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Dog First Aid Kits are easy enough to create. First you need some kind of container to hold all the medicines, drugs and supplies in such as a tackle box, old lunch box or some other shoe box sized plastic container. It should be water-proof, strong enough to withstand mild pressure and have a clasp of some sort – but not locking.

Label it on all sides with a felt tip marker so that it is easy to read. Something such as “Dog First Aid Kit” or whatever just so you can easily know the difference between your human first aid kit (if you made it yourself as well) and this one for your dog(s) and puppy (s).

Under the lid of your dog first aid kit would be a great place to tape an index card which contains the numbers of your local veterinarian, poison control, and other canine emergency numbers for your dogs (emergency vet, etc).

It would also be a good place to list a description of your dog(s) including color, weight, name, health issues, distinguishing characteristics and a recent photo labeled with the name of each pet. Your dog will thank you in the case of some sort of disaster or emergency when you are not at home for some reason.

Below is a list of several items you should obtain to place within your dog first aid kit and brief explanations as to what each item is for. Remember, your dogs health may depend on it.

Dog First Aid Kit Ingredients

Activated charcoal: for poisonings (1 gram per pound, mixed with water),

Antihistamine tablets: for insect stings and allergic reactions,

Betadine or Nolvasan: cleaning open wounds,

Blankets: several if possible, to help prevent against shock in the event of an accident or injury as well as a good way to transport an injured dog,

Blunt nosed scissors: to cut tape and clip. Keep these scissors with the kit.

Canine rectal thermometer: to take the dog or puppies temperature,

Cortisone ointment: Used as a topical anti-inflammatory,

Cotton balls and swabs: Used mainly to clean wounds,

Eyedropper or dosage syringe: to apply medications to your GSD,

Eyewash: to irrigate the eyes of your GSD,

First-aid cream: to sooth and protect wounds,

Gauze bandage: for wrapping wounds,

Gloves: both thin plastic to avoid contamination and thicker ones if you have a fear of being bitten,

Hand towels: to dry hands, for clean up, etc.,

Hydrogen peroxide (3%): has various uses, one of which is to induce vomiting,

Ipecac: used to induce vomiting (1 teaspoon per 20 pounds),

Kaolin and pectin: to help diarrhea (1 teaspoon per 10 pounds),

Magnifying glass: to help locate any tiny objects

Muzzle: even the best German Shepherd may bite when in extreme pain. If you don’t have one you can also make one from strips of soft long fabric, tube socks, etc.,

Nail clippers: best case scenario, have both human and canine nail clippers,

Non-stick adhesive tape: to help tape bandages in place,

Non-stinging antiseptic spray: to help clean wounds,

Pepto-Bismol , Maalox or Kaopectate: to help relieve minor stomach upsets,

Petroleum jelly: for use with the rectal thermometer, also an aid in constipation (1/2 teaspoon per 10 pounds),

Saline solution: can be used for many things such as irrigating wounds,

Stretch bandages: for wound dressing,

Styptic pencil: to stop minor bleeding,

Tweezers or hemostat: use to pull our splinters or other small foreign objects,

Vegetable oil: for mild constipation (1 teaspoon per 5 pounds, mix it in with food)

Silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) are slender, fast running, wingless insects that are approximately a centimetre and a half to two centimetres in length. They are metallic silvery-blue in colour with antennae at the front of their bodies and three long bristle-like tails protruding from their rear end. Their fish-like darting movements and their colour gave rise to their name. These insects are very ancient creatures having been around for over 300 million years and are found throughout the entire world but are especially associated with human habitats.

How do silverfish breed?

The male silverfish lays his spermatophore (basically a capsule containing his spermatozoa) which is then taken up by the female for fertilisation, who of course will then produce fertilised eggs. The female silverfish will lay her eggs in small cracks and crevices in places that are damp and warm. The eggs will hatch usually between two weeks to two months later depending on the conditions prevalent at the time. When the young silverfish emerge, they will look just like smaller versions of the adults and will reach maturity in about six months.

Where do silverfish like to live?

