First Aid Kits

We all have first aid items in our home — boxes of bandaids, bandages and ointments.  But if your house is like mine, then you have occasionally ended up with just an empty box of bandaids … or the ointments and other first aid items have disappeared.  It’s good to have a first aid kit dedicated to a disaster situation so that you know it is equipped with all of the needed items.  I put mine in my Bug Out Bin so that it is ready for an evacuation scenario.  Below are my recommendations for building a good supply for first aid.  Almost all of these items are recommended for both humans and pets.  I provide a comparison of Human and Pet First Aid kits below.

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ACTION 1: Start with a good first aid kit

You want one that has a large supply of the basics.  I like the First Only All Purpose 299.  

ACTION 2: Add important first aid items to kit

The additional items listed in the links below will allow you to respond to a variety of injuries after a disaster.  A lot of these are recommended for Pet First aid as well.  Be sure to organize the items that expire in their own plastic bin.  That way, you only have to check in one spot.

Make sure you have a good first manual.  You could be dealing with injuries after a disaster.  Emergency responders and hospitals will be overloaded.  It will be important to know how to treat both minor and major injuries until you can get help. I provide a link to the American College of Emergency Physicians First Aid Manual below.  I like that it includes lots of photos with its instructions.

I also recommend purchasing a manual that is specific to nuclear or chemical attacks.  This has sadly become more relevant with increasing threats of nuclear attacks.  I recommend the U.S. Armed Forces Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Survival Manual.

Use what you already own!

You probably own a lot of the items listed above.  If you rely on your medicine cabinet, then you run the chance of not having an item when a disaster hits.  Plus you might not think to pack the medicine cabinet before a quick evacuation.  It’s better to keep a small supply of these items in your Bug Out Bin.

I purchased THREE travel-sized plastic bottles and put rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and Betadine in each bottle.  I put all three bottles in a plastic zip bag in case there is any leakage. I bought ibuprofen in travel sizes and  put other meds (e.g. aspirin and diphenhydramine) in small, round travel cases.  I wrote expiration dates on the pill boxes.

Human vs Pet First Aid Kits

If you have a pet, then you’ll also be thinking about first aid for your animal.  I discovered that there is a BIG overlap between the Pet First Aid kit and the Human First Aid Kit.  After you see the table below, you may reconsider purchasing one of those Pet First Aid Kits.

Human vs Pet First Aid Kit Comparison

I compared the First Only All Purpose 299 Piece Kit (for humans) and the American Kennel Club (AKC) Pet First Aid Kit 100 Piece Kit with Tick Removal to see if the Pet First Aid kit was worth the extra money.   I discovered that the Human First Aid kit was more comprehensive and provided most of the same items in the Pet First Aid kit … but at a lower cost.  While the Pet First Aid kit included some pet specific items, I realized that I already own most of those things — I’ve got tick removers, extra collars, leads and LOTS of poop bags!  Look at the list to see how many of those items you already own.

NOTE: The cost of these kits is an approximation, since prices change and vary between stores.  They are just meant to give you a sense of the cost differences.

Additions recommended by my Vet

I asked my vet what she recommended for an emergency kit and I looked at the list in the Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook (which was identical to the cat one). These are all of the items that are NOT included in EITHER of the First Aid Kits.

MOST of these items are important to both humans and pets, so they are already included in the First Aid Shopping Lists above.  The items in BOLD are the only ones that are not in the above shopping lists.

• Penlight (we are just using one of our small LED flashlights)
• Thermometer
• Cotton balls
• Vet wrap
• Ace Bandage (3 inches)
• Grooming clippers (I’m just using scissors and a woman’s razor)
• Needle Nose pliers (I added one of these to my BOB because they could be very handy)
• KY lubricant or petroleum jelly
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Betadine
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Topical antibiotic ointment (like Polysporin)
• Sterile saline eye wash
• Compressed activated charcoal tablets (5 grams each)
• Diphenhydramine (e.g. Benadryl)
• Aspirin
• Diagel for diarrhea (in dogs)

First Aid Books for Pets

It’s just as important to have a first aid manual for your pet as it is for yourself.  These manuals will help you treat injuries until you can get your pet to a veterinarian.

Image	Item	Notes
	First Aid Companion for Dogs & Cats	You can purchase this book used for much less. Good if you own a cat and a dog. As far as I can tell, the author is not a veterinarian.
	Dog Owners Home Veterinary Handbook	This is also sold used for much less. I like the fact that this book is written by three veterinarians and one MD. If you look at the book on Amazon, you'll see their list for a medical kit.
	Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook	Similar to the book above but for cats.
	First Aid for Birds	First aid focused specifically on birds.

Storing the Pet Items

• Medications like Diagel should be kept with the other first aid items that can expire.
• Gallon-sized Freezer Zip Bag in BOB is used to store an extra leash, collar with ID tag, roll of poop bags, collapsible bowls, tick remover, micro-chip documents (our proof of ownership) and her vaccination papers.  These are most of the pet related items listed at the bottom of the Pet First Aid Kit.