Gundog first aid kit - what you should carry when out and about

If your gundog suffered an injury while out in the field, would you have the kit to deal with it? Vicky Payne tells us what we should be keeping in our gudog first aid kits

During the shooting season, our dogs work their socks off in heavy cover, swimming in lakes or across streams, jumping fences and logs, and generally putting themselves in harm’s way. Maybe you were lucky and your dogs made it through unscathed, or maybe your dogs had injuries – but did you have everything on hand to deal with an injury? Let’s look at what should be in your first aid kit.

I strongly recommend that all gundog owners have three first aid/medical kits. You should have a pocket first aid kit, a main first aid kit, and a medical box. Make sure you always have a local vet’s phone number and a charged mobile phone with you. Consider radios if your shoot or training ground has poor signal and make sure someone knows where you are and when you will be back. I always carry wire cutters on shoot days, too, in case a dog gets tangled in a fence. Ready-made first aid kits are available from a number of sources, but might not contain quite what you want. All the materials you need to make your own kits are available from vets, some pharmacies, or online suppliers.

POCKET KIT

This should live in your training bag or coat pocket and go out every time you and your dog do! This should be in a waterproof bag; a ziplock bag would be fine.

1 x eye flush (saline solution in a small plastic pod)

1 x cohesive bandage (sticks to itself, e.g. Vetwrap)

1 x bandage padding (synthetic or cotton wool based, e.g. Sofban)

1 x pair of tights

1 x tick remover

1 x small scissors

1 x wound dressing pad (e.g Melonin)

1 x wound gel (a water based gel e.g. Intrasite)

1 x space blanket

1 x glucose gel/pot of honey/glucose sweets

Antihistamine tablets (ask your vet)

Surgical gloves/ plastic bag/ rubber foot cover

MAIN KIT

This could live in your kennel or kitchen, but I keep mine in my van as my van is always near my dogs! This can be kept in a plastic tub or larger waterproof bag and would be a sensible addition to the beater’s trailer or shoot room (you could even add a human kit!).

1 x bag of saline or multiple eye flush pods

2-4 x cohesive bandage

2-4 x bandage padding

1 x pair of tights

1 x scissors

2-4 x wound pads

1 x wound gel

Surgical gloves

Painkillers (ask your vet)

MEDICAL BOX

This is for all the stuff you don’t need in your First Aid Kits, for example; ear cleaner, skin creams, short and long term medications. Again, a plastic tub with a lid is ideal, and this should be kept in a dog and child-proof place as many dog tablets are now designed to be palatable which can lead to dogs sniffing them out and overdosing themselves. Be sure to check if the medications need to be kept in the fridge, and use them as directed. Never stop an antibiotic course because your dog seems ok, or give a medicine to another dog without checking with your vet first to avoid antibiotic resistance and the risk of adverse reactions.

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