Below are several posts relating to dog first aid during backcountry camping. I am not an expert in the field, and you will notice that I have not added any personal experience / opinion on the subject. Having said all this, the information is here for you to use, at your own judgement. In other words, neither I nor the people who initially shared the information can carry any responsibility for what happens to you and / or your dog.

Having said that, the information below has been compiled from posts to the dog-hike mailing list. Information on the list can be found on the web; I forget the exact address, maybe someone can remind me, if they read this.

Lastly, please don't make fun of my artistic skills.

First Aid Checklist | homeopathic remedies | stink remover | more first aid | giardia | porcupines

Date: Fri, 24 Apr 1998 08:03:34 -0500 (CDT)
From: Robert Freeman
To: DOG-HIKE

It has been several months since I sent this list out and there are many new hikers on this board. Hope it helps.

This check list was compiled from several lists I saved from DOGHIKE. If any other suggestions are listed on this site, I will include them in the list and then re-post it. Some items show ?? which means I don't know what the item is or what is used for.

The first list was from a Backcountry EMT who had many good suggestions. Then Jim Greenway wrote, "I'm the EMT, ambulance and emergency room for my dog so I had better be prepared when hiking."

1. Malox coated or buffered asprin (don't give regular asprin to dogs) ibuprofen for 2 legged hikers
2. Vetwrap- sticks to fur better without pulling out the hair
3. Kwik Stop or Styptic Powder- a coagulant to stop flow of blood
4. Small nail scissors-
5. Ear and eye ointment- such as Ottomax or Terramycin
6. Tick tweezers and maybe Tick Release - hemostats are great
7. Disposable razor- to shave hair from injured area
8. Booties- protect foot pads against snow/ice/rough terrain often used with vetwrap to keep them on
9. Betadine swabs or cleanser-
10. Butterfly bandages- wound closure strips
11. Waterproof surgical tape-
12. Sam splints- (??)
13. Secta-soothe-(??)
14. Mole skin-
15. Irrigation needle- to flush eyes and wounds
16. Dressing and 4X4 bandages-
17. Triangular bandage- really come in handy
18. Regular gauze and elastic bandages
19. Immodium AD-
20. 8 X 10 piece of plastic- can serve as roof, wind-break, litter or travois material
21. Parachute cord-
22. Antacid tablets-
23. Antiseptic cleaning pads-
24. Antiseptic ointment- try Neosporin or combination antiseptic/anestetic creams
25. Bandaids-
26. Q_tips-
27. Single edge razor blade(taped)-
28. Roller Bandage-
29. Safety pins-
30. Tweezers-
31. Bandana- could serve as muzzle, bandage or dressing
32. Insect repellant-
33. Lip balm/sunscreen-
34. Roll (5ft) of lightweight wire- splint/travois material
35. Antihistamines- such as Benadryl
36. Soap (motel size)-
37. Flagyl- an antibiotic for giardia
38. Vets AB(??)
39. Penicillan product(s)-as prescribed by the vet for possible serious infections, which may give you enough time to retreat to civilization for proper care.
40. Water filters-
41. Cough lozenges (zincs are great)
42. (For women) Applicator-less tampons
43. (For anyone) Maxipads (great for stoping massive bleeding)
44. Sting-eze (if the repellent fails)
45. Old film cannister with cotton balls soaked in petroluem jelly.... great for soothing chaffing or starting fires.

checklist | Homeopathic Remedies | stink remover | more first aid | giardia | porcupines

Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 10:07:10 -0700
From: Sosha
To: dog-hike
Subject: first aid kit

My dog was hit by a car a few months ago so I have had the opportunity to really try out a few herbal and homeopathic medications that I would now never be without. Frodo underwent several operations and had some infections that benefitted from the following:

Happy Hiking!!!!!!!, Sosha Zaretsky
p.s. All of this stuff can be used on dogs and people!

checklist | homeopathic remedies | Skunk Stink Remover | more first aid | giardia | porcupines

Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 21:43:21 -0700
To: dog-hike
From: "Wolf Packs, LLC"
Subject: Fish/Skunk/Carrion/Cow pie odor remover (long)

Donna Deter posted this awhile back, and I thought it worth saving. We had the opportunity to test the recipe peroxide/baking soda concoction last year when both the dogs got a full faceload when attempting to play with a skunk who wandered into their domain. Let me just say life was a lot more pleasant after we used the brew...

