First aid kit - tips

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Victoria25

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Anyone else got any hints/tips they use in their first aid kit which we may not necessarily think of?

I got to "home bargains" and buy the tiny baby pull up pants (89p for about 6 I think) - I use these instead of nappies for poultices ... perfect small shape for horses feet - no wrapping of normal nappies - just literally place the foot in the bit they'd wee on and voila ... the pull up is already up around the foot :D

Also, in Home Bargains they sell the self stick bandages for 99p ... instead of the 2.99 I see at most horse/animal shops :eek:
 
99p store for cotton wool, bandages, detol, cloths, Nappies for poltuces, cooling gel, baby oil, vasaline, 99p store rocks for things like that! :)
 
My Vet once listed all the things that he thought the average horse keeper should have to hand. Written down it looks a lot but it isn't.

scissors.
thermometer.
stethoscope.
syringes and needles.
vetwrap.
tail / leg bandages.
nappy liners.
nappies.
tweezers
cotton wool
duct tape and electrical tape.
towels.
twitch.
betadine.
flunixin.
depocillin.
tri-tabs.
eyewash (visine etc)
salt water.

That is it.

He reckons with that lot I can clean and wrap most wounds, and give anti-biotics/painkillers as required.
 
I have a veterinary room, complete with refrigerator for meds which need refrigeration. Some of the injectible medications I have are banamine, penicillin, dexomethasone, hemostam, and a few others. I have various sizes of syringes and needles. I have numerous thermometers, stethoscopes and twitches. Lots of different scissors, clamps and forceps. Ultrasound gel, witch hazel, hydrogen peroxide and alcohol. I've got every type of bandages you could need. I have diapers, cotton wool on rolls. Large containers of sulpha antibiotics and a number of big tubs of bute (of varying flavours). I have foaling straps, colostrum, betadine, enemas, pool testing strips and distilled water. I have all the usual and normal first aid stuff as wel, so you see why I need a whole room for my 'kit' :)

I digress, one tip which might be of use to someone is to have a bicycle inner tire tube. One of my horses split a leg vein and the blood loss was huge and at a frightening speed. I used vetwrap initially but it was not up to stopping the bleeding so then put a diaper on it and used more vetwrap as tightly as I could. It never really stopped bleeding but it did stem the flow somewhat. When the vet eventually arrived he had a long rubber 'bandage' and after taking all the bandages off he put the rubber on and the bleeding stopped immediately. Needless to say I now have an inner tube in my vet room.
 
My first aid kit is overflowing! amazing how many people at my yard don't have basic first aid stuff.

I use tescos/asda for things like nappies (value ones), vaseline, cotton wool. sudocreme. Also duct tape from B&Q.
Also have a thermometer, plenty of hibiscrub, purple spray, vetwrap, poultices. bandage tape, all sorts.
 
Another one here for inner tube of car tyre (go to local garage they will give you one for free if you ask nicely)

I've used these in the past when my mare had an abscess - once it had popped I needed her to go out to get circulation going again but struggled finding anything that was strong enough for her foot not to go through ... if you get the inner tube, make a large circle (a lot bigger than their foot), put the foot on top and make slits in the reamaining material and then fold them up around the fetlock and bandage/tape it on - no ripped boot :D
 
Here's the detailed one. Just draw round the hoof on the pad and cut to size a bit larger than the hoof imprint.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzUeYjYe5yE

ps. I find a good stiff bread or serrated knife best to cut them with, anything flexible is hard to use on them. Great for getting a sore pony from the field as well.
 
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Some great ideas here, but I would suggest that anyone who keeps a/biotics or "prescription" meds, or needles, should be aware of security, especially if children ever come on the yard, could be an 'elf & safety issue with parents!
I've just got a very basic 1st aid bag which thanks to advice here I will add to, mainly because I noticed how out of date some of the stuff at the yard was (and grubby)
 
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