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"At Home" Medical for Your Dog
Baby
Aspirin or
uncoated 81 mg heart health aspirin:
My dog has pain / fever /
inflammation.
The aspirin dose for a dog
is approximately 80 mgs per 15 pounds. Never
use aspirin for a cat and never use Tylenol or Ibuprofen on a dog or
cat. Depending on the
severity of pain you can repeat the dose every 8 - 12 hrs but you
shouldn't continue for more than a few days because it is hard on
their tummies. It's best to give it after a full meal.
Benadryl:
My dog has had an
allergic reaction / hay fever / bee sting / insect bites /
scratching/ chewing on his feet or body/ is swollen.
If you have a dog you should
carry Benadryl with you where ever you go with your dog in the warm
months. It could mean
the difference between life and death. Seriously, a dog can die from
a bee sting.
The dose is approximately 10 - 12 mg for every 20 pounds of dog.
Don't worry, you are not going to over dose your dog if you are a
one or two mgs over. The tabs are 25 mgs. So if your dog is 35 - 40
pounds that is perfect. If you have a small dog like me, split the
pills in half.
When a dog gets an allergic reaction we instinctively want to double
the dose, don't. It won't really hurt them but it could cause
dysuria (pain when peeing), dry mouth and even more lethargy than
Benadryl normally causes.
**Never use liquid Benadryl, it
contains alcohol which is a dangerous to dogs and in some cases even
fatal. Don't do it, don't even think about it!!!
I should also mention that if a dog
is chewing at his feet he may have something stuck in a pad, like a
grass seed. This can be very painful and get infected. You may need
a Vet to remove it for you.
Pepto
Bismol:
My dog has diarreah and
other gastro problems.
I recommend that
before you medicate a dog for Diarrhea you try feeding him a mixture
of 4 parts cooked rice to 1 part cooked ground beef. Failing that
the dose is 1 teaspoon twice a day for ever 10 pounds of dog. So, if
you have a 20 pound dog give 2 teaspoons and 12 hrs later give
another two teaspoons.
Pepto-Bismol contains an ingredient called "salicylate",
this is a fancy word for aspirin. Aspirin can kill a cat and a very
painful, horrible way. Although in very small dose you can use Pepto
on a cat I don't recommend trying it. Talk to your Vet.
Milk
of Magnesia:
My dog is constipated.
Like with anything
else, you want to be sure that your dog isn't constipated due to a
serious illness. However sometimes things like a change in diet or
stress can cause a dog to become constipated. The Milk of Magnesia
dose is 1 teaspoon for every 10 pounds of dog.
My Dog is Bleeding / Cut:
If your dog is seriously
injured he will be frightened and prone to biting, keep that in
mind, and if you are able to get help restraining him do so. Reach
under the dogs head and press the side of his neck and head against
you. This way you won't hurt him or choke him. Find the wound
location. Is the cut spurting blood, flowing blood quickly or just a
cut / bite / puncture wound?
If the wound is spurting blood or the blood if flowing rapidly there
may be an injury to a vein or artery. You must apply a
tourniquet. You can use just about anything for this purpose, even a
shoelace if you have nothing else. Apply the tourniquet a couple
inches above the wound. Just tight enough to stop the blood flow,
any tighter and he may loose his vein or worse, depending on how
long the tourniquet is on. You must get to the Vet ASAP. If it takes
time to get there move the tourniquet up an inch every 15 minutes.
Preferably you will have a second tourniquet so you can place the
new one before moving the old one. Remember blood comes from the
heart, so if you are able to, keep the leg above the heart.
When the dog has a cut which has not affected a vein or artery dress
the wound. Clean the wound with a little peroxide or soap and water.
Flush gently with cool water, pat dry with a clean paper towel.
Apply nonstick or "ouch less" pad and wrap with a tensor
bandage. Keep the wound clean and apply a fresh dressing a few times
a day, watch for signs of infection. Polysporin is safe for dogs if
you wish to add a little to the nonstick pad. Personally I do not
use antibiotic or antibacterial medications unless there is
infection present or it relates to the eyes. You will need to judge
for yourself if the dog needs Vet attention for the wound.
My Dog Has Ingested Poison:
If your dog has ingested a
poison such as antifreeze, cleaning product or a large quantity of
chocolate (or any chocolate with a high cocoa content) you must
induce vomiting and get to a Vet ASAP. Inducing vomiting is easy,
get the dog to drink some peroxide. It is not poisonous or fatal to
the dog but it is a highly effective emetic. The dose is 1 teaspoon
per 10 pounds of dog. You usually don't have to force feed peroxide,
they like it.
My Dog Has Fleas and Flea
Bites / Is Itchy and Has Rash:
If your dog has fleas,
wash him/her with Dawn-blue (original dawn). Other colors of
dawn won't do the job. Treat bedding and carpeting by
sprinkling with Borax (leave it on for several hours then vacuum up.
