On my traveling bird hunting trips I take a medical kit which includes: an electric clipper, needle holder, surgical scissors, thumb forceps, surgical skin stapler, a 250mL bottle of sterile saline, 20cc syringe, 18gauge 1 ½" long needle for 20cc syringe, 3cc syringe with attached 22guage 1" long needle, antiseptic scrub soap (iodine based or chlorhexidine based, not as good but acceptable would be liquid antibacterial hand soap), a seven day supply of oral antibiotics to treat skin infections from cuts, abrasions, or puncture wounds, a seven day supply of aspirin or a prescription nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID - brand names Rimadyl or Etogesic), a bottle of Skunk Off , triple antibiotic ophthalmic ointment, a toe nail trimmer, a blood stop styptic powder for bleeding nails, cotton tipped applicators (Q-tips), an extra supply of tap water, and a case for the above. The decision to include some of these items in your advanced care kit will likely depend on your experience with dog injuries, your medical knowledge, and how far you will be from veterinary care while on your hunting trip. I decided to include a fairly extensive list because some of the locals we choose to hunt can be quite remote and far from veterinary care. The electric clipper is for shaving the dog's hair closely for further inspection and cleaning of wounds and injuries. The needle holder, surgical scissors, thumb forceps, and surgical skin stapler would be used to examine and possibly close minor lacerations. These would be for experienced, knowledgeable owners - or very remote trips. Never close contaminated wounds. This will lead to more severe infection. The surgical skin staples work well for a small, clean laceration with smooth edges. In my experience, most dogs will allow the placement of several of these staples without much more reaction than when they are vaccinated. I like these staples a lot for closing small cuts without having to anesthetize the dog. Again, for a lot of people the best route would be to seek out the nearest veterinarian, but some of you may feel comfortable with this more advance medical care. The bottle of sterile saline and the 2 sizes of syringes are for flushing out contaminated wounds. I use the 20cc syringe with the 18-gauge needle attached for flushing skin wounds. The needle will give a high pressure stream to flush away more debris. The 3cc syringe, without the needle attached, is used to flush debris from eyes. The antiseptic soap is for cleansing wounds. The two types that I recommended should be available at pharmacies or from veterinarians - and I'd recommend you try to find one of them. You should be cautious when cleansing large and deep wounds but make every attempt to wash away and flush off all visible debris. The oral antibiotics and oral NSAIDs listed, are again, items that may not be necessary for all of you. They are prescription drugs and most states require that a valid client-patient-doctor relationships exist before dispensing such Page 4 | Spaniel Journal | Previous Page | Next Page |