>Here's the formula:
>
>"....  1 quart of 3 percent
>hydrogen peroxide, which costs about $2 at a drugstore; 1/4 cup of
>baking soda; and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap, which breaks up the oils in
>the skunk spray and allows the other ingredients in the solution to do
>their stuff.  The solution should be rinsed off the pet with tap
>water........"
>

checklist | homeopathic remedies | stink remover | Another First Aid Kit | giardia | porcupines

Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 05:56:23 -0700 (PDT)
From: Behan Gifford
To: dog-hike
Subject: [Fwd: First aid kits -Reply] (fwd)

this was from about four months ago on dog-hike....

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Another previous post about first aid kits

>
> This is from the malamute list.
>
> I am an Backcountry EMT and my dogs go everywhere with me- including
> doing ranch work with horses and cows, whitewater rafting, extended
> pack trip, mountaineering, winter camping and basically anywhere and
> everywhere.  I carry first aid equipment that carries over for both
> people and humans.  I have had my tests with porcipines, coyote,
> barbed wire and the basic injuries.  Food and water are a given for
> both you and the dog.
> Here are things I add that are not in basic first aid kits:
> Aleeve- Malox coated aspirn- don't give regular asprin to a dog
> VetWrap- sticks to fur better without pulling out hair- I actually
> like it better than Kling for people too.
> Kwik Stop or septic powder
> Small nail scissorz- hey, you carry Penny Scissors right?  So why not
>       throw in an extra pair for the dog- not too much weight.
> Ear and eye oitment- in 1/8 oz tubs (a little Ottomax and Terramycin)
> Maybe some skin glue if you feel confident enough to close SMALL
>      wounds
> Good tick tweezers and maybe Tick Release if you want.
> Hemostats are great as well as needle nose pliers and lighter
> Razorblade to shave the hair from an injured area
> Booties
>
> Be sure to have the following for both:
> Betadine swabs or cleanser
> Butterfly bandages- wound closure strips
> Waterproof surgical tape
> Sam splints
> Secta-soothe
> Mole skin irragation needle- too flush eyes and wounds trauma
> dressing and 4 x 4 bandages
> Triangular bandage- they can really come in handy
> Regular gauze and elastic bandages off course there is more people
> stuff, but that is off the subject.
>
> The snake bite kit is a great idea but I have to tell ya- if your dog
> get's bit by a ratteler and you are way out- give him plenty of love
> and affection because no one is going to Medflight your dog out of
> the wilderness- unless it is a certified SAR dog.  Sad but true.
> If you want one, many outdoor stores (REI or EMS) sell them.
>
> I would stay away from the suturing and/or gluing if all possible.
> Closing a dirty wound is a good way to get gangrene.
> The wound will have to be reopened for the vet to clean it out and
> you also have 24 hours to stitch.  Shave some fur, clean well, and
> use butterfly strips.
>
> This sounds like a ton of stuff, but it really isn't.  My first aid
> kit is quite comprehensive and very small.  Also, remember, your dog
> can carry the kit in his pack.
> If you are wondering where to get a kit to start- try Adventure
> Medical Kits- they are fairly comprehensive and available from most
> sporting good suppliers.  To add the doggy stuff, look in your Pet
> catalogs or ask your vet.
>
> One more thing to remember- dogs can indure a lot more pain then we
> can - or for that matter than we can watch them go through.

checklist | homeopathic remedies | stink remover | more first aid | Giardia | porcupines

From: frank byne
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 10:26:25 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: giardia
to:  dog-hike group

I posed the question of giardia to a friend of mine in med school. He was a microbiology major, and can tend to be a little graphic (he loves this stuff). ANYHOW, IF YOU DON'T CARE TO KNOW ABOUT GIARDIA, DELETE THIS POST. If you are curious, read on.