The Boras suffocates the fleas and flea eggs). If your dog is
itchy from flea bites, you can make him more comfortable with
Calamine lotion. It is perfectly safe but like anything else they
will want to lick it off. It you apply it to an area of the dog
where they can reach, and they lick at it, simply cover with a
little gauze and tensor bandage.
My Dog Has Scratched His
Eye / Has an Eye Infection:
In both cases you can use
Polysporin Eye (sterile antibiotic for infections of the eye)
If the infection or scratch hasn't noticeably improved in 24 hours
get to the Vet. You don't want to mess around with your dogs eyes.
If you are treating an infection yourself, keep the treatment going
3 - 5 applications a day for 5 - 7 days. When you are using any kind
of antibiotic, the first half of the treatment is for the infection
and the second half of the treatment is to prevent secondary
infections.
There are lots of human
meds that you can use for a dog,
just make sure you don't try any without checking a reliable
resource first (NOT A PET STORE!). You should have a little first
aid kit for your dog. All you really need a a big ziploc bag. If
everything is in one place, there will be less confusion when it is
needed. Here is a sample list of the types of things you should have
in your kit.
Peroxide
Nonstick pads
Gauze (pads and roll)
Tourniquet (twine or shoelace)
Tensor Bandage
Scissors (to cut bandages, etc.)
Alcohol Pads
Q-Tips
Aspirin
Benadryl
Polysporin
Polysporin for eyes
Calamine Lotion
Pepto Bismol (refrigerated)
Tweezers
Important:
While working at the Vet clinic we had one serious reoccurring
problem. Owners who made the sometimes tragic error of asking the
Petstore for advice instead of us.
I suppose people did it to save a few bucks, but in doing so
they ended up with a pet which was much sicker than it needed to be
and on a few occasions, even died.
How anyone could think a kid with
a high school education and minimum wage job is capable of providing
the same care and advice of a person educated in Veterinary care is
beyond me.
It is heartbreaking to think of
the number of times we asked people, "why did you do that?
That was the worst thing you could have done! Why did you let
this go on for so long?!" Their reply always came back the
same, "The pet store said so" or "The pet store said
it wasn't serious."
Pet stores are in the business of
selling, that is all, so buy your pet food there, not your medical
care.
DISCLAIMER:
This information is not meant to replace the care of a
Veterinarian. I know
first hand that not everyone can afford to go to the Vet every time
the dog has an off day. This
information is meant to stop people from doing the wrong thing or
worse -- nothing at all. It
is also intended to make sure that in emergency cases, you know what
to do to improve your dog's chances before you get to the Vet..
How
To Give Your Dog A Pill
#1 Lift your dogs head by reaching your hand over the
top of his face, inserting you thumb and first finger gently into
the side of his mouth and lift his jaw upward.
#2 With you other hand make sure his mouth is open by gently pulling
down on his lower jaw.
#3 Place pill in the dogs mouth and push it down his throat with
your finger.
#4 Slip you hand under the dogs jaw and tilt head upward.
#5 Wait for the dog to swallow once or twice, when his tongue juts
out he has swallowed the pill.
Give him some praise!
DOGGIE COOKIE RECIPE: Here is an easy
doggie cookie recipe.
3
½ cups whole wheat flour (start with 2 ½ cups and add the last cup
gradually until dough is no longer sticky)
1
egg
½
cup oil (I use peanut or olive but anything is fine)
1
can of beef or chicken broth (you can substitute a can of undrained
tuna but you must store tuna cookies in the fridge and use within a
week)
Add
a little punch (add whatever you like for the last ingredient, maybe
a teaspoon of garlic powder or a dollop of peanut butter or ½ a cup
of cheese, be creative and think like a dog!)
Mix
ingredient and roll out to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into the correct
size for your dog. You can use cookie cutters if you want to make
fancy treats. My dogs don't really care what they look like.
The
key to making a crunchy cookie is cooking for a longer time at a
lower temp and cooling on the cookie sheet. The dog cookies may not
be crunchy when you take them out of the oven but if you cool them
on the cookie sheet they will crunch up. Do not store until they are
totally cool)
Your Pets Prayer
● Treat me kindly, my beloved guardian, for no heart in all the
world is more grateful for your love and kindness than mine.
● Do not break my spirit with harsh words or a stick, for
although I will forgive you. I learn much better through your
patience and understanding the things you would have me do.
● Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's sweetest
music as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when I hear
you call my name.
● Please want me with you always, for my joy springs from your
attention, and I ask no greater glory than your love and the
privilege of your company.
● Please keep my bowl filled with fresh water, and feed me
clean food that I may stay well to romp and play.
I live to be with you and make you happy, to walk by your
side, standing ready to protect you with my life should your life be
in danger.
● And dearest one, if my suffering is too great, please see
that my leaving is gentle and loving, and you stay with me to the
very end as I have stayed with you.
● My beloved guardian, I will give you all the love I have to
give, and I will keep all the love you give me.
● I shall leave you then, knowing even in my sorrow, with the
last breath I draw, that our time together in this earth was
precious and beautiful, and my life was always safe in your hands.
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