Just as you have a first aid kit in your home, and hopefully in your car, to help deal with minor emergencies that may occur with you and your family, you should also consider the unexpected needs of your guinea pig and either buy or create a guinea pig first aid kit, which commercially are called Cavy Kits.A proper cavy kit will contain numerous items designed to help you and your guinea pig through emergencies. Guinea pigs actually can hurt themselves fairly easy, but it usually is minor, and with proper care, should heal quickly.
Your cavy first aid kit should contain a bottle of sterile eye wash. This is useful for removing debris from the eyes, and you will find that you use this more often than you may think. This is one item that is often overlooked when putting together a first aid kit. Benebac is also overlooked, but highly useful, in case your guinea pig ever has problems with digestion.
Because guinea pigs really depend on vitamin C for survival, you should keep sample packs of substances that are suitable for guinea pigs, which contain vitamin C. One such product is Oxbow, which has 50mg of vitamin C. Oxbow also offers sample packs for critical care, which can be hand fed to your guinea pig. Electrolyte mix is also something that you should consider, in case your guinea pig becomes dehydrated. You may think that you take excellent care of your guinea pig, and that such things are not needed in a first aid kit, but you will have them, should the need for them ever arise.
A common guinea pig injury occurs when you clip his nails too close to the quick. This can quickly lead to infections, and it needs to be treated right away with an antiseptic. This isn't easy to apply on guinea pigs, but if you use a Styptic Pencil, you will find that this does the trick nicely. You should also have a good supply of sterile gauze pads to cover any wounds. Include Telfa pads as well. Other good selections include iodine pads and sterile wipes.
Because this is a first aid kit for an animal, and not for humans, you should include vet wrap in your first aid kit. This is excellent for protecting wounds on animals. If you aren't sure where to find vet wraps, look at your local pet store, or ask your veterinarian to order some for you.
Go to your local pharmacy, and purchase several syringes of different sizes. These make administering oral medications easier, in most cases, and can even be used to get water into your guinea pig if he becomes too ill to drink on his own.
Other items that you should include in your first aid kit include rubber gloves (not latex), cotton swabs, and contact information for your veterinarian. Your veterinarian may even be able to supply you with some basic first aid instructions that you can keep in your kit. As you use items in your first aid kit, make sure that you replace them as soon as possible.