have all the proper name tags with your cell number listed, flourescent vest for her. Did you get a micro chip embedded for ID? Backup whistle. Camera for braggin photos of Jazz's first year. Good luck and have a great time. Brother and I will be in SD last of November. Randy

Albertson's/Osco sells a generic 'Sav-on' 3 pack of 4 oz Non-Preserved Saline Solution. It's in a squeeze bottle that can generate a pretty good stream and is leak-proof until the cap is screwed down. I don't carry that in my vest but in the first aid kit in the vehicle and is good for irrigating eyes or lacerations.
One of my setters was prone to exertional hypoglycemia so I do carry Insta-Glucose Gel (brand name) in a 1 oz squeeze tube. It can be slowly squeezed into the mouth of the dog even if unconscious and will be absorbed through the mucosa of the mouth.
Don't forget both the home and cell phone #s on all the dog collars.
Have a great, and safe, season!

I carry a cut kit that includes a tube of antibac, teflon coated pads, tape and a desposable razor ... I also carry a small pack of butterflys ..... I carry this stuff in an old canvas dog boot that will protect an injured foot for the trip home. I teach all my dogs to drink from a regular .5L spring water bottle and I bring as much for him as I bring for me. When I drink, he drinks.(mine is spring water .... his is a tap refil)

Chuck,
Not first aid per se .. just a small bit of extra thot .. remember that acetomeniphen or anything with it, like many of the headache remedies is LETHAL TO DOGS. Aspirin, is not.

Also dogs cannot process chocolate and it too is potentially lethal, so the candy bar thing is a bad idea. Stick to dog food, a small amount in a baggie or a dog bone 'treat'.

Talk to your vet & read some of the hunting dog forums. Lots of good advise here too. Think of getting Jazz 'snake trained'. Runs $25 or so, but can save the dog's life if you are going to have her out in the field hunting with you in warmer climes or areas and not just doing waterfowl retreiving.

How do you snake train a dog ?
L.F.

You burn 'em. Seriously, you walk the dog past a snake on a lead. The moment the dog shows any interest, they get zapped by the trainer. At the same time they quickly move dog away from the snake.

It only takes 2 or 3 experiences like that and the dog has no further interest in snakes.

Pete

Snake proofing a dog is done with a negative correction to the dog to associate the sight,smell and sound of a snake with something they should avoid. Most people use an electric shock collar to do the corrections along with real snakes.Training sometimes needs to be repeated at the start of the season or when you might have an encounter with a snake.

Chuck,

I have used the "generic" boric eye wash found at Walgreens, CVC, et. al. The key is to rinse out the particles in the eyes. Dogs run at "seed" level and fill their eyes with all sorts of stuff. One other item I carry, but have never used, are tongue depressers. I always thought they would make a good splint if needed and are light weight. I carry two "levels" of first aid. A ziploc in my hunting vest with EMT gel, bandages, small scissors, tweezers and eye wash. The next level has much more and is too heavy to carry but in my car in immediate reach if needed.

Safe hunting!

Jim

The vitamin C article was convincing. I bought a small bottle for my 'crash kit'. I'm buying new stuff for the kit so I don't raid the home supplies. I figured it's going to double as the regular travel first aid kit I shoulda had for people all along. Fortunately, I've never really needed a first aid kit except for the horse trips and we got by with what I and others had in our saddlebags. I've got a can of spray on bandage stuff from the horse biz that works exceptionally, but is not cheap. When you need it, it doesn't matter the cost. For bleeding extremities on horses (usually lower leg cuts) I've used ice or snow to stop the bleeding quickly. It contracts the tissue quickly to shut off superficial bleeding.