Kurgo Pet First Aid Kit

Spring is in the air so this week Dogs That Hike will be talking about first aid.   If you haven’t already, check out our article posted earlier First Aid for Fido on the Trail as it will give you some basic information and prepare you for this review.  We provided our Trail Testers with a number of different first aid kits and asked them for their feedback.  Read on to see what @expeditionhusky thought of their Kurgo kit.

Our Kurgo Pet First Aid Kit contains the following:

• Parachute Cord
• Pet First Aid Pocket Guide
• Sting Relief Pads (4)
• Plastic Tweezers
• Medical Tape Roll
• 2” Crepe Bandage (similar to Vet Wrap)
• Cotton Swabs (10)
• Tongue Depressors (4)
• Antiseptic Wipes (4)
• Instant Ice Pack
• Disposable Rubber Nitrile Gloves (2 pairs)
• 4×4” Gauze Square (3)
• 2×2” Gauze Square (3)
• 2” Gauze Roll
• 5×9” Trauma Pad
• Alcohol Prep Pad (4)
• Thermal Foil Emergency Blanket
• Mini Scissors
• Iodine Prep Pad (4)

There are some awesome features about this first aid kit that make it unique. The bag itself is made from 600 Denier fabric, which gives it a nice durable cover, leaving it weather resistant and able to withstand the elements. It also comes with a hook closure that has an integrated bottle opener. The hook itself is a perfect addition so the pack can easily be hung where it needs to for secure access to all supplies, rather than leaving it on the ground to pick up dirt and move around. Another wonderful feature of this pack is the First Aid Field Guide that comes with it; it contains every bit of information on the most common emergencies your pet could have (i.e. cuts, frostbite, choking, heatstroke, etc.), as well as what vitals are normal in each size dog (i.e. heart rate, respiration rate, temperature).

There are a few things that could be added to this pack, and maybe a few things that could be taken away, or at least altered. Kurgo has three very good addition suggestions written on their packaging: a thermometer, antibiotic ointment, and a styptic pen (or powder). A thermometer is so important for assessing major vital signs and really should be added to any kit. The antibiotic ointment, while not totally necessary for a temporary wrap on a cut so long as you use the antiseptic pads, isn’t a bad thing to still have on hand, and the styptic pen is definitely something to consider adding. Additionally, a tick spoon is also something to consider adding instead of resorting to tweezers for tick removal. The tweezers themselves can be useful for many other things, though, and should still be included in a kit.

As far as changes, there are several different kinds of antiseptic pads that this pack comes with. While they can all be useful, the iodine pads are the most universal and could replace the other pads so there is minimal confusion on what can be used where, as some antiseptics should not be used near the eyes. The cotton swabs are also something that likely wouldn’t be used, except in very unique cases.

I would love to see this kit come with an additional small “on-the-trial” kit, or separate pouch to pack the true emergency essentials that can tide you over until you’re back to the car or at the vet, such as iodine pads, tick spoon, thermometer, VetWrap, 1 large gauze pad, scissors, medical tape, and an instant ice pack. And while this kit is more-so designed for leaving in your car rather than packing on the trails, it is absolutely an essential for any dog (or cat) owner. Even though we have our own on-the-trail kit, we’ll be keeping this one in our car as an extra backup if ever needed

Review by: Dogs That Hike Trail Tester @expeditionhusky

Product from: @kurgo / kurgo.com