- Store your emergency items in a sturdy box with a good fitting clasp and a
handle. A fishing tackle box will work. In alphabetical order, you need write
down the items contained in your emergency kit. If you spend a bit of extra
time on the set-up, inventory control will be a cinch. Include the expiration
date of any ointments or drugs and throw them out as they expire.
- Pack cotton gauze wraps, gauze squares, and also cotton sheet leg wraps.
- Flannel wraps for wrapping a knee, unscented sanitary pads for wound
dressings, and vet wrap will permit for proper bandaging. Add splint material,
such as a PVC pipe.
- Include towels. They are useful not only for wound control of the animal
but will also permit you to clean up yourself and the horse.
- Cold packs for the application to an injured are essential; duct tape will
hold them in place and also work as a foot wrap in a pinch. A horse
blanket/cooler will also help an animal in shock.
- Add a thermometer that already has a fishing line threaded through one
end, and is attached to a clothespin. A stethoscope is a good idea as well,
but make sure you ask a veterinarian about what you should be listening to.
- Scissors are a staple of an emergency kit. One pair should have a wide,
blunt end, while the other is small and pointed.
- Forceps and tweezers as well as a flashlight will help you to remove
objects from a cut or puncture wound. Wire cutters are also a good idea,
especially since many times a horse may become entangled in a bit of fencing.
Also add wound wash and ointment.
- Other odds and ends to include are insect repellants, ointments to dress
hoof wounds, rubbing alcohol for disinfecting, poultices, electrolytes for
treatment of shock or colic, Epsom salts for hoof pain, a hoof pick, a shoe
puller, and syringes. Different sizes are indicated for the various uses, so
it is best to have a few on hand.
Of course, if you are not comfortable with the use of some of the items in
your kit - perhaps you do not know how to give your horse a shot, or how to
properly wrap a leg - consult with your veterinarian who can show you. Practice
your skills often so that in an emergency you will be able to respond with ease.
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