They favour moist, humid places so can be found in and around shower rooms, bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, damp floors, cupboards (particularly under the sink), sinks, windows, old pipes and skirting boards. Sometimes they can become trapped in the bath or the sink as they slide down whilst foraging for food and are unable to climb back up the slippery surfaces. You can suspect the presence of silverfish in your home if you find yellowy stains on paper or material, evidence of scales or excrement, or if books and wallpaper look notched or damaged at the ends. They don’t like the light and are nocturnal by nature so will usually been seen scuttling around the floors, pipes and skirting boards at night, which is also when they like to feed.

What do silverfish eat?

Silverfish like to feed on just about anything and are particularly attracted to starch and polysaccharides. They will eat away at adhesive bindings or anything containing glue substances, photographs, cotton and other material and fibres, wallpaper, wallpaper paste, books and papers, detergent residues, shampoo, shaving foam and other toiletries containing cellulose, dried and powdered foods, cereals, leather, and have even been known to feed on dead insects at times.

How do silverfish get in the house?

They can quite easily be transferred into the house inside cardboard boxes, old books or papers, or on any starched fabrics as well as other materials.

How do I get rid of silverfish?

Silverfish are not harmful to humans but they are considered a nuisance pest, particularly if they are present in large numbers. You can treat existing infestations of silverfish yourself quite easily with a residual insecticide making sure that you apply it to window frames, skirting boards, cupboards and shelves under the sinks, floors around the toilet and bath, pipes, cracks and crevices and anywhere else that you suspect they may be lurking. You could also try airing rooms regularly to prevent a build up of moisture and treating any damp areas as silverfish cannot survive in dry conditions. Another option is to remove or at least restrict their food supply by clearing up old books and newspapers that are lying around, making sure that any detergents or residues from shampoos and other toiletries are thoroughly rinsed away and that all containers are properly sealed. However, removing their food supply as the only means of prevention is not effective as silverfish are able to survive for many months without any food at all.

Cats scratch for different reasons and the act of scratching provides the cat with the necessary exercise in order to keep their bodies supple. By scratching, cats also mark their territories and indoor cats that don’t have any scratching posts, have as their only option your furniture and carpets. Fortunately for cat owners, nowadays there is a wide selection of cat scratching posts available and it is practically impossible not to find something your cat would like.

Since cats differ greatly in the way they scratch, the diversified types of cat scratching posts available on the market represent a good thing. Nowadays manufacturers use various surfaces for covering scratching posts and the most frequent is the sisal fabric. Another material used as a carpet is the jute, but it does not stand a lot of laceration. A cat scratching post can also be made from cardboard but this is not very durable and it will need to be changed frequently. However, cardboard scratching posts are cheap and there are cats that prefer them.

There are three main types of cat scratching posts and some posts are made of combinations of materials. Although your decision will be influenced by your budget and particular needs, the cat will definitely be the one to determine the type of cat scratching post you will buy. Sisal posts have a rough surface and they are not recommended in the case of cats with very sensitive paws. However, there are other cats which find these posts delightful and use them frequently.

Carpet cat scratching posts are the most common and they can be found even in grocery stores. These have a soft surface and they wear out in a short period of time. However, if you have a cat scratching post that must be replaced, make sure you choose one of the same colors because kittens don’t like change and a replacement will confuse them. There are scratching posts that will need to be assembled once you get home but all you need for that is a screwdriver. 

Cardboard posts are boxes filled with exposed corrugations; usually, they are placed on the floor so that the cat can scratch without leaning up.  Many cats like cardboards and the glue used in making them while others enjoy chewing it. As you can imagine the cardboard material will wear out faster than other posts but luckily, these posts are quite thick.

Another type of cat scratching posts is those made of natural wood.  These consist of a tree limb or log with bark on it and although it is very natural, it can contain insects or mold that can be harmful for your cats.  Many cats have their own preferences when it comes to scratching positions so we advise you to observe your cat while scratching before purchasing a cat scratching post. Note the details regarding its preferred texture and see if its scratching locations vary or if he always returns to the same place. Once you observe all these aspects, you will know what you have to do.

