ARCA PET First Aid Kit Review: Is This $36 Emergency Kit a Must-Have for Dog Owners?

Introduction

Last month, Max cut his paw on a sharp rock when we were hiking. We were 2 miles from the car, in the middle of nowhere, and I had nothing. Nothing! I had to rip my favorite flannel shirt to wrap his paw, and then carry him the whole way back, because he was limping too much to walk. I was so scared, because he was bleeding, and I didn’t know if it was bad, or if I was doing the right thing. That’s when I realized how unprepared I was. I’d been hiking with him for years, and I never had a first aid kit for him. I just assumed nothing would ever go wrong. Stupid, right?

That’s when I started looking for a pet first aid kit. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money, because I didn’t know if I’d even use it. I found the ARCA PET First Aid Kit, it was $36, and it had 75 pieces, which sounded like a lot. I ordered it, and after using it for a month, I put together this full ARCA PET First Aid Kit review to share everything I learned, the good, the bad, and the weirdly useless stuff that came in it.

ARCA PET First Aid Kit: An ARCA PET First Aid Kit Review of Its Essentials

So, what’s in this thing, anyway? It’s a first aid kit, specifically for pets, right? It comes in this bright orange, waterproof bag, which is nice, because you can find it easily, even if you’re panicking. It has 75 pieces, which sounds like a lot, and they’re supposed to be all the essentials you need for minor emergencies, until you can get to the vet.

It has the basic stuff, like gauze, bandages, medical tape, scissors, saline solution, antiseptic wipes. It also has pet-specific stuff, too: a tick twister, which I was really excited about, because we get a lot of ticks out here. It has a digital thermometer, so you can check your dog’s temperature. It has an emergency muzzle, because if your dog is hurt, they might bite, even if they’re usually sweet. It also has an emergency collar, just in case his regular one breaks.

It also comes with a first aid manual, which is supposed to tell you what to do in different emergencies. That sounded perfect, because I have no idea what to do if my dog gets hurt. I’m not a vet, I’m just a guy who likes to hike with his dog.

The whole thing is portable, too. It fits in my backpack, or in the glove box of my car. It’s not too heavy, so I can carry it around with me, no problem.

My Story: Putting the ARCA PET First Aid Kit to the Test

When the kit arrived, I was pretty excited. I opened it up, and the first thing I noticed was the smell. Oh my god, it smelled like plastic and chemicals. Like, that new cheap plastic smell, that makes your eyes burn. I had to leave it open on the counter for a day, just to let the smell go away. That was annoying, but whatever, I thought, it’s just the bag.

Then I started going through all the stuff inside. There was so much stuff! But wait, half of it was human-sized band-aids. Like, the little sticky band-aids you put on your finger. Are you kidding me? What am I supposed to do with those? My dog has a 50 pound body, he doesn’t need tiny human band-aids! I counted them, there were 20 of them. 20! That’s a quarter of the 75 pieces, right there. Useless. I can’t believe they counted those as part of the “75 pieces” to make it sound like more.

Then I checked the other stuff. The gauze was really small. Like, really small. I tried to wrap Max’s paw with it, and it was too small. It barely covered the cut. And the bandages? They were tiny, too. They looked like they were for a cat, not a medium-sized dog.

Also, I noticed that some of the stuff was missing. The butterfly closures, they were supposed to be in there, right? They weren’t. I checked the list, and they were on the list, but they weren’t in the kit. I went online, and saw that so many other people had the same problem. They got kits that were missing pieces. Are you kidding me? For $36, you can’t even make sure all the stuff is in there?

But then, a couple weeks later, we went hiking, and Max got a tick. Oh, thank god, the tick twister was in there. That worked perfectly! I pulled the tick out in 2 seconds, no problem. That was the best part of the whole kit. I’d been struggling with ticks before, trying to pull them out with tweezers, and this thing made it so easy.

Also, the bag was waterproof. We got caught in the rain, and the stuff inside stayed dry. That was nice. I didn’t have to worry about the gauze or anything getting wet.

But then, I tried the thermometer. I wanted to check Max’s temperature, just to test it. And it was way off. Like, it said his temperature was 101, but I checked with my own thermometer, and it was 102.5. That’s a big difference! If he was sick, that could be a problem, because I would think he was fine, but he actually had a fever. That’s scary.

And the muzzle? I tried it on Max, just to see if it fit. He’s 50 pounds, medium dog, right? It fit, barely. But if he was a little bigger, like a Lab, it wouldn’t fit. And if he was smaller, like a terrier, it would be way too big. So it only fits medium dogs, that’s it.

What I Liked and What I Didn’t Like About the ARCA PET First Aid Kit

After going through this kit, and checking out hundreds of other reviews, I’ve broken down all the pros and cons.

