I went through my field veterinary box today, not because I am a compulsive neat-freak, but because I had decided to strip Trooper, my ancient Border Terrier, and I misplaced my stripping knife. Maybe it was in the vet box.It had been a few years since I had dived all the way to the bottom of my veterinary box (a plastic tool box acquired for $10 from Home Depot), and as I sorted through things I made a list of contents.
For the record, here it is:
- SPF Sports 30 waterproof spray which is the greatest thing ever invented if you are a balding man who digs all summer
- Jungle Juice -- 100 percent Deet bug spray
- A small bottle of Alleve
- A 2 oz. bottle of ProvIodine
- A 3 oz bottle of ProvIodine
- A small bottle of hygrogen peroxide to make a dog vomit if needed.
- A small bottle of alcohol to clean a wound (or anything else)
- Needle-nose pliars
- Flat-faced wire cutters
- Forceps
- Digitial thermometer
- Canine toe-nail clippers
- Bic lighter
- Quick-Stop styptic powder
- Granulex spray
- 1% cortizone cream
- Tube of triple anti-biotic ointment
- Muzzle for terrier
- 1 Percocet-5 which is enough to dose 10 terriers if needed.
- 1:1000 epinephrine (never used)
- Sterile hypodermic needle for percocet or epinephrine
- Veterinary stapler (never used, in sterile pack)
- Veterinary staple remover
- 4 oz. bottle of Erliworm dog worming medicine
- Small vial of Vetbond
- Five tubes of SuperGlue (same as vetbond, but much cheaper)
- Small 1.2 oz bottle of human shampoo
- A slice of bar soap
- Ocu-coat eyedrops
- Dental floss (a cheap type of very strong thread)
- 2 needles
- Exra deben locator collar
- Exra Deben locator box
- Batteries for Deben locator box and collar
- Xtra roll of yellow collar tape
- 2 extra rolls of black collar tape
- Two small flashlights in working order
- Candle lantern with 3 extra candles (will last all night).
- Space blanket
- Spare root saw
- Three fox nets
- Extra collapsible water bottle
- Extra collapsible water bowl for dog
- Dog brush
- Machete and knife sharpener
- Spare rivets for shovel handle
- Scissors
- Razor blades (about 10)
- Roll of 2"gauze in sterile packaging
- Wound managemen kit consisting of matches, lots of butterfly bandages, larger bandage strips, double anti-biotic ointment, towlette, iodine packs, empty irrigation syringe, suction tube, gauze
- 2 small chain-repair links
- A list of farm permissions and who gave them to me.
- A large wild turkey feather for no reason what-so-ever
- In the truck (not in the vet box) is a quart of "Skunk-Off."
The second most important thing with me in the field is my cell phone, and the cell phone car-charger (just as important as the cell phone). When I need to find a vet, a doctor, or a tow truck, nothing will ever serve me better than a cell phone.
The third most important veterinary tool is my wallet, and the credit card and blank check inside it. When push comes to shove, I may need to cough up real money for emergency veterinary care.
My field pack always contains several bottles of eye-flush water, and I also carry a couple of gallons of distilled water in the truck for the dogs to drink and/or to flush out eyes and any gashes that might occur.
I also have a pretty good supply of antibiotics in the refrigerator at the house: Cephalexan (Fish-flex), Amoxicillin (Fish-mox), and Baytril, as well as Mycitracin eye ointment to help prevent infection in case of a corneal rip.
See the www.terrierman.com web site for more information on basic field health care for your working terrier.
And NO for the record, the stripping knife was not in the veterinary box; it was in a plastic bin on a shelf beside the wash tubs in the laundry room, underneath an old dog collar, three terrier stripping stones, a tooth brush I use on the dogs, two bottles of dog shampoo, two broken Deben Mark I collars, and an old slicker brush. In short, it was right where it should have been.
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