First Aid for Hiking Dogs

Many people enjoy camping. Dog owners love to take their dogs camping. They'll pack up the car with a tent, clothes, food, leashes, water, dog food, and a first aid kit. However, the first aid kit will be stocked with items that can be used on humans. They'll forget to stock first aid for the dog. Of course, it is also important to prevent injuries to the dog. Here are some tips from Dr. Randy Acker for camping with your dog.

First, get your dog in trail condition. Take your dog for walks in the mornings and evenings. Dog are not always ready to walk or run long distances. Build up to walking three to five miles every walk and then the dog will be ready to go hiking.

Before treating a dog, apply a muzzle. Dogs may be very friendly, but even when the friendlist dog is in pain, it may bite. The dog is not being mean, it is just doing what is instinctive.

Burrs and seeds that stick to our pants and socks can be extremely dangerous for dogs. They can choke a dog, get caught in the nose, in the ears, or near or in the eyes. To dislodge a seed from the a dog's mouth, force the dog's mouth open and wipe the mouth with your finger.

Obviously, a muzzle cannot be worn while this is done. Then give the dog in over the counter cough suppressant. If a seed cannot be found, feed the dog some bread to try to dislodge the seed. Chloraseptic spray should always be included in a dog first aid kit. Have the dog checked by a vet as soon as possible.

A seen in the nose will cause the dog to seed. If the seed can be seen, pull it out of the nose. If not, bring the dog to the vet as soon as possible. Do not take time to continue camping.

If there is a seed in a dog's ear, most likely the dog will constantly shake it's head. Dislodge the seed by pulling it out of the ear with your fingers or tweezers. If it cannot be found, get the dog to a vet as soon as possible.

If there is a seed in the dogs eye that can easily be removed, simply pull it straight away from the dog's eye with your fingers or with some tweezers. If it seems to be in the eyelids or not so easy to reach, flush the dog's eye with water.