What I Liked

• The bright orange bag is easy to find: If you’re panicking in an emergency, you don’t want to be digging through your backpack looking for a black bag. This one is bright orange, you can see it from a mile away.
• It’s waterproof: The bag keeps the stuff inside dry, even if it rains, or you drop it in a puddle. That’s really nice, because you don’t want your first aid supplies getting wet.
• The tick twister works perfectly: That thing is worth the $36 by itself. Pulling ticks out is so easy with it, no more struggling with tweezers, no more leaving the head behind.
• It’s portable and light: It fits in my backpack, or my glove box, and it’s not heavy. I can carry it around with me, no problem.
• It’s cheap: $36 is nothing, compared to the other first aid kits that are $50 or $60. Even if it only lasts a year, that’s worth it.
• It has the basics: It has the stuff you need for minor emergencies, like gauze, antiseptic wipes, scissors. That’s enough for most things.

What I Didn’t Like

• That chemical smell: The bag smelled so bad when I got it, I had to leave it open for a day to air it out. That was gross.
• So many useless human band-aids: 20 tiny human band-aids, that I can’t use for my dog. That’s just filler, to make the 75 pieces sound like more. Stupid.
• Missing pieces: A lot of people, including me, got kits that were missing stuff. The butterfly closures, the antiseptic wipes, sometimes even the thermometer. That’s unacceptable.
• The supplies are low quality: The gauze is thin, the bandages are tiny, the thermometer is inaccurate. It’s not built to last, it’s built to be cheap.
• No styptic powder: There’s no styptic powder, which is the thing you need to stop bleeding if your dog cuts their nail, or their paw. That’s one of the most common emergencies! How do you leave that out?
• The muzzle only fits medium dogs: If you have a big dog, or a tiny dog, the muzzle doesn’t fit. That’s a big problem, because if your dog is hurt, you need a muzzle.

Is the ARCA PET First Aid Kit Right for Your Dog?

So, is this thing right for you? Well, that depends. If you’re on a budget, and you just need a basic kit, to keep in your car, or for occasional hikes, and you don’t mind adding a few extra things? Then yeah, this is perfect. It has the basics, it’s cheap, it’s portable. It’s better than nothing, right?

But if you need something that’s going to work for serious emergencies, or you have a big dog, or a tiny dog? Then no, this isn’t for you. The muzzle doesn’t fit, the bandages are too small, the supplies are low quality.

Also, you have to add your own stuff, anyway. I added styptic powder, bigger bandages, and some extra antiseptic wipes, because the ones that came with it were too small. Once you add that stuff, it’s perfect, but the kit itself isn’t complete.

Common Questions About the ARCA PET First Aid Kit

I got so many questions from my friends after I posted about this, so I wanted to answer the most common ones here.

Is this kit waterproof?

The bag is water-resistant, not waterproof. It can handle rain, or a little splash, but don’t submerge it, because the zippers aren’t sealed. If you drop it in a lake, the stuff inside will get wet.

Does it have everything I need?

No, not really. It has the basics, but you’ll want to add your own stuff, like styptic powder, bigger bandages, and maybe some extra antiseptic. A lot of people also add their own Benadryl, for allergic reactions.

Can I use this for cats?

You can, but the muzzle is too big for most cats, and the bandages are a little big, too. It works, but it’s better for dogs, honestly.

Do the supplies expire?

Yeah, they do. The antiseptic wipes, the gauze, all that stuff has expiration dates. You have to replace them every couple years, just like a regular first aid kit.

My Top Takeaways on the ARCA PET First Aid Kit

At the end of the day, this kit is what it is: a cheap, basic first aid kit, that you can customize. It’s not perfect, it has a lot of flaws, but it’s better than nothing. That first week, before I added my own stuff, it was okay, but once I added the styptic powder and the bigger bandages, it became perfect.

The tick twister alone is worth the $36, honestly. That thing has saved me so much trouble with ticks. And the bright orange bag, the waterproofing, that’s all great.

It’s not a long-term solution, it’s not a professional kit, but it’s a great starting point. If you’re like me, and you were completely unprepared, this is a great way to get started.

Final Thoughts on the ARCA PET First Aid Kit

All in all, the ARCA PET First Aid Kit has been a mixed bag. It solved my biggest problem—being completely unprepared for emergencies—but it came with a whole bunch of new problems I didn’t expect. The missing pieces, the useless band-aids, the inaccurate thermometer, it’s all a little much for $36, but honestly, it’s still cheaper than the other options.

If you’re desperate, like I was, to get prepared for emergencies, and you’re on a budget? It’s worth it. Just don’t expect it to be perfect. Just add a few extra things, and it works great.

If you’re interested in trying it out, you can check it out here: [buy link: ARCA PET First Aid Kit] (affiliate link)

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A Quick Disclaimer

I’m not a vet or professional trainer. This is just my personal experience.