Equine First Aid
As an experienced horse owner and equine professional, I have come to realize that having a comprehensive understanding of equine and even livestock first aid basics is of utmost importance. Horses are highly active animals, and unforeseen injuries or health issues can arise at any moment. Being prepared to act promptly and efficiently can make all the difference between a speedy recuperation and a potentially fatal situation. It's not just about possessing the necessary abilities; it's also about minimizing the risk of additional harm until expert assistance arrives. Therefore, it is essential to equip oneself with the knowledge and skills required to provide effective first aid to horses.
What to do before an emergency
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Post emergency contact information for your vet and farrier in the barn and save it in your phone.
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Know how to take your horse’s temperature, pulse and respiration and be aware of these typical resting vital signs. “We do resting TPRs for every horse in the barn and those should be posted in every barn or in a notebook,” says Samantha Burton Henley, facility manager at Sandy River Equestrian Center.
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Check your first-aid kit monthly and toss out and replace expired medication.
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Replace anything you take out of your first-aid kit as soon as possible.
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Educate yourself. Make sure you know how to use everything in your kit or have your veterinarian show you. Practice wrapping your horse’s leg before a stressful emergency situation.
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Keep your horse’s health records up to date and handy so you can answer any questions your vet might have about his medical history.
Know what's normal
Posture
Posture may be your first clue something is seriously wrong.
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Stretching out may be a normal routine for a horse or could be a sign of colic.
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Shifting weight from one leg to the other usually indicates pain in one of its legs.
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Refusing to move could indicate founder.
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Refusing to bear weight on a limb could indicate a severe stone bruise, foot abscess, joint infection, or fracture.
Appetite
A good appetite is one of the best indicators of overall health.
If your horse eats lightly at one meal, don’t panic. Check to see if someone else is feeding the horse or overfeeding him or her at other meals. Also, make a mental note of what food is left behind.
A horse that dives into its grain at first and then stops eating after a few bites may have stomach ulcers.
Water
Horses tend to drink an hour or so after they begin eating forage.
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A few hay stems or grains in the water are no cause for concern. If the water pail is packed with hay or grain, your horse may be having trouble eating and using the water to soften the feed. This could be due to dental problems.
Manure
A normal horse will pass 8 to 10 piles of manure per day. The manure pile should have well-formed fecal balls with enough moisture so that the pile stays stacked.
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Separation of fecal balls indicates low water consumption.
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Firm, mucous-covered fecal balls is a sign the horse is taking longer to pass feces and may be due to dehydration.
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Loose manure could be from a sudden change in feed, nervousness, irritation in the gut, or heat cycles (in mares).
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Diarrhea is uncommon and could be a severe problem, contact your veterinarian.
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Extremely dry feces or lack of feces, contact your veterinarian.
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If you have questions of what may or may not be normal, feel free to reach out to me! You can find my contact information at the bottom of this page!
What should be in your emergency kit?
Equipment
In any emergency, having the right tools can make a big difference to a successful outcome. Basics to have on hand include:
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Flashlight (with working batteries) to effectively care for your horse on a dark night or dimly lit stall
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Rectal thermometer—a plastic digital version is safer around the barn than a typical glass model and gives faster readings
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Small jar of Vaseline or other lubricant to help insert thermometers
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Stethoscope to check heart rate and listen to gut sounds
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Box of surgical latex gloves to help prevent wound contamination and keep your hands clean
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Roll of duct tape—convenient to wrap a hoof because it is waterproof and durable
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Bandage scissors with rounded ends to avoid cutting your horse when removing a bandage
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Hemostats or tweezers—handy to help remove a splinter or tick
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Wire cutters to free a horse from a fence
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Sharp pocket knife to use if a horse is tied but down in the trailer, tangled in the cross-ties or has a foot stuck in a hay net
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Cold pack to reduce swelling from an injury. A chemical pack that creates an “instant cold” is handy when ice or cold hosing isn’t available (you can wrap it around the injured area, if possible), though you can also invest in an ice wrap or boot designed for horses.
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Clean bucket to soak bruised or abscessed hooves or wash a wound
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Clean bath-size towel to use as a large wound compression or to spread out as a sanitary field for small items
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Clean twin size non fibrous sheet
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Chain shank/extra lead rope/extra halter
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First-aid booklet
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60-cc dose syringes with a catheter tip for administering oral medications as well as 10-cc syringes and hypodermic needles for injections.
Wound Treatments
Horses can suffer a variety of wounds, and whether the situation requires an immediate call to your vet or is something you can treat yourself at home, you need supplies to quickly and gently clean and disinfect the wound. They include:
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16-ounce bottle of antiseptic scrub such as Betadine (povidone iodine) or Nolvasan (chlorhexidine) for washing/disinfecting the wound
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16-ounce bottle of hydrogen peroxide (useful for cleaning dirt or other debris out of a wound)
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Antiseptic wound cream, powder or spray-on treatment to prevent infection and encourage healing—but after cleaning a wound, always seek veterinary advice before applying a product.
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16-ounce bottle of rubbing alcohol to sterilize instruments such as scissors or thermometers
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Package of premoistened alcohol swabs to clean small wounds and sites for injections
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10-ounce bottle of saline solution (a bottle of contact-lens solution with a nozzle works well) for flushing hard-to-reach, delicate wounds, such as near an eye
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Small tube of triple-antibiotic eye ointment (nonsteroidal) that can be obtained from your veterinarian.
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Bandages
Once a wound is initially cleaned, you need various bandaging materials to cover it and keep it clean. You also want them on hand to stop bleeding quickly, which, depending on severity, you might need to get under control even before cleaning. Bandaging items include:
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Box of 200 nonstick sterile gauze squares (preferably 4-by-4 inch to clean and cover small wounds
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Two rolls of self-sticking bandages— such as Vetrap™—used to keep the gauze squares in place
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Roll of elastikon (strong, elastic cloth tape with a rubber-based adhesive)
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4-inch gauze rolls for padding
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2 rolls of cast padding (polyester padding for protection, comfort and to keep the bandaged area dry)
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1–2 rolls of absorbent sterile sheet cotton or gamgee (a type of cotton field wrap sandwiched between two gauze sheets). Both of these typically come in 12-inch sizes and can be used as padding under a wrap or as a pressure pad to stop bleeding. Cotton should not be applied directly to an injury because it will stick. It is also useful to have on hand to help clean a wound.
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A clean set of pillow wraps and bandages for an outer protective and supportive wrap over an already bandaged wound or, when used in conjunction with poultice, to reduce heat and inflammation in a leg
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2 thick sanitary napkins or diapers, useful for padding a wrapped foot.
Medications
Depending on your experience and comfort level administering medications, there are some that are good to have in your first-aid kit. Even if you have given the medications previously, always consult with your vet first. If she can get to your horse quickly, she might not want you to administer anything so she has a clearer idea of the extent of the issue. Also, giving an intravenous (directly into the vein) shot can be dangerous if done incorrectly. The good news is many medications for pain or sedation are now available in oral form.
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Phenylbutazone (“bute”) and flunixin meglumine (Banamine) are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pain relievers. Both are available as an oral paste in premeasured doses, though bute also comes in powder form and can be given orally. Confer with your vet to get the correct dosage.
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Dormosedan gel is a mild standing sedative that is given orally. Check the instructions for the correct dosage and wear gloves, as humans are sensitive to the drug and it can be absorbed through the skin.
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Electrolyte paste for treating dehydration. While this is not a medication, it is an oral supplement proven to be effective to encourage horses to drink.
