By Lori Luechtefeld April’s designation as National Pet First-Aid Month offers retailers an opportunity to educate their customers on the importance of preparedness in responding to pet health emergencies that may arise in their homes. And in educating customers, retailers can promote important pet first-aid products that may otherwise be an afterthought for many pet owners.
“Retailers need to know the common procedures and emergency situations that arise with pets so they can better educate their customers and find the right first-aid kits for them,” says Carol Smith, sales manager for AGS Labs Inc. of Dallas, a producer of pet first-aid kits. “Retailers should also use the kits on their own pets so they can give advice on using them.”
| First-Aid Kit Essentials |
|
A basic pet first-aid kit should contain the following items:
• Latex gloves
• Gauze bandages and pads
• Antibiotic ointment
• Antiseptic swabs
• Scissors
• Cotton swabs
• Styptic powder
• A pet first-aid book
• Phone numbers for a veterinarian, poison control line and the nearest emergency veterinary clinic
• Pet medical records
• A rectal thermometer
• Tweezers
• Splints and tongue depressors
• A muzzle or strips of cotton to prevent biting
• A penlight or flashlight
• Needle-nosed pliers
• An ice pack
• A plastic eye dropper or syringe
• Nail clippers
|
Although awareness of the importance of pet first-aid is growing, only a small portion of pet owners have first-aid kits designed specifically for animals. A handful of prepackaged pet first-aid kits are on the market, and National Pet First-Aid Month offers an opportunity for retailers to maximize sales of such items. It also offers an opportunity for retailers to build and sell their own kits—or to educate customers on what they should include in a kit that they put together themselves.
“When a retailer is selling an animal to a customer, that’s the perfect time to ask them if they know what to do in case of an emergency,” says Phil Schlotterer, manager of resource development for VSI Pet Care Products in Liberty, Mo., which produces a line of pet first-aid kits. “Being able to stabilize an animal until it can be taken to a veterinarian makes all the difference.”
Pet stores that offer training classes have a perfect opportunity to promote the importance of pet first-aid to their customers, Schlotterer says.
“If a store offers an obedience class, it can easily incorporate some basic first-aid training into the session,” he says.
Part of this training can include providing customers with a list of recommended first-aid products.
Building a Basic Kit
At a glance, the essential contents of a pet first-aid kit aren’t all that different from those for humans.
“The basic necessities that should be included in a pet first-aid kit are latex gloves, gauze bandages and pads, antibiotic ointment, antiseptic swabs, scissors and cotton swabs,” Smith says.
Schlotterer says there are several key tasks that the contents of a good first-aid kit should be able to accomplish: Using the kit, pet owners should be able to stop bleeding, clean a wound, apply an ointment to promote healing and cover the affected area.
Paul Unrau, owner of Southwestern Pet Centre in London, Ontario, agrees. That’s why he says the essentials of any pet first-aid kit should be styptic powder (to stop the bleeding), hydrogen peroxide (to clean the wound), neosporine or polysporine (to promote healing) and gauze (to cover the wound).
“At this point, there aren’t too many pet first-aid kits out there, so people may have to make their own,” Unrau says.
While these items may constitute a bare-bones pet first-aid kits, there are many other items that can come in handy in the case of a pet emergency. Other items found in prepackaged kits include eye and skin wash, hand wipes, insect sting swabs and adhesive tape.
In addition, the Humane Society of the United States recommends pet owners include the following in their kits: a pet first-aid book; phone numbers for a veterinarian, poison control line and the nearest emergency veterinary clinic; medical records for their pet; a rectal thermometer; tweezers; splints and tongue depressors; a muzzle or strips of cotton to prevent biting; a penlight or flashlight; needle-nosed pliers; an ice pack; a plastic eye dropper or syringe; and nail clippers.
Species Specific
In addition to basic pet first-aid items, the contents of a first-aid kit will vary according to the species for which it is intended.
“AGS Labs sells general pet kits containing items for cuts, stings, toenail bleeding and other similar problems,” Smith says. “This kit would work well on any small mammal but would not be suitable for birds or fish.”
First-aid needs may also vary according to breed as well as species. For example, VSI offers a pet first-aid kit designed specifically for sports dogs.
“A lot of the items are larger for bigger dogs,” Schlotterer says. “It also includes a gunshot wound information card and trauma pads. It is packaged in a plastic box that can be worn on a belt.”
In addition to these breed considerations, kits should include special items if they are intended for cats, birds, herps or fish.
Cats: As any cat owner can testify, felines often make for particularly bad patients. Thus, the Humane Society recommends that cat owners include a pillowcase in their first-aid kit. The pillowcase can be used to confine a cat while it is being treated.
Schlotterer says VSI’s cat-specific first-aid kit also includes a feeding syringe because it can often be difficult to get an injured cat to eat or take medicine. In addition, the kit’s information booklet is written specifically for cats.
Birds: As with cats, first-aid kits for birds should be equipped to meet the animals’ unique care needs.
“Any first-aid kit is a good start, but there are ones designed specifically for birds,” says Omar Gonzalez, owner of Omar’s Exotics Birds in Southern California. “The kits normally carry the same basic items, though they may include a little less wrap and a smaller pair of scissors.”
The scissors, Gonzalez says, are crucial, as pet owners must be able to free a bird if it becomes tangled in a toy or other material.
“Also, when there’s a problem with a bird, it’s good to have an extra carrier or small cage on hand to transport the bird,” Gonzalez adds.
Schlotterer says one of the distinguishing features of a bird first-aid kit is the inclusion of a pair of locking forceps, or hemostat.
“The hemostat can be used to lock on a broken blood feather,” he says.
A bird first-aid kit should also include care guidelines written specifically for birds.
“Good information is especially important for bird owners,” Schlotterer says. “So often, people buy a bird without getting good information on how to care for it.”
Herps: Unrau says that the first-aid needs of reptiles are commonly overlooked in the pet industry.
“First-aid kits are not generally available for reptiles,” he says. “In fact, a lot of books for reptile owners don’t have much to say about first-aid.”
As with any other pet first-aid kit, Unrau recommends that a kit for reptiles include a healing aid with which to treat wounds. And, seeing as how a bandage may be more difficult to fashion for a lizard than it may be for a cat or dog, he recommends the kit also include petroleum jelly.
“If the reptile has a wound, it can be cleansed with hydrogen peroxide and covered with a bit of Vaseline,” he says. “This will keep dust out of the wound while it heals.”
Fish: While first-aid basics are somewhat universal for most pets, fish are in a league of their own. And, as with reptiles, few owners give much forethought to emergency preparations for their fish.
Patrick Donston, owner of Absolutely Fish in Clifton, N.J., says he doesn’t know of any companies that offer prepackaged first-aid kits for fish.
“However, there are certain items that a fish owner should always have on hand in case an issue comes up and the fish store is closed,” he says.
Donston says a kit for freshwater fish should include ick medication. Likewise, saltwater fish owners should keep a marine buffer handy.
Other items a fish owner might want to consider keeping on hand include water test kits, aquarium salt for sterilizing equipment, a net dip for sterilizing nets and a bacteria supplement. Donston also recommends fish owners have a battery-operated pump in case of a power outage.
Regardless of the type of pet, Schlotterer says the most important first-aid tool a pet owner can have is knowledge. And pet store retailers are well positioned to pass along such knowledge.
“Information needs to be provided to pet owners so they know how to handle an emergency,” Schlotterer says. “The first thing they need to remember, above all else, is to remain calm.”
By staying collected and having basic first-aid tools on hand, pet owners will be much better prepared to help their pets in the event that an emergency does arise.