As man’s best friend, dogs are accident prone too and you should have a first aid kit that meets the needs of your dog as well. If your first aid kit has bandaging and splinting materials, you probably know what to do in the case of an emergency when your canine is faced with an injury.

If your first aid kit does not have the items needed to make a splint, grab your first aid kit and print this article to know how to properly stock your dog’s first aid kit and how to make a decent bandage or splint:
Your dog's first aid kit or family shared first aid kit should contain at a minimum:
► Telfa (or other non-stick) pads
► Triple antibiotic ointment
► Porous tape or rolls (1 inch)
► Stretch gauze bandage rolls (two-inches wide)
► Self-adhesive stretchy tape (in example Elastikon, VetWrap, or even a human Ace bandage)
► Cast padding (or similar rolls of thin cotton or synthetic padding)
► Square gauze sponges or pads (three – four inches)
► Tongue depressors
► Plastic or aluminum splint materials (aluminum rods stiff and firm yet pliable enough to bend)

Regardless of the type of bandage you use to care for an injured dog, there are a few essential tactics to keep in mind. Two objectives are necessary to prevent the dog’s foot from swelling with the application of any bandage or splint

The wrapping should not be too loose so that it falls off and the canine’s circulation should not be obstructed.

How to properly bandage a dogs foot in an emergency:

Step #1
Take the porous roll of tape and affix it to one side of your canine’s leg. This is referred to as the anchor tape. Directly start below the approximated ending point of where the bandage will end. The other point should extend straight down two-three inches beyond the end of the paw.

To prevent the tape from becoming tangled, place a strip of light plastic or a depressor on the end of the tape. This should ensure that the rest of the application of the bandage will be tangle-free

Step #2
Apply a Telfa pad to over the wound. For wounds with abrasions or a ragged tear, apply a very thin coat or layer of antibiotic ointment.

Step #3
Apply a number of gauze pads to absorb extra hemorrhaging, then wrap some cast padding around the gauze pads three times to steady them in place.

Step #4
Start bandaging at the base of the foot. Remember not to apply the bandages so hard that it restricts blood circulation.

13-Facts to Know about Puppy and Doggie First Aid Care

1. When bandaging a wounded dog, start the bandaging at the base of the dog’s foot.

2. Light pressure should be used during bandaging so that circulation is not impeded – causing a foot or toes to swell.

3. The easiest way to determine if a dog’s foot is swelling is to look at the toes

4. When a dog’s toe nails begin to separate, it is an indication that the toes are swelling because a bandage may be wrapped too tightly.

5. The end point of an injured dog’s leg bandage should be approximately, two to three inches above the wound.

6. A large-sized dog should be able to withstand the loss of a pint of blood

7. A 10 pound canine can afford only four to five tablespoons of blood loss.

8. Tourniquets can be applied on either an injured leg or tail.

9. Generally, tourniquets are applied between the heart and the wound. When the bleeding is derived from an artery on the side away furthest from the heart it may be coming from a vein.

10. Wounds other than those located on the tail or leg of a dog will require firm pressure to alleviate bleeding.

11. When your dog is bleeding from the heart, the arterial blood will be a vivid red. With significant velocity and force, arterial blood tends to spurt out and pulses in conjunction of each heart beat as it hemorrhages.

12. Dissimilar to arterial blood, venous blood comes from the vein. Not as bright red as arterial blood, venous hemorrhaging is a dark red coloration. Although it may flow rapidly, it does not gush out in pulses or spurts.

13. Since venous blood is on its way back to the aorta from the rest of the body, the tourniquet should be applied distal to (below) the wound

As soon as your dog's injury is taken care of to the best of your emergency ability, rush your pet to a veterinarian or a 24 hour pet care center.