2 Pairs of Scissors (1 Large, for cutting bandages to size, and one tiny, for trimming hair from around wounds and removing bandages)
Utility Knife
Thermometer (we like digital ones), with Petroleum Jelly or Probe Covers
Clean Bucket--for cleaning wounds with diluted Iodine, soaking hooves in hot water and Epsom Salts, etc.
Rubber Gloves
Medications, Wound Cleansers, Ointments
Iodine/Betadine Wound Wash
Saline Solution (the kind that comes in a squirt bottle for washing contact lenses)
Antiseptic Wound Cream (such as Furacin)and/or Triple Antibiotic Ointment--for dressing wounds that need to be kept from drying out
Wound Powder (such as Aerosol Furacin or Wonder Dust (tm)--for dressing wounds that may otherwise become contaminated with dirt stuck to wound drainage, ie lower leg wounds
Epsom Salts
Bandaging Materials
4 Rolls of Gauze
4 Rolls Self-Stick Stretch Bandage (such as Vetrap®)
12 Large Nonstick Wound Dressings
2 Rolls Breathable Cloth Athletic Tape
Clean Towels
4 Pillow Wraps (clean sections of an old mattress pad about 16"x 36" will do)
4 Track Bandages, Flannel Wraps, or other bandage for use over a pillow wrap (learn how to use these correctly to avoid bowed tendons, etc!)
Maxi Pads or Diapers--in the event of drastic blood loss, press firmly against major wounds for compression until bleeding is under control
Useful Extras
Blankets/Sheets (we like the old-fashioned ones with canvas exteriors and fleece interiors for quickly warming and drying shivering horses, because they breathe)
Stethescope
Poultice
Phenylbutazone/Banamine/Mild Sedatives (must be provided by your veterinarian, and MUST NOT be administered before problem is diagnosed)
Battery-Operated Clippers
Electric Bucket Heater
Hobbles, if your horse is trained for them
Rubber Bands--for holding up tails while working on hind-leg injuries
Fly Repellant--Spray and/or Cream/Roll-On (we use Swat®)
This is a fairly comprehensive list for general purposes. If your horse has a particular condition requiring medication, consider adding a dose or two of that to your list.
Above all, treat your emergency supplies with care. Keep them in a watertight box, protect them from extreme temperatures, and always have them with you in your barn or in your trailer when you're on the road.
Check your emergency supplies periodically. Most of the products described above can be purchased from the drugstore, and are not very expensive, so replace things that no longer seem sanitary or that smell off. Some things, especially wound creams, are effective well past their expiration dates, but some are not, so use common sense--if it's separated in the jar and smells spoiled, replace it!
Copyright 2004 The Horse Shelter
Web site design a donation of Arroyo WebWorks of Santa Fe
