Best Dog First Aid Kit [New for 2023]

Any dog owner can tell you that accidents happen! Some dogs always have a way to find trouble, especially if you have an adventurous dog that spends a good amount of time outdoors.

That’s why it’s important for dog owners to always have a dog first aid kit on-hand. You can often get-by with some items you have laying around the house, but I find that having a medical kit specifically designed for dog first aid makes things much easier and less stressful when the time comes to use it.

Some of the most common reasons you end up needing a dog first aid kit include –

• Splinter in the paw
• Stung or bitten by an insect
• Broken and bleeding nail
• Foreign object stuck in the eye/under eyelid
• Ate something poisonous
• Cut by something sharp

I know that my dogs have run into many of these issues so I know first hand how useful having a doggy med kit can be. Let’s get into our list of the best first aid kits for dogs that can give you peace of mind that you’ll be prepared for any trouble your dog finds.

Adventure Medical Kits – Me & My Dog

I chose this medical kit as the top choice because it has contents for everything I can think of for your dog whether you’re at home or out in nature hiking. It’s not the lightest med kit but it weighs just a pound and a half and it’s 7.5 x 3.6 x 5.3 inches so it won’t exactly fit in your pocket.

Let me highlight what makes this a great, complete kit though. First of all, just about everything in the kit can be used for both humans and dogs so you’re protecting yourself as well as your dog when you have this first aid kit.

Next, it has a bunch of bandages, alcohol wipes, and antibiotic gels you need to handle any cuts. It comes with a pet first aid manual so you can quickly find how to handle any incidents that occur. It also has an ounce of hydrogen peroxide which you can force down your dog’s mouth to induce vomiting if they eat something toxic, and antihistamines in case your dog gets stung by a bug and starts to have an allergic reaction.

One other really nice benefit of this kit is it comes with a backup 5-foot nylon leash. This could really be a lifesaver! There’s a lot of other items in this kit as well which you can read in the product listing.

It’s also worth mentioning that the first aid kit itself is made from a really durable nylon so you can trust that it won’t get a rip in it or break on you when you need it the most.

Pet First Aid Kit

This first aid kit is a bit more basic and contains the necessities for most problems you’d have around the house. There’s no pet first aid manual or leash like our previous first aid kit, but you may prefer this one because it’s less bulky as a result.

It has saline for flushing debris from your dog’s eye or a cut, as well as a bunch of bandages, cleaning wipes, and gauze pads. There’s also scissors and tweezers.

This dog med kit is just 2 x 4 x 6 inches and weighs less than half a pound, so it’s a very lightweight and compact option if that’s important to you.

RC Pocket First Aid Kit

If you’re looking for just the bare essentials to take with you for walks around the neighborhood or to stash in your car’s glove box, then this is a great option.

The biggest benefit to the pocket first aid kit is it’s very small. It just 5.4 x 4.7 x 1.4 inches and just over 3 ounces, it’s the most lightweight kit in the bunch. It comes with a convenient carabiner so you can attach it to your belt look or leash.

Since it has a smaller size, you’re also going to be getting a lot less in it. This kit mostly focuses on helping you in the event of a bad wound, so it has bandages, swabs, gauze pads, and a dog first aid manual among a few other items.

Alcott Explorer First Aid Kit

Here’s another dog first aid kit that has 46 total pieces – 1 instant cold compress, 1 emergency blanket, 5 band-aids, 1 pair of vinyl gloves (latex + powder free), 4 alcohol prep pads, 2 sting relief pads, 2 antiseptic wipes, 1 rubber tourniquet, 3 rolls of non-adhesive dressing, 1 roll of tape, 1 pair of scissors, 2 non-woven wound pads 3″ x 3″, 10 cotton tipped applicators, 1 oral syringe, 1 wood tongue compressor, 1 cpr mask for people, 1 bottle of hand sanitizer 2 oz., 1 bottle of saline eye wash 0.5 oz., 1 bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide 3.4 oz., 1 styptic pencil, 1 brush/comb and 1 portable adventure bag with handle.

This kit is or the larger size, 7 x 5.8 x 3 inches, so it might be a better option to leave in your car or around the house.

Building Your Own Dog First Aid Kit

Another option you have is to build your own doggy first aid kit. This will take you more time and effort, but in the end it may be cheaper and more customized to your dog’s needs.

For example, instead of just a med kit you could create more of an adventure kit complete with a place to store a collapsible water bowl, poop bags, and treats in addition to first aid necessities.

You can also customize the size of the container as needed. Here’s one option that would work really well –

Something with multiple compartments and an easy way to attach to another bag would be ideal, as well as being durable and slim.

If you need more help deciding what to include in a first aid kit, check out this video from a veterinarian.

The American Kennel Club also has a guide on items you may want to consider.

I would suggest that you download a first aid emergency manual to your phone so you have a PDF readily available offline in case you don’t have cell reception when you need it. Here’s a PDF from a vet clinic in Seattle that covers everything you should need to know in 34 pages.

Just be sure that once you download it, you can easily navigate to it.