>What would I do before they got to the vet that's 20 minutes away.  Is
>there a way to induce vomiting to see if he would throw it back up?
 
Not unless you know what you're doing.  Some things need to be thrown
up, some not.  You can do harm if you take the wrong course of action.
If you know what has been swallowed, such as a poison, meds, etc., call
Animal Poison Control and they will tell you what to do.
 
Activated charcoal is used for those things that need to be absorbed.  It
is given with a stomach tube.  Hydrogen Peroxide (3%) is used to induce
vomiting.  It's a good idea to have both on hand.
 
APC can be reached at
888-426-4435
800-548-2423
(both of these require a credit card; $45)
 
900-680-0000
(billed to your phone bill; $45)
 
It's a good idea to have a first aid kit in your home to deal with
emergencies.  Those items can include, in addition to activated charcoal
and 3% hydrogen peroxide, Vetwrap (for bleeding and to stabilize
fractures), Benadryl (for allergic reactions), Kaopectate or Imodium A/D
(for diarrhea).  I'm sure others can add to this list of the basics.
Many times, if we have the right things on hand, our vet or APC can
walk us through what we need to do immediately.  Maybe we can at least
stabilize the animal until we can get to the vet.
 
Katharine
[Posted in FML issue 3996]