I know that there’s a boatload of threads about equine first aid kits, and the lists can get long. But, as we go hunting more, I want to bring a good but condensed kit with me. So I’m giving you a limit.
What are your 10 must have items in your equine first aid kit?
Cotton, gauze, vet wrap, betadine solution, scissors, liquid bandage, silver solvadine, tourniquet, ice pack, gonna hit 12 Banamine needles and syringes.
This plus dorm or ace?
Only10? Cotton, Elastikon, Vetrap, Hibiclens, Neosporin, thermometer, banamine paste, Ace, syringes, scissors.
I’m planning on having definitely more than 10 items, no doubt, but based on the research of previous threads, when people ask there winds up being a huge ass laundry list and really I’m curious what people consider there "can’t leave home without"s.
I have a tendency to overthink so curious what the common denominators are!
Dormosedan, banamine injectable, a few 3 ml syringes with needles, a few 12 ml syringes with needles. Sheet cotton, vet wrap, betadine scrub, 4x4s. Duct tape, scissors.
You can bandage nearly anything with sheet cotton and vet wrap. Scrub to clean anything. You can make a lot of things happen with duct tape. And, if I were to be in a trailer accident or something, I’d want something significantly stronger than ace to sedate frightened/hurt horses.
When DD bought her own trailer and moved away with her horse, for her next birthday I took a Priority Flat Rate Box Large size to the veteran to use. I asked her to fill it with what she wished every horse owner would have on hand for emergencies and list the items w/o price. She did so. I put the list on top, taped the box shut, paid my bill $150 for everything in the box, and sent it to DD. When she has a need, she can call a vet if necessary and tell him/her exactly what she has on hand to treat whatever. I suggested she always have the vet use her stuff, then replace to keep everything up to date. She also checks the box on her birthday to make sure various meds haven’t expired.
Banamine paste, 1 syringe with needle with xylizine and 1 with dorm/torb, vet wrap, ice snap pack, 4x4s, betadine, silvadene, duct tape, scissors, thermometer, stethoscope.
What I see listed in posts above, like duct tape, scissors etc. I don’t consider med box staples but tack box staples
Anything that I would inject with a needle would warrant a call to the vet, so I don’t consider those part of my daily med kit.
Here’s my thought process on this:
The goal of my first aid kit is to stabilize a situation until I can get home and address it properly. I don’t want to have to refill it with “fresh” stuff every trip I make or waste tons of product or meds every time I leave the property. I want things with a shelf life.
So I keep basics to address a major wound that needs to be cleaned up and covered- vet wrap, gauze, cotton, also some Vetricyn spray and neosporin. I also keep a tube of dorm gel on hand in case of a panicked horse situation (it’s probably way outdated at this point). Sometimes I bring banamine paste if it’s a long outing.
So it looks like I’m well under 10 items. I have a thermometer that lives in my trailer if that counts as part of the kit.
Stethoscopes are very useful for assessing various parameters. (and they have long expiration dates.)
Inquiring Minds want to know:
What’s in the box?
My list is short:
Banamine (for sublingual)
10ml syringes
20ml syringes
Needles (to draw up)
4X4 gauze squares
Vetwrap
Small bottle Betadine scrub
(so cheap to replace when it is old)
Sheet cotton
Triple ABX ointment
@2DogsFarm; Honestly, except to tape the box shut, I never looked at its contents. There is/was a list of items in the box taped to the outside and on the inside so kiddo could immediately know if she “had what was needed.” I recall there being scissors with blunt ends for cutting bandages, tubes of Banamine and Bute, stethoscope , laminated card with Horse’s Vital Readings one it (respiration, pulse, temperature, etc). Other than that, I don’t know what was in it --assume vet wrap, cotton sheets, thermometer (for horses), gloves, --I will ask her for the list next time I see her.
I assume that by “pack” you mean that for this exercise, this is a kit for the trailer.
Sheet cotton
Vetrap
A really good pair of scissors
Duct tape
Saline
Antibiotic ointment
Instant cold pack
Banamine paste
Ace gel
Twitch
Flush wound, stop bleeding, treat abrupt swelling, bandage various parts of horse, address pain, keep horse from leaving abruptly if stranded on side of road.
If going in the backcountry all first aid kit contents must be good for people and animals to reduce weight and space. I already carry hobbles and a 12 ft halter rope, my horses are trained to lie down so restraint is not an issue. The below is in my saddle bag and in a box in my personal car and truck.
I was on a hunting trip and my mare got a gash on her shoulder. Laid her down, tied her legs, put a blanket on her head and stitched up the wound. Smeared it all with sulfa and bacon grease - acts like an anti-biotic and kept the flies away. Gave bute for 2 days. Rode her out later that week. She was a red roan and got a pretty cool scar.
In addition, I have sterile needles and sterile syringes of various volumes, dormosedan that I use for shoeing, various other compounds for allergies, abcesses, etc. anti-fungal shampoos for summer crud, etc. I sometimes heavily rely on certain items and then don’t use them for years!
Can I just add, rolled gauze. It is seriously the best thing since sliced bread. It’ll hold just about anything to an open wound and stick to itself so you can get a bulkier bandage on top of it. Think a wound that is open and gooey, not wanting things sticking to it, you can place a 4X4 or hydrophilic covering on it and wrap with rolled gauze. Works great to hold those things in place on a wiggly horse and won’t allow them to shift while you get sheet cotton or a standing wrap over it. When I discovered rolled gauze a couple years ago, I wondered how I made it 25+ years without.
Sorry, that’s not a list but definitely something I would add to ANY first aid kit. I’m terrible at keeping up on kits for the trailer, but items I absolutely never hit the road without is Banamine and Xylazine. If we are involved in a wreck, those are likely the very first things needed. Dorm is hard for me to get, otherwise I would keep it on hand as well.
Very basic stuff, the pony club first aid kit list seems like a reasonable place to start.
Glad you said that, as I was going to. Whatever is in your kit, must be dual purpose animal/human.
I also include a tube of Desitin as it works well for rubs and saddle sores.
I’d have:
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