Farm First Aid Kit Review

[4LeafCloverFarm]

This time of year, I usually go through my horse first aid supplies, chuck old stuff, replenish whats missing/low and evaluate what I have on hand, I have my own farm - vet practice I use is 35 min away on a good day - emergency/after hours calls much, much longer wait, as my farm backs up to the adjacent county. I like to be prepared for nearly anything. It’s occurred to me that there my be some new/better products that I’m not currently using, so I thought I’d put this out there and see what items people might suggest ditching/replacing/adding.

I have been properly trained by my vet to inject IM and SubQ medications into my horses and have needed this skill a few times over the past 16 years. I stopped keeping ACE (vile for injections) on hand years ago - it seemed like a waste to get it each year only to throw the rather expensive vile away, unused. Same with Banamine (vile for injections). But there may be better options nowadays for both, as well as being less expensive (neglected to ask vet when she was here a few weeks ago).
[TABLE=“align: left, border: 1, cellpadding: 1, width: 600”]
[TR]
[TD]Reg Scissors/Bandage Scissors[/TD]
[TD]Vet Wrap[/TD]
[TD]Rolled Cotton[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Horse Thermometer[/TD]
[TD]Duct Tape[/TD]
[TD]Gauze pads (sm, med, lg)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Large Tweezers[/TD]
[TD]Surgical Tape[/TD]
[TD]Bandages (non-stick, several sizes)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Swiss Army Knife[/TD]
[TD]Elastic Bandages[/TD]
[TD]Giant Q-Tips[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]WoundKote[/TD]
[TD]Betadine[/TD]
[TD]Cotton Balls[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Scarlex[/TD]
[TD]Vaseline[/TD]
[TD]Epsom Salts[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sheath Cleaner[/TD]
[TD]Clear Eyes[/TD]
[TD]Animalintex Pads[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Icthammal[/TD]
[TD]Rubbing Alcohol[/TD]
[TD]Non-Latex Surgical Gloves[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Neosporin[/TD]
[TD]Syringes[/TD]
[TD]Clippers[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Desitin[/TD]
[TD]Needles[/TD]
[TD]Twitch[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bute (powder)[/TD]
[TD]Soft Toothbrush[/TD]
[TD]Sharps Container (in the house)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Vetericyn Wound Spray[/TD]
[TD]Handy Wipes[/TD]
[TD]Head Lamp[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

[Jump314]

In addition to the things you listed, I keep a tube of banamine and a tube of dormosedan gel on hand, just in case. I asked my vet what else I should have and she gave me a small tube of ointment for eye issues. If I ever think an eye issue could be something serious, I call the vet, but the ointment is nice for things like tiny scrapes near the eyelashes, etc.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

@Jump314 - I’m not familiar with Dormosedan. After looking it up, I see that it is a sedative. Having something available as a gel would be super. I will check to see if my vet has that available. And I had no idea Banamine was available in a tube now (boy am I behind the times! lol). Thanks!

[Palm_Beach]

That’s a lot of redundancy.

[Palm_Beach]

That’s a lot of redundancy. I have most of that stuff just in the barn or my house, minus the plethora of various salves and ointments. What are you doing with a cotton ball that you can’t do with a wad of rolled cotton?

[4LeafCloverFarm]

I just find that grabbing a cotton ball out of a ziplock bag is much easier than trying to tear/pull/cut a suitable piece off a roll, especially if you just have one hand free.

Over the years, as I’ve added things for specific illnesses/injuries, they’ve just stayed in the medicine cabinet afterwards. Probably because my thinking is “I may need that again”. I admit I am a bit of a horder! lol

[Palm_Beach]

Couldn’t you pull the piece of cotton first, before your one hand is occupied? I always use up what I have on hand before buying something that is essentially the same. My “first aid kit” can fit into a grooming tote, including 2 standing bandages, and all my bases are covered.

[clanter]

@Palm Beach

That’s a lot of redundancy. I have most of that stuff just in the barn or my house, minus the plethora of various salves and ointments. What are you doing with a cotton ball that you can’t do with a wad of rolled cotton?

cotton ballls are easy to use on eye wounds

our kits also include some retractors and clamps, also have a surgical staple gun

[MyKindaFlower]

I keep sterile saline bottles to use as wound wash or to clean around eyes as well. I like the small bottles because once I open them, unused portion is tossed. I also like to have the cloth diapers on hand or a bunch of small towels for a variety of purposes.

Ditto on keeping a tube of Banamine on hand at all times.

Oh, and Pepto (or the generic version) chewables. Those get used on the gassy mare who is prone to colic when the weather is weird. She thinks they’re treats and the vet knows and approves of the prevention. I also have a bottle of the stuff and an oral dosing syringe. That’s come in handy a bunch of times.

I also keep Benadryl (or generic version). I contact vet before administering but keep it on hand for hives, bee stings, and such.

[Foxtrot_s]

I recently went through mine - bit of a shock.

