Here’s his list:- Bandages of various sizes
- Gauze wrap in addition to gauze pads, including non-stick,
Telfa gauze for cuts - Elastic band or something similar to use as tourniquet
- Hydrocortisone 1 percent steroid cream
- Antibiotic ointment
- Calamine cream
- Saline to clean wounds
- Benadryl (diphenhydramine) for allergic reactions
- Tylenol (acetaminophen) and/or anti-inflammatory
medication such as Motrin (ibuprofen) for pain or fever.
Be sure to keep these separate or otherwise mark them so
you don’t accidentally administer them to your dog, per Dr.
Hank’s warning (page 16).
“There would not be anything on Hank’s list that I suppose
couldn’t be used for humans, other than medication specific for
dogs.”
What About
Skunks?
It seems if we’re
going to be prepared
for emergency medical
situations our dogs
might face, we should
also be ready to act if
they stick their faces into
“skunkal” situations.
One of popular
skunk rinse calls for
32 ounces hydrogen
peroxide, ¼ cup baking
soda and 1 teaspoon
liquid dish soap. It’s
unwise to keep the
mixture on hand, though,
because it’s volatile. It has to be prepared on the spot.
Here’s an idea for assembling a “skunk kit” that will be
ready to go when you need it.
Hydrogen peroxide comes in quart bottles (32 ounces).
Dawn dishwashing liquid is available in a small bottle for a
dollar, and it’s easy to estimate a teaspoon’s worth when the
time comes. Add a premeasured amount of baking soda, and
you’re kit is complete.
A rectangular, 2-quart food storage container is the perfect
place to mix the ingredients. And ... a stroke of luck ... a bottle
of hydrogen peroxide fits nicely inside it, as do the rest of the
ingredients. Plus a nice, big sponge.
And presto! You have a one-time-use kit you can keep
handy in your vehicle for that time you hope never comes.
Notes on Dog Nutrition
About an hour’s drive northwest of Dayton, Ohio,
sits Eukanuba pet foods’ Pet Health and Nutrition Center
(PHNC). Recently, the folks from Eukanuba invited a group of
journalists, veterinarians, dog trainers and breeders to visit the
center in an effort to teach them about nutrition concerns in dog
food development. That proved to be such a complicated topic
you can expect a feature article on it in a future issue of The
Upland Almanac.
However, we thought you might find these few points that
were delivered during the tour to be somewhat interesting,
possibly helpful:
Eukanuba was originally a spin-off brand from Iams. Now
it is part of Mars Petcare, the largest division of Mars, the candy
bar people.
Iams brand dog food was developed after World War II by
Paul Iams, a self-taught nutritionist. The area west of Dayton
was known for its mink farms. He developed a mink food and
on visits to the farms noticed some of the dogs looked very
healthy with shiny coats. Farmers told him the dogs were eating
the mink food. And so ... he started developing dog foods.
The term eukanuba comes from American jazz and means
“supreme,” “top of the charts,” you know, “swingin’.”
“Joint health,” says Russ Kelley, Science Lead/Service
& Working Dog Research Manager at the PHNC, “is a vague
term. But that’s as far as the FDA will let you go,” on packaging
and marketing claims.
For Eukanuba foods, “joint health” means joint support gets
a boost. The “support” doesn’t exist at the “therapeutic level” in
the food, says Kelley, but rather it works to repair joints from a
day’s work and to prevent long-term injury.
Vets usually advise dog owners to make sure the dog foods
we purchase have the AAFCO (Association of American Feed
Control Officials) statement on their packaging. What the
statement means, however, is that the food meets the minimum
standards, that it is sufficient but not necessarily optimal.
The law forbids a dog food company from putting
“Exceeds AAFCO standards” on a bag of dog food.
The law also forbids companies from adding the
digestibility rating of foods to the packaging.
Says Kelley, “There’s no way anyone can look at a label
and tell anything about the quality of the dog food.”
Eukanuba claims its tests are more stringent than those
performed by AAFCO.
Kelley advises, “Water is often ignored, but it is the most
important required nutrient.”
Kelley’s tips for feeding dogs on hunting days:- Morning: If the dog will be hunting right away and you
want to give it a little food or a snack, give a cupful or less;
if there is at least a two-hour wait before the hunt begins,
give a little more. - After the hunt: Maybe ½ cup of food and as much water as
you can get them to drink. - “You don’t want to feed a hot dog until they cool off.”
This 2-quart container holds all the ingredients
recommended to make a common rinse for dogs
who tangle with skunks. To help remind the dog
owner, the directions for use appear in the four
corners. Clockwise from upper left corner: a.)
“Premeasured 1 qt. H 2 O 2 , ¼ c. baking soda.” b.)
“Measure 1 tsp. soap. Add all to bowl. Mix.” c.)
"Sponge down dog." d.) "Throw out sponge, H 2 O 2
bottle, any leftover mix.”
(Photo/Tailfeather Communications, LLC)