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If you own a horse, or work around a horse, it's a smart idea to
have a first-aid kit ready, well stocked, and easily accessible.
WVHO along with WV Horses Yahoo Group has raided their personal
first-aid kits so that we may help you create your own.
Try to develop a good relationship with your vet so he will help
you when you need these medications. Remember, consult your vet to
be safe if you have ANY questions or concerns regarding the
treatment of your horse.
For basic Horse and Human first-aid please visit our Horse
and Human First Aid page.
To learn what information you will need before calling your vet,
visit our "Be Prepared For Your
Vet" Page
Some
things to keep in mind:
1.
Keep your first-aid kit in a cool, dry area.
2.
Throw away expired meds and purchase new ones.
3.
Keep a medical book near by. (Merck Vet Manual)
4.
Keep your veterinarian's number with your first-aid kit.
5.
Remember what your mom told you when you got the toys out of the
toy box. Put it back where you found it, the way you found it.
Note:
Make a travel pack for trail rides, horse shows, and for those
"just-in-case" times.
It
has been discussed in the WVHorses
Yahoo Group that we may be putting together a good First-Aid
kit. If anyone is interested in ordering one, just email WVHO
and we will put your name and contact information on the list.
When the time comes, we’ll send you all the information you need
to get one.
Here is a suggested
partial list of supplies:
- Sterile saline (i.e. for contacts) for washing out eyes. NOT
CONTACT CLEANER. Just plain cheap saline.
- A cheap stethoscope
- Surgical supplies - MUST be stainless steel
- Stainless steel hemostats (need at least 2...preferably 2 small
ones for girlie hands). It’s also best to have 2 large ones. You
can sometimes find these at Ace or True Value hardware!!!
- Stainless steel surgical scissors
- Stainless tweezers...med and large sizes
- Sterile packs of gauze
- Non-absorbable suture material...with cutting needle already
attached...you can order it.
-
All sizes of syringes and needles.
- Absorbable ("cat gut") suture for sewing
"inside" parts.
- Individual scalpel blades...sterile in little foil packs.
- Banamine injectable
- Ketoprofen injectable or Orutus KT tablets for people if you
can't get it
-Bute tabs and injectable
-Dormosedan injectable tranquilizer. Expensive, but the absolute
best, it takes very small amounts and works FAST in either IM or
IV..but HARD to get. Even though it's hard to get, and you have to
beg your vet, you REALLY need some form of the tranquilizer in
your barn for emergencies!!!! For example if your horse is stuck
in the fence...is thrashing...needs to be cut out (these things
really happen)
-Ketamine and Rompun tranqs. You will need both together...HARD to
get
- Acepromazine injectable
- Trimethoprim tablets
- Tetanus antitoxin
- Tons of hydrogen peroxide
- Alcohol
-Tincture of iodine...spray is best
- Nitrofurazone ointment
- Iodine ointment
-Icthamol
-Heal-x 707 ointment...doesn't leave scars! Not sure if spelled
correctly
- A good iodine surgical scrub. The brand doesn't matter. NOT
iodine shampoo.
-Basic GOOD quality hoof care items: nippers, hoof knife, and
rasp.
Duct tape for temporary shoes and to put on when packing hooves.
-DMSO for use with poultice. A good, off-the-track DMSO/cortisol
mix from a track vet..for sweating legs.
- Saran wrap for leg sweats
- Venice turpentine for bottom of soles
- Uptite brand of poultice...accept no others! The ONLY poultice
used by the jumper pros.
-Forsheim (sp?) hoof packing (ditto on the Uptite comment. It’s
the only one worth buying)
- No-bow or standing wraps with appropriate "outer"
(track bandage) wrap for standing wraps, sweats, and poultices.
- Brown paper/brown paper feed sac for making poultice wrap.
- Ivory dish washing liquid...the clear one...for ALL baths and
for cleaning sheaths. We NEVER use fancy horse shampoos...Ivory
will not strip the oils from the coat. Also, sheath cleaning soaps
are not necessary. We’ve alwayed used ivory. It can also be used
(very dilute) to clean wounds. Great for scrubbing goop out of a
drippy wound.
- Hammer + zip-lock bags to crush tablets unless you have a
pill-squashier or a mortar and pestle. Hammer method works great
but you will need a good brand bag or they will "cut"
open when you smash the pill. I mix a little feed around in the
bag to coat the feed and mix that into the entire feed bucket.
- Molasses and/or applesauce for mixing with meds. Applesauce
works well for mixing crushed tablets in for horses that KNOW it's
in the grain.
- A GOOD set of clippers that have #40 blades or similar...for
shaving close prior to stitching, etc
Just gradually start
collecting things. Better safe than sorry.
As
previously mentioned at the top of this page, it has been
discussed in the WVHorses
Yahoo Group that we may be putting together a good First-Aid
kit. If anyone is interested in ordering one, just email WVHO
and we will put your name and contact information on the list.
When the time comes, we’ll send you all the information you need
to get one.
If
you have anything you want to add, have a concern or objection to
this page, please feel free to send it to WV
Horses Online.
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