Our experience has taught us that cats should own several cat scratching posts, of different sizes, angles and scratching surface. These posts are essential for the cats because they provide the needed physical exercised and they relieve stress. Scratching posts will save your furniture and carpets from being scratched.

In addition, over the years, the parvo virus has mutated into at least two different strains. Every case of canine parvo virus, or CPV, comes from these two strains.

Every different species has its own parvo virus and it cannot be spread outside of the species, so there is a human parvo virus, a canine parvo virus, a feline parvo virus, and so on. However, it can be spread by contact. For instance, if your cat would wander through your neighbor’s yard and would pick up the virus on her feet, she can track it inside of your house and infect your dog.

Sadly enough, my neighbour’s puppy contracted parvo virus. The puppy had all of the classic dog parvo symptoms, yet my neighbour really did not know what was wrong until he took the puppy to the vet. Once he did that, parvo treatment began immediately. After several days of intensive treatment for parvo virus, the puppy was free to come home. The puppy was lucky. Many dogs die from parvo virus before they can be treated.

The parvo virus works in two ways either through the intestines or through the heart. When a dog gets an intestinal infection, it is picked up by the animal through oral contact with contaminated feces. Simply put, your dog would have to come into contaminated feces from another dog. The intestinal dog parvo symptoms occur when the virus attacks the bone marrow, rapidly dividing cells in the intestinal crypts and the lymph nodes. This allows normally occurring bacteria from the intestines to enter the blood stream to make the animal septic. The virus can be shed in the stool for up to three weeks thus making this a very contagious disease for pets that have not been inoculated.

The cardio form of this infection is usually seen in puppies that are infected before birth or shortly thereafter. It is noteworthy that the cardiac form of CPV is not as common since the mother passes immunity on to her pups from birth. The parvo virus will then attack the heart in the infected puppy and death will occur shortly afterwards.

Dog parvo symptoms usually present themselves within 3 to 10 days of contact. They include the following: lethargy, vomiting, fever and diarrhea. The diarrhea can cause severe dehydration and secondary infections. The dog will not usually die from the virus but from a secondary infection.

Survival rate depends on how quickly CPV is diagnosed and treatment is begun. When the case is not caught early the best treatment option is an IV through which fluids are pushed to re-hydrate the animal more quickly, in addition anti-nausea and antibiotic shots may be given intramuscular.

The prognosis is good with proper care but an absolute death sentence without it. There have been a few reports that the human antiviral, Tamiflu, can be effective in treating CPV but there are no studies to substantiate this. A veterinarian will advise you to give your pet a parvo shot about eight weeks after they are weaned. With the prevalence of the virus and its ability to kill some precaution should be taken to protect your canine.

Hydrotherapy or water therapy is great way to provide a low impact exercise for your dog, with or without joint pain. For dogs with joint pain and arthritis, regular exercise like running or walking can be painful due to amount of weight that your dog’s joints must support. Exercise in a pool, a lake or the ocean can be a great alternative since the buoyancy of the water takes much of the strain off the joints that is normally caused by their body weight. Swimming can help your pet with range of motion, strengthening, endurance and general health.

Exercise has been proven to help pets by reducing joint pain and stiffness while increasing flexibility, muscle strength, cardiac fitness and endurance. It can also help with weight reduction which can be a cause of some joint pain.

Talk to your veterinarian if you think your pet may benefit from this type of exercise. Hydro therapy may not be an option for dogs that have a fear of water. It is also not recommended for dogs with certain fractures and open wounds.

Flexcin™ & FlexPet™ are all-natural Joint Pain Supplements. The primary component of Flexcin & FlexPet is CM8™, which relieves joint pain at its source, reduces inflammation and irritation of the joints and tissues. It has been helpful for many sufferers of arthritis, gout, bursitis, sports injuries and fibromyalgia. 

Flexcin and FlexPet are proudly manufactured in the United States in a state of the art facility under the strict guidelines of the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices.

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