What should a first aid kit consist of?

As a bare minimum;

*Hibiscrub
*Antiseptic cream / spray
*Iodine
*Vaseline
*Vetwrap
*Cotton wool
*Gamgee
*Poultice wrap
*Stable bandages
*Thermometer
*Blunt ended scissors
*Hoof pick

A spare sashet of bute or two can also come in handy, as can a sedative for emergeny situations

I also have
*Syringe (without needle)
*Surgical spirit
*Anthrisan (for stings)
*Disposable gloves
*Hand cleansing gel
*Sudo cream
*Fly cream
*Cold gel pack

:)
 
Last edited:
i have ......


first aid book!
poultice
vetwrap
hibiscrub
cotton wool
wound powder
Iodine
Bute
ACP
phytobalm (wound cream)
E45
vaseline
MSM cream
Scissors
Aloe vera gel
Saline solution
Syringe (without the needle bit)
Scissors
thermometer (although cant use it on my horse - she has a biotherm microchip implanted that vet can read temp as you cant get near her rectum with a thermometer!)
 
I also have the phone number of my vet and another practice (just in case) and the local hunt/equine crematorium. If the worst comes to the worst you don't want to be scrabbling about in an emergency. We also have used garlic as an antiseptic and have that and salt in our 1st Aid kit.
 
I think you can get saline packs already prepared should you need them for wound washing etc. I know I got some from the vets ages ago when my poor old boy had a wound which needed dressing.

I think too, I've bought in the dim and distant past, a saline solution in an aerosol can which you just spray on - think I might have got it at Mole Valley, not sure. Its brill, and soooo handy. Anyone else know?

The other thing I can't do without is Green Oils Gel and Iodine Foot Spray.
 
We have a dedicated equine first aid kit. However, it is kitted out to perform surgery, honestly!! So we have in our tack room (and I put it in to a bag to take with us to shows along with the real first aid kit):

Dermagel
Sudocrem
MSM cream
Fly gel
Diluted hibiscrub

Bandages
Swabs (you know, those absorbant things)
Scissors.

However - if I doubt we would always ring the vet. So realistically we'd only be bodging something up until the vet got there. We regularly use diluted hibiscrub to wash slight cuts, and then MSM cream to keep the flies off.

xxxx
 
You can buy many of the things you need at a basic chemist shop, it'll be cheaper than buying from an equine store or your vet.

Additionally don't bother with wound powder, it does more harm than good. It dries up the wound, particularly around the edges & actually inhibits healing. The would needs to be kept moist as most vets will tell you. Additionally 'purple spray' that you can buy from tack shops is also a waste of time, it's not the same as the stuff that vets use. Vetwrap is also very expensivem there are many other makes on the market that are just as good & at a fraction of the price. :)
 
Yep as a nurse before having kids thats true, wound powder is no good. Wounds need to be moist in order to heal, thats why they need covered. Sanitary towels make great dressings if you don't mind snide comments. Hibiscrub, imo, is overused. It is used in hospitals to clean intact skin pre operatively and to wash hands, and is too harsh to be used on damaged skin I believe. Iodine is better. Best way to clean wounds is flushing with a saline solution using a 50ml syringe. No cotton wool except to dry around the edges.
Don't know if has already been suggested, but crushable foam pads and tape are handy for laminitis. Your farrier or vet needs to show you how they need to be applied.
 
As a general guide, as I used to own the worlds clumsiest horse:

Espom salts (for poulticing)
Hibiscrub
Vasaline
Sudocreme
Intracite gel
Savlon
Gamgee
Lots of vet wrap (bought in bulk off ebay ;) )
Foam dressings (talk to any nurse friends, see if they have any dressings that have "gone out of date"!)
Non stick pads
Alcohol wips
Scissors
knife
Thermometer
Instant cold packs
Tweezers
Torch
Piece of carpet roughly hoof sized (incase need to pad foot)
Hand gloves

Hoof pick
Bag of horse treats just in case!

And always have some stable bandages rolled up and set aside for any emergencies :)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top