Here is his response:

BEGIN:

So you want to know about Giardia lamblia? You don't want it.

This flagellated little protozoan is transmitted from the feces of various animal hosts, particularly beavers, and it culminates on the surface of water--stagnant or flowing. The chances of you actually ingesting the bacteria vary depending on how many animals went to the hopper upstream from you or in the body of water in question. Overall, there's about a 30% chance you'll get the bacteria.

Let me tell you about what will happen. You'll first notice it 1-3 weeks after ingestion. You will suffer from pronounced upper abdominal cramps and extreme quantities of intestinal gas. Next, you'll have diarrhea, which is sudden in onset and explosive in character. Key word here is explosive. Nausea, vomiting, and fever may also join the party.

The best thing about Giardiasis is that it can last up to seven weeks. If you get it, get help or you will dehydrate and die (you can lose up to 20 liters of water per day--drinking eight glasses of water a day might leave you a little short).

Any camping store will sell a version of something called halogen tablets (brand name unknown by me). You can put these into the water, and they will kill the bacteria. Crying won't help you, and BOILING WILL DO YOU NO GOOD!! The bacteria encysts and will not be killed by boiling water. Good luck.

Also:

And lets now forget:

Everyone got your malaria shot?? If not, about 2 weeks after the mosquito bites you, you will begin to experience malarial paroxysm. You will go through a half hour cold stage (chills and shakes). Your body will overcompensate, and you will go through the hot stage (fever of 104 to 107). You then enter the wet stage with profuse sweating. This continues in a cycle until you get it treated. Use insect repellant in abundance, and go get some chloroquine. There is no vaccine that I know of, but this stuff will quell the clinical manifestations and may prevent relapse and ransmission. I'm not sure, but you may be only able to get this stuff once you have the disease. Just make sure you use a LOT of repellant.

END

----- End Included Message -----

checklist | homeopathic remedies | stink remover | more first aid | giardia | Porcupines

On our 1999 thru-hike, Heidi (my dog) encountered a porcupine. She'd actually seen them before, on our trip to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, but this time she got a little too close. In Massachusetts, at the Mark Noepel Lean to, we had the shelter to ourselves. The register indicated porcupine activity in the area, so I decided to leash Heidi inside the shelter, rather than let her run around as usual. While this was the right idea, it was not fool-proof. She had enough leeway with the leash to wander to the front of shelter, and just enough slack to get out onto the ground. Well, sure enough, in the middle of the night she heard a porky nosing around outside and went out to investigate/play. Well, as you can guess, the porky did not want to play, and Heidi acquired a nosefull of quills.

What to do now? Fortunately, I was prepared. I don't fully recall if I read about this in a dog-first-aid book, or if I learned it online from the dog-hike (Traildog) email list. But the solution is to clip the quills in half. Apparently this releases some tension within the quill, allowing them to be easily pulled out. In fact, two of them fell out as I was clipping. The other four came out easily, after being cut.

Heidi, in fact, never even seemed to suffer. I awoke to the noise of her encountering the porky, then she jumped back in the lean-to. By the time I could turn my flashlight on, she was just licking her nose, the quills flopping around from her tongue. No whimpering or barking. She never likes having me hold her head still, but I was able to do that long enough to clip and pull the quills. Throughout, she never indicated pain or suffering, other than disliking me holding her head.

I cannot, of course, guarantee that others will have the same luck if their dog encounters a porcupine. If possible, its probably better to find a veterinarian for this kind of emergency. Since we were nowhere near a road, in the middle of the night, I chose to do the extraction myself and got lucky.

Good luck, and may you never have to use this information...