You are a superhero for your dog every day, but are you prepared to save the day for both of you when the unexpected happens at a scentwork trial or on the road?
Imagine you’re at a scentwork trial with your very large, but generally calm dog. Suddenly a happy-go-lucky Golden Retriever comes dashing by, and your generally big calm dog decides he wants to go play and yanks you to the ground. The next thing you know your mouth is bleeding, you’ve got some nice cuts on your pretty face, and you have a cracked tooth. You now also have a slight concussion because your skull made friends with the concrete.
Perhaps you are walking back from a nicely done exterior search, the long leash you were using to give your dog plenty of space while they search, suddenly tangles around your feet, you stumble, twist your ankle, and make new friends with the nice rocky pavement.
Maybe you’ve been that competitor who has spent the last two days at a scentwork trial, your dog has done wonderfully, and now you are ready to get in your car and go home and relax, but suddenly your dang car won’t start. The battery is dead. It feels like 5000 degrees outside because you’re located in Texas, and it’s the middle of Summer.
Or, maybe your dog is feeling a little anxious on the trial day, and that little bit of anxiety turns into diarrhea or your dog starts feeling nauseous.
For better or worse, none of those stories above are made up. They happened. But, an accident doesn’t have to become an emergency, and sudden car troubles don’t have to become a crisis.
Imagine you are the mild-mannered Clark Kent or the non-chalant Diana of Wonder Woman lore. Beneath your humble outward appearance, you have your Superman cape, and Wonder Woman has her magic bracelets and lasso. Those Superhero elements that you carry with you while traveling or participating at a scentwork trial, may just save the day, for a fellow competitor, your dog, or even yourself.
Superhero Action Kit for Travel
In my vehicle, I have a small Craftsman plastic tool box. It’s not expensive (around $40.00) and can hold everything I need when traveling.
Above is the tool box, with all of the individual items
- Portable jump starter – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B55RFM1Z. I’ve had to utilize this portable jump starter a few times at trials helping other people, and even a couple of times at home. I consider it an essential item to always keep in the vehicle.
- Portable air compressor – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L9WSTEG. I’ve yet to have to use this, but another essential. It’s powered by using the cigarette lighter in my vehicle.
- Headlamp – Imagine this. It’s getting dark out, you’re driving home from a scentwork trial, and suddenly your dog needs to go potty. Maybe you pull over at a gas station that is not well lit, and you just need a little extra light to see where both you and your dog are walking. The small headlamp fits around your head and is activated by a simple push of a button.
- Flashlight – A small handheld flashlight might seem like a duplicate of the headlamp, but it’s not. The one I have is a Fenix PD36 tactical flashlight. It’s 2800 lumens, meaning it’s super bright, and it easily charges with USB-C. I have dropped this thing many times, wandered around on very dark nights and in the rain, and it has amazing distance that it lights up. But it is not cheap, around $120.00. Honestly, I’ve had this flashlight for over 5 years, and I always take it with me at a hotel. When I’m out walking my dog at night, I attach the lanyard around my wrist, and have it on the low setting. Not to scare anyone, but if I felt threatened by someone walking around the hotel parking lot, this tactical light could blind someone if I needed it to.
- Paper Towels – Paper towels may seem a little silly to carry around in a travel kit, until your dog accidentally poops in their crate or gets car sick. Then you’ll wish you had paper towels.
- Scissors – I’m not sure why I always carry a pair of scissors in my travel kit, but I’ve had to use them more times than I can count.
- Trash bags – This is another one of those items that you don’t think you need them, until you do.
- Bungee Cords – I consider these one of those miscellaneous items that you just might need for something, so I carry them.
- Tile Tracker – This is one of those Bluetooth trackers. I tape it to the inside of my Craftsman toolbox. If by chance someone breaks into my vehicle and takes my toolbox, I’ll hopefully be able to find it.
Being A Real SuperHero For Your Dog
These next items I always carry with me, outside of the Craftsman case, but easily accessible in my car. These are laminated sheets for the following:
- Pet Emergency Sheet for each dog
- What to do in case of snakebite
- Dog and Cat CPR
The Pet Emergency Sheet –
For each dog that travels in my vehicle I have a pet emergency sheet. It includes their name, DOB, their microchip numbers, veterinary information, relevant contact information, and pertinent medical information as well as information about their temperament. Kaja is a big black German Shepherd, but if I am in an accident, I don’t want someone being afraid of her. I mention she is friendly. I also critically mention that she has laryngeal paralysis.
Each one of these Pet Emergency Sheets I roll up and place inside PVC tubing with emergency tape. I then secure that to the back of my headrest. If for some reason I am unable to communicate, I want to make sure my dogs are taken care of.
What to do in case of snakebite –
I’ve got a story to share, and because of what happened, I always carry this laminated sheet in my vehicle, and I also have it taped to my refrigerator.
When Kaja was a young puppy, she was barking like a fool, and I assumed she was just acting like a silly puppy and barking for no reason, when I finally walked over to her to see why she was barking incessantly. Right in front of her was a dead copperhead snake, which she had killed. I also know that copperheads are venomous, and Kaja was likely bitten, so it could be a matter of life and death for her. I saw she had two small puncture wounds on her nose, so I immediately rushed her to the vet.
And this is what happened at the vet. This is not a criticism of the vet, as most vets are not trained in what to do for venomous snake bites.
I was told to give her some Benadryl to help with swelling. She received a steroid shot and an antibiotic shot. I was told to remove her collar, and her face would likely swell up like a balloon, and I needed to closely monitor her for breathing issues.
