Firestorm, did anyone answer you on 'what to put it in'??
First off, I'm opposite of the above -- the one I keep in my car is BIGGER than the one at home. At home, my 'kit' is simply a lovely wooden cabinet with small drawer that my wonderful husband gifted me with at Christmas. Keeping all my stuff at all organized is ... well, THAT never happens. But it's accessible at least.
The one in my car isn't for JUST dogs. WE're the type to stop along the road for anything inujured -- from helping a baby box turtle caught in the road (snapping turtles, handicapped water turtles, etc. *sigh* - Florida IS a land of lakes!), but also wild critturs I find along the way, AND stuff to help them safely!! (snapping turtles have 8-10 inch necks and aren't known as 'snapping' for nuthin!! they can remove a finger!).
In the car I have a big wooden box with a hinged lid. We call it "Brownie's Box" and if you want to go to my website and click on the First Aid "red cross" symbol, you'll understand, brown isn't the box, it was a dog I named Brownie.
[link
http://www.critturs.com/firstaid.html]http://www.critturs.com/firstaid.html[/link]
The thing I'd suggest is gloves, particularly if this is going to be to handle dogs NOT yours. If it's a kit you want to be able to grab and race outside with, then you need stuff to disinfect your hands, and you need stuff for bleeding accidents -- like BIG gauze pads, things to tie a splint with, or make an emergency muzzle with (remember -- NOT your dog and a dog in pain will do the unexpected).
At least think thru things like "If I had to splint a broken leg HOW would I do it??" Even a couple of magazines folded around a leg can do that pretty well in a total pinch.
If this is just for in your house for YOUR dog -- you want to think of common household accidents -- spider bite, bee sting -- all the way to disaster like the dog pulls the TV over on himself. So then you need to think your way thru "if this dog were totally unconscious and BROKEN in some place, what would I need that is large and flat enough to put him on to get him TO the car, IN the car and TO the vet?"
The other thing I don't see anyone list (and this is ONLY because I've done this so long) is a First Aide Book. The two best ones I have are part of "other" books.
Giffen & Carlson's "Dog Owners Veterinary Handbook". Not cheap (about $35) but it has a list inside the front cover of life-threatening emergencies, and it covers first aid topics well.
"The Pill Book Guide to Medication for Your Dog and Cat" -- last printed about 1998, Del reference. The first 75 pages of it happens to be a SUPERB first aid book -- for everything from poison to warnings about stuff like Tylenol being poison to dogs.
But seriously -- VERY VERY seriously -- The Red Cross *will* conduct pet first aid classes if you get enough folks together and I recommend it. Also -- just plain take a HUMAN first aid class if you haven't ever done so. Learning to control bleeding, clearing an airway, what's more critical? Breathing or bleeding? These things will make you feel more capable. And it doesn't matter if it is a dog or a human -- if you've taken a first aid class you WILL be more competent.
But in total honesty -- the big deal is to have SOMETHING. This is one of those things we ALL 'intend' to do. And ... *sigh* ... don't. Don't DO that is.
The big thing, and Firestorm's question reminded me --is PUT IT IN ***SOMETHING***. A shoe box. A clear 'closet' box. an old carryall and hang it in the closet.
DON'T wait "until I find the right thing" to make the kit. Because you won't. BUT if you put it in whatever the heck comes to hand (I know some of you are SO organized and neat-freakie this is tough -- I'm not laughing at you, I'm envious!!) -- but just gather together the stuff and put it in whatever comes to hand, and put it somewhere not in the bathroom!!
Why? Because if you have Benedryl liquid in that first aid kit and your husband or oldest child needs it -- they're gonna reach for it -- and then the time you NEED it ... it will be gone. So maybe buy TWO bottles, put one in the medicine cabinet (it's cheap at Wal-mart -- like just over $1) . But hang it in the closet or some place easy to get to but NOT easy enough to be raided constantly.
THEN -- it's either gonna be too big or not convenient *enough* that we will think to buy something appropriate when we see it. I've seen great first aid kits in fishing tackle boxes, (handle + latch and easily carried) to those clear plastic w/snap on lids storage boxes in a million different sizes.
But do 'buy' things specifically for your kit. Don't just think "aw, I HAVE tweezers already' -- yeah you do but where ARE they when you need them at your fingertips to take a shard of glass out of your dog's foot?? (or face?).
Use things YOU are comfortable with. If you wouldn't know Betadyne if you fell over it -- you can skip that one and use something you DO feel comfy with to clean a wound or disinfect your hands (Betadyne will do both of those things).
I keep gentian violet in mine -- it's similar to merthiolate or iodine -- it's an great anti-fungal (if you know what it is, that's because you likely have had a baby who had Thrush!!) -- and it's totally non-toxic. You can use it on a mouth wound or a paw. But it stains like india ink.
The other thing in mine is Hypo Tears (just to rinse out an eye -- like a dog who gets ash in his eye from the BBQ and he comes to you with this blood-red awful looking eye).
My first aid kit also has some homeopathics in it because I use them and I'm comfortable with them. Homeopathic Aconite is great for terrifying fear & shock. Arnica is great for 'trauma' (from bruising to broken limbs). Apis & Histaminum are great for the nervous itchies from anaphylactic shock (but I'd still use benedryl too).
In my car I carry water ALL the time. To flush out a wound or give a shocky animal some water. And a bowl. I also carry treats/kibble -- sometimes a wounded animal won't let you near them. That will break your heart -- you stop to help and can't get close to them. (Oh Heavens, Brownie where are you now?). The next time you are at a restaurant and get peanut butter in those little packages for your muffin -- stow one in your kit. It can keep a nose/mouth busy while you are trying to do something to a foot or leg.
This is one of my favorite topics and I could go on and on -- but if this thread gets folks to THINK -- we win! Even if you don't have ALL you want in your kit -- thinking thru what you'd need, do, want, etc. is the next step to successful first aid.