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Emergency First Aid For Horses
Gary Magdesian, DVM, of
University of California, Davis, discussed emergency first aid for the horse.
He defined this as: “The emergency care and treatment of an injured or ill horse
until the veterinarian arrives to provide needed medical and/or surgical
treatment, or until the horse can be moved to an appropriate facility.”
If you suspect a respiratory tract infection, isolate the horse right away to
prevent a barn-wide epidemic. Besides, a sick horse needs rest.
Magdesian recommended the
following items for a horseman’s first aid kit: thermometer, flashlight, bandage
material, Easy Boot, anti-bacterial soap, Ivory soap, antiseptic, water-soluble
wound dressing, fly spray or ointment, hoof pick, hoof knife, shoe pullers, rasp
splint, sterile saline, and a veterinarian’s phone number.
He then described a series
of emergencies that might arise, and offered suggestions of how to cope with
them until professional help can arrive.
Typical Emergencies are:
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Choke – This
problem is seen with greedy eaters. Immediately place the horse in a stall
without food, water or bedding. |
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Diarrhea – Keep
the horse’s temperature down with cold water hosing. If the horse is
painful, walk him. Keep the feces away from other horses in case the cause
is infectious. If the horse is comfortable, allow him to have access to
water and a salt block. Electrolytes should be added to the water. |
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Tying-up – Do
not move the horse if possible. Remove tack and blankets. Do not feed
grain. |
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HYPP (hyperkalemic
periodic paralysis) – During an acute attack, administer Karo syrup. In
the case of frequent attacks, the veterinarian might prescribe Salix
(formerly Lasix) when an attack occurs. |
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Colic – Walk the
horse quietly until the veterinarian arrives. Remove feed, but allow the
horse to have drinking water. Monitor temperature, pulse and respiration to
give to your veterinarian. |
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Eye Injury –
Protect the eye from further injury, light and flies. Do not allow the
horse to rub the eye. |
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Bowed Tendon –
Ice the leg immediately and move the horse as little as possible. A support
wrap should be applied to the limb. |
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Contusions (bruises)
– Ice or hose the area with cold water. |
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Deep wound –
Lavage (rinse) with plain saline prior to examination by a veterinarian.
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Abrasions (wounds
that don’t penetrate the full thickness of the skin) – Clean with dilute
antiseptic solution. Peroxide should be avoided as it is irritating to the
tissues and will delay healing. |
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Respiratory distress
– If a fever is more than 103 degrees Fahrenheit, the horse should be hosed
with cool water. He should be kept out of dusty and poorly ventilated
areas. |
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Fever – Keep a
feverish horse in a well-ventilated area and keep him cool. If his
temperature is above 103 degrees Fahrenheit, he should be hosed constantly
with cold water. |
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Laminitis – Do
not move the laminitic horse until he is examined by a veterinarian. Bed
his stall or corral deeply in sand or a mix of straw and shavings.
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Neurological
Emergencies – The horse should not be handled until a veterinarian
arrives because such horses are unstable and could injure themselves or
handlers. |
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