we came home Sunday after being out for hours to attend a college graduation and Fritz the ditch chicken chaser had gotten something in his eye.
unsure what , dirt , leaf , straw all possibilities.
he had been confined to the yard which is about 100x110 feet of fenced in area
the dog house , feed , water ,my garden and basically everything but the drive way and front yard are in this area.

I had picked up a pint bottle of saline for something else and had that so we flushed the eye and he rested well it was still irritated and he pawed at it a little but didn't seem to have any trouble sleeping on the chair next my wife or really all night.

he slept better than I did with debris in his eye, I was worrying
flushed again early Monday morning and it was getting a lot better , he is good to go now. but man I hate eye issues. the wife's chihuahua has popped both eyes out of it's head first one cost me 1100 at the emergency vet , the second one the vet tech showed me how to pop back in with some ky jelly in like 5 minutes.
that one happened only about 45 minutes before the vet clinic opened and I was waiting there when they unlocked the door. having kept the eye wet with saline every 10-15 minutes or so.

I called and talked with the vet yesterday when they opened as it was getting better already with the flushing he didn't need to go in.
I asked if there was anything besides the saline flush I should be doing and they said , that was the best because if it is bacterial antibiotics can inflame the eye and if it is a scratch steroids inflame the scratch.
so if they can sleep just saline flush and keep monitoring for sign of an infection.

add saline to your dog/human first aid kit if you don't have any , seems to be a good thing to keep around for eyes.

never a dull moment in the adventures of owning a high energy hunting dog.

also as a training thing , training the dog to place for inspection and inspecting eyes , teeth , paws , ears , and underbelly regular sure helps when there is an issue because they are used to you checking all these places already.

My wife has Pekingese's, always problems with their eyes, had a couple one eyed bandits and I don't want to know what it cost me. Be on the lookout for ulcers from a scratch or poke, Some eye lubricant can help also....
Not sure about the warning on antibiotics, our vet prescribed them, never noticed any worse inflammation..

Lets ask Smasho!

I had a beagle get hit by a train a long time ago. When the train was gone I found her laying right in the middle of the track and thought for sure she was dead, but when I got close to her I seen her move a little. Something hit her right on top of the head and with pure luck knocked her out otherwise I’m sure she would have tried to get out from under it and be smashed. She ended up with a concussion and a good amount of stitches and a nasty scar to prove it. Never carry a first aid kit but a good idea even for the pets you have with you.

if the vet prescribed then they apparently saw a reason ,the advice was if they are not prescribing them don't just try antibiotics or steroid ointments , flush and if that doesn't work then they need to see the dog and pick the course of treatment.

DFR
I carry a basic one in my hunting coat and trucks , I have been trying to add more dog specific stuff now that we have a hunting dog and not just house dogs.

I think you can get terramycin at a farm store over the counter and use that if you suspect a scratch or ulcer but def good to use the saline flush. I would avoid any eye medication that has a steroid in it just in CASE there is scratch/ulcer as it can worsen it. I would still take an appt and have the vet do a fluorescent stain and check with a black light for damage. It is an inexpensive diagnostic . Doesn’t seem like a foreign body since he’s already improving with the flush.

@elsmash082

I was at a Christmas party the other night and I was talking with a retired Vet
so I asked the question what would you put in a hunting dog first aid kit.

he didn't have a lot of things mostly gauze and wrap which I already carry.

I said I got a can of Blue Coat on someone's recommendation , he seemed to turn his nose up at that,

I actually miss spoke and I have a can of Farnam Wound-Kote Blue Dressing Lotion Spray for Horses & Dogs, 7-fl oz bottle

he recommended Vetericyn and there are many forms of this it seems

I wondered if you had any experience with either and any input on the matter of one over the other.

what else would you put in a dog first aid kit?

@gcp
This is a decent question. I am a fan of veterycin products too although we don’t have them at our clinic. Any kind of eye flush is a great idea. Gauze and wrap definitely, some type of dilute antiseptic if you can get it; chlorhex. Iodine for cleansing around eyes and deep cuts with tissue exposure, as chorhex can be hard on that. Something dextrose based for getting blood glucose up in case of shock or seizure. Pet flex is an excellent product for applying a pressure bandage or similar if there is a deep cut and you need to get help fast. Hemostats to pull out thorns, get a good grab on a tick, or remove an offending foreign body of another kind. A muzzle that fits your pet is absolutely necessary as they may be scared or in pain! Makes treatment safer for you both!
Also they DO make canned emergency oxygen for pets in the event of severe trauma or respiratory distress.
Rectal thermometer is a good tool for determining ER situation.
A strong pair of wire cutters is good in case doggo gets a fish hook in his mouth. Cut the end past the barb and pull it out.

If your pet has ever prescribed gabapentin, it is generally a safe medication that you can use as needed to help keep the pet calm and help with pain. A safe NSAID such as carprofen will help but if you’re seeking vet care, it can interfere with what the vet may have in mind and organ function should be determined before long term use or caution if suspect renal failure

Just spewing out what I am thinking at this point.

I can’t see a lot of benefit with the blue kote but I don’t think it hurts. Too many people in my area rely on it for things that need more urgent attention

Oh and rubbing alcohol 70% in case of very high fever. Soak paw pads to help get temp down

I wish there was a class on dog first aid

I had lots of first aid training back in Boy Scouts ma Scout master was a combat medic in Vietnam and a Prison Nurse and lifeguard in civilian life.
also had the other EMTs , Paramedics and a practicing MD as assistant scout masters.

so we got Drilled on first aid , we took every first aid competition in our area as well as fire building.

are there any good books that you can recommend?

None off the top of my head but I’ll ask my crew and doctor tmrw and get back to you!!
Most people first aid translates well to animals; assess temp (which animal temp higher of course) and respirations, check mucous membranes and glucose if possible. Assist in warming or cooling as needed. Apply pressure to deep lacerations etc. pet CPR is really not difficult! We took classes with dummies and did the chest compressions and all that.