UPDATED Ferret First Aid Kit

by Sapphire

I finally received the last items for the Ferret First Aid kit, so I wanted to take some new photos and show everyone what we’ve got. I also split the kit into two bags: one for medical-related items, and the other for food-related items. I’m extremely glad we put these kits together and brought them with us when we travelled recently, because some of the items came in very handy!

We had to take a moderately long road trip a couple of weeks ago, and we brought the girls with us. Unfortunately Opal (apparently) got very motion sick. By the time we got to the hotel, she was projectile-vomiting. And my goodness, that girl can get some serious distance on her puke. Luckily, the kit includes liquid Kaopectate, which we gave to her (mixed with Ferretone) to settle her stomach. We gave this to both girls before returning home, and neither got sick on the way back, so thank goodness for that!

The front pocket of the first aid kit contains rabies vaccination certificates for both girls, so we can prove they’ve both had their shots. It also contains a card with our local vet’s phone number and address, an emergency (24-hour) vet phone number and address, and animal poison control phone number.

(click for a larger view)
  1. Fleece Blanket, for comfort and warmth (in case of shock)
  2. Towel, for cleanups and comfort
  3. Baby Wipes, for cleanup
  4. Gauze Bandages, for wound care
  5. Silk Tape & Bandage Tape, for injuries & wound care
  6. Cotton Balls, for wound care
  7. Non-Stick Gauze Pads & Large Gauze Pads, for injuries
  8. Portable Heat Packs, for warmth (in case of shock)
  9. Plastic Gloves, for wound care
  10. Ferret Dental Gel
  11. Pill Crusher/Cutter, for preparing medication
  12. Self-Adhesive Vet Wrap, for wound care
  13. Cotton Swabs, for cleaning teeth & wound care
  14. Saline Solution, for flushing eyes & wounds
  15. Petroleum Jelly, for thermometer insertion
  16. Finger Splints, for broken limbs
  17. Styptic Powder, for bleeding nails
  18. Neosporin, for wound care
  19. Ten-Second Rectal Thermometer
  20. Assorted Syringes & Eye Droppers, for administering medicine
  21. Surgical Tweezers, for wound care
  22. Nail Trimmers
  23. Flea Comb
  24. Kaopectate, Pediatric Liquid Benadryl, Iodine, 91% Isopropyl Alcohol, in Glass Bottles with Eye-Dropper Lids
  25. Snack-sized bags for poop samples
  26. Gallon-sized bags for waste containment (soiled towels, etc.)

I wrap the glass bottles with gauze bandages to protect them, then they all go into a sandwich bag and are stored upright in the kit. Most of the loose stuff (splints, thermometer, nail trimmers, etc.) go into a sandwich bag as well, so they’re not floating around the kit.

I have cold-packs in the freezer, in case they’re necessary as well.

(click for larger view)
  1. Bottled Water
  2. Tomlyn Hairball Remedy
  3. Ferretone
  4. Carnivore Care
  5. High-Quality Kibble*
  6. Measuring Spoons
  7. Mixing Spoon
  8. Assorted Syringes
  9. High-Quality Canned Cat Food*
  10. Meat-Only Baby Food*
  11. Canned Sardines
  12. Ramekins with Lids (You can find these on Amazon, but I also found them for half as much at my local grocery store.)

*I will go into more detail on the food we buy for our girls in a later post, but the short version is this: read the ingredients. Five of the first six must be MEAT proteins. NONE of the ingredients anywhere in the list should be wheat, corn, or other grains. If the food has to include plant protein (and all kibbles must have some), it should be vegetables instead of grain. Never buy foods (canned cat food, baby food, etc.) with “Gravy” in the name or flavor, because they will contain wheat or corn starch as a thickening agent.