But I always use a marker and put the date on everything. Some stuff was years and years out of date.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

@Foxtrot's

But I always use a marker and put the date on everything. Some stuff was years and years out of date.

I do mark all vet prescribed/dispensed stuff with sharpy as those vet stick-on labels never hold up at my place.
But its a good idea to do everything. I just threw out a bunch of stuff that I couldn’t find a date on - however, I’m pretty certain it’s life was “done” since I couldn’t recall when I last used it.

Thanks for the suggestion!

[4LeafCloverFarm]

@MyKindaFlower

I keep sterile saline bottles to use as wound wash or to clean around eyes as well. I like the small bottles because once I open them, unused portion is tossed. I also like to have the cloth diapers on hand or a bunch of small towels for a variety of purposes.

Ditto on keeping a tube of Banamine on hand at all times.

Oh, and Pepto (or the generic version) chewables. Those get used on the gassy mare who is prone to colic when the weather is weird. She thinks they’re treats and the vet knows and approves of the prevention. I also have a bottle of the stuff and an oral dosing syringe. That’s come in handy a bunch of times.

I also keep Benadryl (or generic version). I contact vet before administering but keep it on hand for hives, bee stings, and such.

The “Clear Eyes” is the horse version of human saline. Silly me got that vs just going to Walgreens and getting human eye solution. What can I say, I’m a sucker for “horse” labeled products, and often forget about their human counterparts!

I’m picking up the tubes of Banamine & Dormosedan from my vet on Wednesday. I agree, I should have both on hand. The tubes are much cheaper and if not used, will be much less waste when thrown away.

Did not know you could give Pepto to a horse! I learned something new today.

I do keep a huge jar of generic Benedryl in the house for my husband and my allergies that we get at Sams. So, I do have some on hand, just not in my medicine chest in the barn.

[MyKindaFlower]

@4LeafCloverFarm

The “Clear Eyes” is the horse version of human saline. Silly me got that vs just going to Walgreens and getting human eye solution. What can I say, I’m a sucker for “horse” labeled products, and often forget about their human counterparts!

I’m picking up the tubes of Banamine & Dormosedan from my vet on Wednesday. I agree, I should have both on hand. The tubes are much cheaper and if not used, will be much less waste when thrown away.

Did not know you could give Pepto to a horse! I learned something new today.

I do keep a huge jar of generic Benedryl in the house for my husband and my allergies that we get at Sams. So, I do have some on hand, just not in my medicine chest in the barn.

LOL, I have both saline AND Clear Eyes. Talk about a sucker…

Check with your vet about the Pepto - my vet told me to use plain kind only, not the Ultra. Actually, if you wanted the ‘horse’ version, you can purchase Bismuth Subsalicylate by the gallon jug for livestock use. My gal likes the chewable kind so that’s what I stick with. I don’t go through the liquid stuff enough to buy a gallon jug, especially now that gassy girl is on Succeed.

[Foxtrot_s]

Benedryl is - I think - a standard in every kit. We keep it on hand for the dog - she sometimes comes in with a fat lip from snuffling bees in the clover in the lawn. A lot of bees can cause airways to close … plus hives, allergies, etc for humans.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

One of my horses used to get hives on occasion, and I kept the very expensive vet prescribed version of Benedryl on hand. When I switched vets some 12-13 years ago, and wanted to replenish the vet version, they told me I didn’t need the pricey vet version, just keep a huge jar of Benedryl on hand instead. I felt like such a dummy. For several years I’d been paying $$$ for an apple flavored version of the same thing! :lol:

[4LeafCloverFarm]

When I picked up the tubes of Banamine & Dormosedan this AM, the vet tech hands me a pair of medical gloves with the two tubes and says “Always wear gloves when dispensing the Dormosedan, because you don’t want to get it on yourself. We wouldn’t want you to end up on the ground next to the horse!” :lol: Good to know!

(and of course, since this is a new medication to me, I do plan to read up on it)

[MyKindaFlower]

Good to know OP! Thanks for the public service announcement because that would totally be something that I would end up doing. :o

[4LeafCloverFarm]

@MyKindaFlower - when I got home, I took a big thick sharpie and wrote “GLOVES!” on the tube. Just so I don’t forget!

It was running through my mind, my husband arriving home after work and finding me unresponsive in the aisle of our barn. We really want to avoid that at all costs!,:winkgrin:

[keysfins]

There is a list in an article on The Horse that lists what to use, and not use, on wounds.

https://thehorse.com/17070/things-yo…-horses-wound/

And another on general wound care:

https://thehorse.com/110311/from-sterilization-to-stitches-handling-horse-wounds/

There are some specifics mentioned, and I plan on reviewing my own kit. Seems like Vetricyn is a very dilute bleach solution, and is over-hyped, as one example.

I keep one small plastic tote for all my abscess / hoof wrapping needs. I have another box that has my essential meds and first aid gear. I have another box with everything I need for doing leg wraps or things that need more bandaging materials, that I normally keep at home until needed.