The first aid-items EVERY dog walker should take out

Off for a dog walk. Great! Poo bags? Lead? Water? Whistle? Maybe a ball? Check. Sounds like all you need. But how would you handle the situation if your dog suffers an injury on their walk?

Agria’s Senior Veterinary Advisor, Robin Hargreaves, has some suggestions on what’s sensible to pack, just in case. They’re things that take up very little space – but would be invaluable should your dog has an accident and hurts themselves. Robin says, “If an injury is serious, don’t waste time on intervention as it’s more important to get the dog to a vet than delay treatment. However, in many cases, having a few simple items with you can help tremendously…

1. A conforming bandage. This is great if you have to deal with something like a cut foot. Hopefully you’ll never need it, but if you do, it can help to keep a wound clean and help reduce bleeding until you can make it to a vet. They’re very light and ideal to slip in your pocket to have to hand.

2. Micropore tape. This is really useful for tail injuries – it won’t come undone like a bandage and it will control bleeding while you get to a vet.

always take the dog a vet as soon as you can for assessment. If they have damaged the cornea you won’t be able to manage this yourself. What you can do is give the eye a good rinse, so carry a saline eye wash with you to flush any grit or dirt out of the wound, then get them straight to a vet.

It’s always a good idea to get your dog along to a vet following an injury, as you can never be sure if further treatment is necessary. This is especially important in the instances of eye injuries.

At Agria Pet Insurance, we believe in helping adopting pets and the rescues that do so much to help them. Find out more about joining us as a partner at agriapet.co.uk/rehoming. If you are an adopter, get your quote for award-winning lifetime insurance at agriapet.co.uk/RAAC, or call us on 03330 30 82 81.

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