A Word on First Aid Kits

These are merely my opinions and they are not to replace proper veterinary care. 

Whatever you call them, medical care kits, medical cupboards, first aid kits, emergency care packs they are an essential part of any pet owners equipment. Living in Australia we don't have easy access to such supplies as Oxbow's Critical Care or often even to adequate veterinary care. We have a small population in a very large land mass and many of us simply do not live near vets, let alone vets with experience with cavies. I grew up in an area where the closest vet was thirty minutes away. He was a cat and dog vet but was always happy to have a go at treating cavies, however mistakes were made because he'd never had training. The closest vet that had experience with exotics was an hour and a half away, they were also incredibly expensive. Both these vets were closed on weekends and Thursdays and there was no 24 hour emergency vet.

Even if the vet was open the traveling involved meant that an animal in distress had to bump in a care across many km of dirt road and was likely to die before we even made it to a vet, which is certainly not the preferred outcome. At the time I didn't bother with a decent first aid kit, and many small lives were lost because of it. It is not something I ever want to happen again.

So a few months ago when I first decided that I was going to get back into cavies one of the first considerations was a first aid kit. One that could treat all the most urgent illnesses and keep an animal alive before veterinary advice could be sought. So off I went and began reading, and reading, and reading. Then I realized I couldn't take it all in so I began writing, and writing, and writing. 100 pages later and what began as "Basic Notes on Cavy Health" is now "A Medical Reference Guide to the Domestic Guinea Pig" I hope to have it finished in February and I may end up selling a few copies. The big thing I learned though was that all those guides we buy do not reference Australian medications and the terminology is different (try telling an American you feed your cavies chaff, they'll think you've been feeding them wood chips).

So this is the current (though ever expanding) list of what will be in my own first aid kit. The 'kit' itself is divided into three groups. The first in a mini transportable kit which will  ravel with me to shows and holds the most essential items for treating the most ikely issues at shows such as bite wounds, bloat and stress. The second holds everything that need to be refrigerated to prolong shelf life and the third holds the equipment and what doesn't need to be refrigerated.

Travelling First Aid Kit

3 x Iodine-Povidone Wipes (commonly known as Betadine, these are for cleaning wounds/sores)
3 x Sterile Gauze (In case of deep wounds these can be used with bandaging or simply to clean wounds)
Dettol Antiseptic Cream (For treating open sores or wounds)
Hand Sanitizer (Pretty obvious)
Pair of Gloves (Pretty obvious)
3 Syringes (For hand feeding food/fluids or medications)
1m Valuwrap bandage (Pretty obvious, also useful in extreme cases of bumblefoot)
Small pack of Dextrose (Glucose is a lifesaver that can be syringe fed if an animal appears weak or floppy)
Visine Clear Eye Drops (In case of eye pokes)
Electrolyte Energy Gel (A new find, it's easy to transport and in combination with water is perfect for rehydration)
Infacol Wind Drops (For treatment of minor cases of gas/bloat)
2 Charcotabs (Crush, mix with water and syringe feed in cases of poisoning or bloat)
Baby Wipes (fairly obvious)
Nutrigel (Emergency hand feeding paste, not to be used for long periods)
Sachet of Powdered Pellets (Shows are a three day trip for me, so hand feeding supplies are essential as well as the animals normal food)
 


Then Items kept at room temperature are

Snugglesafe heat pad (this thing is amazing, highly highly reccomend)
2 x Hot Water Bottles (in case of multiple ill animals, spares are always great)
2 x Spare Hot water Bottle Covers (Pigs poop, tis a fact of life, water bottle covers need to be changed regularly)
Plenty of Rubber Gloves (So very useful when one needs to clean out impactions)
Cotton Buds (Cleaning wounds, eyes, ears, bums)
Syringes (Hand feeding fluids and food, medicating, irrigating wounds/abscesses)
Quit Itch (Treats fungal issues)
Debrisol (Cleaning wounds/ open sores)
Charcotabs (Crush, mix with water and syringe feed in cases of poisoning or bloat)
1m ValuWrap bandage (Bandaging wounds and also useful for cases of bumblefoot)
Jorvet Mothering Kit (For hand rearing, consists of a syringe with tiny nipples)
KY Gel (Cleaning out impaction, lubricating stuck babies)
Hydrogen Peroxide (A small amount diluted may be useful to help clean abscesses)
Buccal Pad Separators & Dental Rasps (For checking teeth and treating malocclusion)



Refrigerated Items are


Organic Baby Food (Mix with crushed pellets for palatability when hand feeding)
Divetelac (Preferred 'milk' powder for hand rearing)
Nutrigel (Emergency hand feeding paste, not to be used for long periods)
Vitamin C (Syringe to pregnant/ill pigs for an extra boost)
Ural (Urine alkalizer useful when treating cystitis)
Gastro-Stop (Treats diarrhea/bloat)
Baby Panadol (Pain relief)
Acidophilus (Probiotic to be used when medicating with antibiotics)
Canesten Cream (Treats fungal issues like cheilitis and stitches as well as thrush)
1kg Dextrose (Glucose is a lifesaver that can be syringe fed if an animal appears weak or floppy)
Calcium Sandoz Syrup (Treats eclampsia in pregnant/lactating sows as well helping with osteodystrophy in satins)


I'm sure the kit will also continue to increase as I discover new things but right now that's pretty much what I have/intend to have. I'm still debating on purchasing a stethoscope and otoscope as well.