Four Legged First Aid

I’d suggest checking which human drugs you can’t give to dogs and highest on that list are all our most common NSAIDs – Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Aleve/Naproxen, Acetaminophen plus anything with zinc in it that they might lick and ingest including diaper cream and Calamine lotion.  One human drug that, like in humans, dogs can’t OD on is cannabis.  Like humans, they get stoned, woozy, wobbly, and wet themselves, but are fine a day later.  If they get into your edibles, you’ll be camping there for a day, but can be relaxed that they’ll fine afterwards.  They can get cold, so keep them on a pad and covered.

Maybe get a broad-spectrum antibiotic from the vet and discuss the signs and symptoms to watch for.  Was your dog running a fever from an infection or something else?  Blood/fluid loss?

I’d pack some of that sticky-stretchy gauze to secure dressing on their legs.

And some booties for many things.  To protect their feet in the first place, like dog mushers do when the ice is abrasive or ice is building up between their pads, but I’m more likely to use them for gravel roads.  And for securing medications or dressings on their feet.  Not the fancy heavy ones from REI that run $40-$50/pair = $100/set but the very simple, light ones that dog mushers use and cost $3 each:

https://www.bing.com/shop/productpage

If you need four, bring at least six.  The cheap and expensive ones both get lost all the time.

Then habituate your dog to them.  Put them on for short periods when something really fun is happening.  Lengthen the periods slowly.  Let them associate booties with “Oh boy! We’re going on a hike!”

David,

Thanks for some great info. I do carry Rimadyl which is a NSAID for dogs.

Good emergency use of the Dog Bivy! If you rig those straps maybe have them go all around so the weight is not entirely on the lightweight fabric?

Dog booties are hit and miss. Mostly miss, for the dog and I.

My ten year old McNab has very occasionally needed them for cuts and split nails, but he never just walks in them; it’s obvious the claws are a vital component of his traction and agility and eliminating them seems counter productive. Plus, I haven’t found any that works well and don’t slip down.

On a 70 mile trip in the Escalante region this March our route was mostly slickrock. Such terrain is business as usual for him, but this time he came from a winter of daily skiing with me, touching only snow under his paws. I didn’t realize how this had softened his pads and made him unprepared for sandpaper rock all day.

I keep a close eye on his behavior all the time and on day five I noticed limping on descents. The front pads were tender to touch.

I bring two emergency booties but he quickly lost one, so I taped the other one tight around the ankle. On the bare paw I used a combo of athletic tape and gorilla tape. For the remainder of the trip I had to fuss over the damn bootie constantly, while the tape job just needed a fresh outer layer once. And it still allowed use of the claws – pretty much far superior to those booties for his situation.

You could consider a rescue sling as well. Dogs get heavy quick https://fidoprotection.com/ I’ve thought of making one with ultralight materials but just haven’t had the time.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be able to carry my 85 pound dog very far, even with the best gear possible. Maybe I need to learn how to make a travois.

I have taped up punctures and cuts on many occasions, and the dog was always able to push through. On two occasions, my leatherman pliers were put to good use removing quills. Fortunately, my Boxers were incredibly tolerant and stoic, not every dog would tolerate this.