doggy first aid kit

[Alex, Chad & Louie]

This weekend we went for a bike ride and took Louie for a run. Just as we were about to turn back I noticed louie seemed uncomfortable so we stopped and checked his paws and found that his front pads were torn, my heart broke for my poor baby! we stopped imediately and Chad went back to get the car while Louie and I waited for him. we had to do an emergency trip to the pharmacy to gather some bangdage, cream etc as we had no supplies to deal with this kind of thing, which leads me to my question. what kind of things should we always have on hand to deal with this king of thing "doggy first aid kit".
Louies paws are doing much better today, we uncovered them last night to get some air to them, he is still limping a little and is having to be carried down the stairs to go to the bathroom (no easy task for me - I weigh 100lbs he weighs 70lbs!) but still in good spirits. its amazing he doesn't blame us! although we both feel terrible about doing this to him. lesson learned I guess. anyway I would really like to have first aid kit put together for any other incidences that we may have. any advise?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This has happened to Jackdoodle twice. The first time was his very first time at the forest preserve dog park. I didn't know that he was overdoing the running because he gave me no sign at all that he was in pain until we got home and he couldn't get out of the car. When we got him into the house, I was absolutely shocked; some of the pads were completely gone from both front feet, just bloody circles where they had been, and he wouldn't (couldn't?) walk. It was a Sunday, and I flew to the emergency vet; $400 later, he had both front feet & legs bandaged and was on meds for pain & antibiotics for infection. He had make-shift "boots" to wear outdoors, as it was imperative that the bandages stayed dry.
We went to his regular vet on Thursday to have the bandages removed, and his feet had partly healed. My vet advised me that if it happened again, I should clean his feet very thoroughly to prevent infection, and keep them dry, but that it was better not to bandage them because they would heal better if the air could get to them.
The following year, as much as I tried to watch him and limit his running on our first day out, it happened again to a much less severe degree. I still wanted him seen by a vet, but this time I went to the emergency center where his specialist practices. They did not bandage his feet, just cleaned them and gave me antibiotics. I bought baby socks with non-skid bottoms to help keep his paws clean & dry, and used his old "boots" for outdoors.
I have since learned that this is not as uncommon as you might think, and you can't blame yourself. But as far as a first aid kit, I'd say beyond the booties or other foot coverings, and a good antiseptic non-stinging cleanser, there isn't much you can do. In neither case did the vets recommend putting any kind of cream or ointment on his feet, and since the pads are one of the only places dogs actually "sweat" (like their noses), I don't know if it would be such a good idea. It seems like the cream would cause dirt & stuff to stick to the area if you didn't bandage it. Clean & dry & oral antibiotics if needed seem to be the treatment of choice.
I will be interested to hear if others have had a different experience.

[Alex, Chad & Louie]

Hi Karen, It sounds like Jackdoodles experience was a bit more severe than Louies - ouch. I think I was just in a bit of a panic and put everything I could think of on him, to make it better. we don't have children yet so I am not used to nursing wounds. Chad is the complete oposite he is always very laid back about these things and always says "oh he'll be fine, just let him be" I wish I could be so calm! Thanks for the advise I had no idea it was a common problem.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ah, now I understand. When you have kids in the house, you automatically have a lot of the items in the kit Jane shows below, lol...hydrogen peroxide, gauze pads in all sizes, etc.
I have children and grandchildren, and I am still a worry wart when it comes to JD...he is my 80 lb. four-legged baby!
Hope Louie heals quickly!

[Kyoko]

So, since it is pretty common, do you think I should be thinking about putting some sort of "shoes" on Charlie, when we go for a long hiking?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A lot of people do! I started reading on-line after Jack got hurt about people who regularly go hiking on rough terrain, etc., and they all use boots for their dogs. There are all kinds available. Som people whose dogs have grass allergies use them for that, too. Maybe we should look on-line for some different kinds and post them here.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

OMG How cute is he!! Definitely a NYC dog LOL!! ( I would be shot in these parts if my dog looked like that - LOL)

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

I can't keep the muttluks on Yankee. They fall off as soon as he starts running around. I've seen smaller dogs keep them on so maybe they are good for smaller dogs.

I put those cheap felt boots on him but they don't last long. We need to use boots for our winters.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Try these. Supposed to be really good.
http://www.ultrapaws.com/pages/Dog_Booties.shtml

[Kyoko]

Has any one used these?
http://www.ruffwear.com/Barkn-Boots-Grip-Trex

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

I haven't used these but I have tried several boot types. These are short at the ankle and probably won't stay on. You need something that goes further up the leg.

[Kyoko]

That makes sense. Which ones did you find to be good?

[Kyoko]

I should look into getting some shoes for her... It will be nice if they can try them on so we can see if they would shake / pull them off easily or not.