First aid kits-- the bare necessities?

[Calico]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum (although I've been lurking for a while now) and new to minis. I have one on his way to me now. He will be my first horse, so everything is new to me!

I'm wanting to put together a basic first aid kit to have ready just in case anything happens. I've seen a couple of threads about first aid kits, but they're just big overwhelming lists. I'm still trying to memorize what a lot of the items and medications are even used for. It seems like a lot of people often have multiple items that treat the same thing. I'm just wanting to have the very basics on hand to start with, and pick up more items here and there as time goes on. Additionally, because I've never owned a horse before, if it's much more than a little cut or something, I'll probably have to have a vet out anyway because I don't have the experience to diagnose horse problems on my own. So I don't want to buy supplies to treat illnesses that a beginner wouldn't be able to accurately diagnose anyway.

I tried to check out first aid supplies at the feed store buying brushes and all that good stuff, but I got overwhelmed quickly. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[MiniNHF]

http://loanfox.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/equipmentchecklist.pdf

this is what I always started off of when I was in pony club and then I aquired other items from there.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

Blood stop. As scary as it sounds, its one of those necessary things. I've saved a couple bovine lives with it! Also coflex (or vet wrap), and maybe a mini hoof boot. Also keep a human first aid kit handy for you! Sunscreen and aloe are necessary to add to it.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Baby diapers and duct tape.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Peroxide for superficial wounds.

Vet wrap.

Clear Eyes, or some sort of eye wash drops.

Doesn't hurt to have Epsom Salt on hand; very useful for soaking feet.

I do like to keep paste Banamine on hand. It is so nice to have quickly, because usually a horse needs it after 5 or on a weekend. I keep mine in the fridge in the house, but some folks just keep it in the barn.

Very exciting to get getting your first horse! I remember when I brought mine home (I still have him). The first bad injury he had was a cut on his foot. I was so upset with myself because I didn't notice it right away, and had not had him long enough to learn to read his body language. But we both survived.

 

[rockin r]

I keep large gauge tubing (like aquarium air lines) in my kit. For snake bits to the muzzle. That way if they ever get bitten, you can put the tubes in their nostrils so the can breath when their airways close. Ace bandages, kotex, baby diapers, thermometer with a string taped to it so it dont get away from you, stapler made for suturing, benadryl. I also keep plain yogurt in the fridge for ulcers and a tube of calcium for thumps.....

 

[Miniv]

Baby Diapers (for the cotton in them), either duct tape or vet wrap for wrapping wounds with the cotton.

Gentle Iodine or Bedadine

Thermometer

Banamine

Mineral Oil and either a 60cc syringe or a gravy baster for colic

Saline for eyes, the type that people use for contacts

Could go on, but that's a start.

 

[Minimor]

In truth I do not keep a first aid kid as such; I do, however, have all the items I may need somewhere in the house.

Since you are a new horse owner it's quite possible that your vet will not give you some of the drugs that I keep on hand--he/she will want to see your horse before prescribing anything. Likewise you probably would not be comfortable making your own diagnosis and treating on your own, so having those drugs on hand won't do you too much good. Personally I do keep banamine, Pre-def 2X, Uniprim, and penicillin (which I keep on hand for eyes only, I avoid injecting it pretty much all the time--that's why I also keep Uniprim, an oral antibiotic)--those are must haves for me.

Otherwise--a wound cream, and currently I just use the human variety of Polysporin with pain relief if I do need to put something on a horse cut or scrape. I also like the purple spray....but haven't bought any of that in awhile & don't remember what it's called--the can I have here is missing its label and I haven't used it in a very long time. A couple bandages are good to have on hand--I have some stable bandages, polo wraps and cottons. If I needed to wrap a serious wound I would use whichever of those would work best in the situation. A plain feminine maxi pad works great to cover a wound and can be applied under a pressure bandage to stop bleeding--I haven't had to use one on a horse but did once on a cat that had just been spayed and started bleeding badly her first night at home. (Called the vet & he said not to worry, it would stop--he thought it was just seepage, in reality she had a puddle of blood under her in just a moment--I used a pad to apply even pressure & the bleeding stopped. He felt bad next \day when I took her in to be checked & he realized that in fact she had been bleeding from the mammary artery! The maxi pad saved the day that time)

I also keep mineral oil on hand, just in case one of the horses has an impaction colic--but again, you may not be comfortable diagnosing and treating that, so wouldn't benefit from having oil on hand.

If there is an equine first aid course being offered in your area, that would be an excellent course to sign up for. There have been some offered here in the recent past and I highly recommend that any new horse owners take one of these courses. They teach you how to give emergency care to your horse until the vet arrives; they also teach you what signs are normal, and what are some things that indicate a problem. They will teach you how to apply bandages, take temperature, etc etc.

 

[Calico]

Thank you everyone for the replies so far! I'm taking notes and making a shopping list So far, I've acquired some vet wrap, gauze pads, blood stop, and generic brand neosporine. We have peroxide around the house already, and I'll dig through my aquarium supplies and see if I have any suitable tubing. It's a start!

The horse actually arrived in half the time the shipping company originally estimated, so he's here already! He's a very cute little guy. He seems to be doing well so far. He's not eating nearly as much as I think he should (his previous owners fed him 2-3 flakes a day. I give him a flake of grass hay in the morning and by evening there's still plenty of it left) but he's been leaving me plenty of little poo piles to scoop up, so I know he is eating. Wish me luck with him!