Now I want you to look at this screenshot from experts, on what you should do in case of a venomous snake bite. Notice any problems with what was done at the vet’s office, versus what is recommended?
Kaja and I got lucky on her snakebite. It was likely a dry bite, so no venom was released into her system. But, had it been a bite and venom was released in her system, the treatment she received could have actually harmed her, or who knows, maybe she could have died. In any case, I don’t vault my vet at the time, but I do feel it is my responsibility to become educated, so I can advocate for my dogs.
Dog and Cat CPR –
I took a Pet CPR course a few years ago and passed the test that was given. Then because I’ve never had an actual pet CPR situation, I’ve promptly forgotten everything I learned. That’s why the 3rd laminated sheet I always carry with me is how to do CPR on a dog or cat. I’ve never had to use the information on this sheet, but I don’t want to go into a state of panic should I ever need to do this.
Superhero Medical Kit for Dogs and Humans
It’s a curious paradox that while a simple scentwork trial can fill me with anxiety, I become incredibly calm in the face of a genuine emergency—whether it’s a person falling or a dog with an injury. That calmness, I’ve found, comes from knowing I’m prepared. I’ve always had a strong desire to help others, and it really bothers me when I see people or animals in pain. That’s why every time I head to a scentwork trial, my medical kit is always within reach.
Before I go into the contents of my medical kit, let me show you what it looks like. It’s not very large, but it holds most everything I need. It’s also not very expensive, just $30.00 from Amazon, Medical Bag – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXMCKT2X.
Main Compartment – Medications
Let me start with the contents in the main compartment in the middle. That contains all of my various dog medications.
The various medications include the following:
- Pain/steroid meds
- Anti-Nausea meds
- Diarrhea meds
- Antibiotic meds
- Anxiety meds
- Hotspot and topical meds
- Opioid/OD meds (specifically Narcan)
You may notice that I have everything sorted into different Ziploc bags, and there’s a reason for that. In an emergency, I don’t want to be fumbling with pill bottles. I organize my medications into labeled baggies to make them instantly accessible. Before I move on to the other sections of my bag, let me discuss why I carry Narcan. Actually, let me ask a question. How many times have you traveled with your dog, you check in to your hotel, proceed to your room, your dog starts sniffing around, then appears to eat something that they found on the ground? I can tell you that with Kaja, and her nose, she can sniff out anything, and the last thing I want to happen is for her to accidentally ingest something that could kill her, such as pain meds accidentally dropped by a previous guest, or some type of narcotic. I’ve had a fellow scentwork competitor tell me that before she allows her dogs in a hotel room, she checks under the bed, under the bathroom sink, everywhere, to locate anything that may not have been picked up by housekeeping that could be harmful to her dog.
Left-Side Pocket Contents
In the side pocket of my kit, I have a field pouch that contains the following:
- Disposable syringe
- Survival rescue blanket
- Scissors for cutting fabric or clothing
- Hemostatic forceps
- Disposable skin stapler
- Mini Otoscope
In the other outside pocket, I have:
- Various bandages and band-aids
- Surgical sponges – Used for
- Combine pads – highly absorbent sterile dressing designed for managing heavy draining wounds. It is larger and thicker than a standard gauze pad.
Right-Side Pocket Contents
- Eye wash solution
- Styptic powder
- Chlorhexidine Antiseptic/antifungal wipes
- Honey packets – For treating diabetic issues, specifically to treat hypoglycemia
- Providone-iodine swabsticks
- Various gauze pads
- Waterproof tape
- Various self-adhesive wraps
- Alcohol wipes
Front Pockets
In the front pockets, I have what I consider 3 very important small books and pamphlets:
- Canine Field Medicine
- Field Guide to Dog First Aid
- Emergency First Aid Foldout
The additional items I have in the front pockets are:
- Digital thermometer
- Vaseline
- Celox Hemostatic agent – To stop bleeding
- Latex gloves
One Last Thing – Portable Oxygen –
There is one more significant item that I take to all scentwork trials, and it’s specifically for Kaja and her Laryngeal Paralysis. In short, dogs with this condition have reduced tolerance for exercise and heat and an increased risk of aspiration pneumonia. In Kaja’s case, her right vocal cord is showing signs of paralysis. The last thing I want to happen is for her to experience issues in her breathing. For this reason, I always carry portable oxygen from PawPrint Oxygen.
Prepare For The Unexpected
Sometimes, the “unexpected” isn’t even a medical or car emergency. I’ve already mentioned how important it is to check your hotel room for unexpected, left behind items from previous guests. But, what if I told you there was a time when Kaja and I entered our hotel room, and it looked like someone had left behind a child’s toy? Only it wasn’t a child’s toy, it was an actual African Ball Python! I’m not kidding!
There was absolutely nothing in my medical kit or car travel kit that could have helped in a situation with an African Ball Python. While I do have snake tongs at home, that’s not something I take with me on my travels to scentwork trials. Maybe I’ll consider adding that to my Superhero Preparedness Kit in the future😊.
Be A Real Superhero and Prepare: Your Dogs and Competitors Will Thank You
Putting together a car travel kit and a canine emergency kit doesn’t have to be outrageously expensive, nor difficult to put together. I’ve provided the links to the fillable Pet Emergency Sheet as well as the PDF’s for the Dog and Cat CPR handout and the Snakebite Support Protocols for dogs and cats. Save them, print them out, and carry them with you when you travel.
If you have your own travel kit or dog emergency preparedness kit, what do you have in yours, and what do you suggest adding to mine?