Toni Mcallister - First Aid

Dedication

To Janice Posnikoff, DVM, for her years of care, guidance, and expertise.

Karla Austin, Director of Operations & Product Development

Nick Clemente, Special Consultant

Barbara Kimmel, Editor in Chief

Amy Stirnkorb, Designer

The horses in this book are referred to as she and he in alternating chapters unless their sexes are apparent from the activities discussed.

Copyright 2008 by I-5 Press

Illustrations 2008 by Jean Abernethy

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

McAllister, Toni.

First aid / by Toni McAllister ; illustrations by Jean Abernethy.

p. cm. (Horse illustrated simple solutions)

ISBN 978-1-933958-05-7

eISBN: 978-1-620080-81-8

1. HorsesWounds and injuriesTreatment. 2. HorsesDiseasesTreatment. 3. First aid for animals. I. Abernethy, Jean. II. Title.

SF951.M435 2007

636.108960252dc22

2007012814

I-5 Press

A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC

3 Burroughs

Irvine, California 92618

Printed and bound in Singapore

13 12 11 10 09 08 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CONTENTS

First Aid Basics

E nsuring that your horse receives proper veterinary care is a basic requirement of horse ownership. At times, however, you will need to administer first aid treatment to your horse while waiting for a vet to arrive. Be prepared by compiling a well-stocked first aid kit.

First Aid Kit

Heres what you should put in your kit:

banamine (flunixin meglumine, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug)

Betadine Surgical Scrub

bucket

bute (phenylbutazone, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug)

cotton gauze bandages (assorted sizes)

duct tape (often used to wrap an injured hoof or, temporarily, one that has lost a shoe)

equine eye wash

extra lead ropes and halters

flashlight with spare batteries

gauze wrap

ichthammol (a drawing salve with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties)

Liquid Bandage

paper towels

permanent marker pen

petroleum jelly

pillow or quilt wraps

pliers

povidone-iodine

PVC tubing, six-inch diameter, in lengths of one and one-half to two feet, cut in half lengthwise, like a gutter (for emergency splinting)

rolled cotton for bandaging

sharp scissors with blunt ends

standing bandages, or wraps

sterile surgical gloves

stethoscope

stopwatch (to check heart and respiration rates)

syringe (large) to dispense oral medications

thermometer

triple antibiotic wound ointment

vet wrap or adhesive wrap

Store your first aid supplies in a pest-proof container away from extreme temperatures and direct sunlight. Keep dirt and debris out of the kit also; all items should be as sterile as possible.

Along with a well-stocked first aid kit, keep this important information handy:

veterinarians phone numbers (your primary veterinarian and a backup as recommended by your vet)

farriers phone number

phone number and address of the two nearest large-animal hospitals (make sure they treat equines)

names and phone numbers of two reliable horse people who can assist you in times of emergency (they should live close by)

fire departments phone number

911 and local police departments phone number

if you dont have your own horse trailer: names and phone numbers of at least two people who can trailer your horse for you in case of emergency

phone numbers and addresses of available boarding facilities (for emergency situations such as fire, flood, hurricane, and so on); contact these facilities on a regular basis to be sure that they are in business and can accommodate your horse

Know Your Horse

Another important element of good first aid is knowing your horse: having intimate knowledge of her normal behavior allows you to easily spot when somethings just not right. Uncharacteristic behavior can be an indication of illness. Obvious signs that your horse isnt well include lack of appetite; repeated lying down and getting back up; little or no manure output; lameness, refusal to move, or obvious stiffness; bleeding; fever; increased respiratory rate; inappropriate sweating; choking; coughing; increased nasal discharge; diarrhea; dehydration; and incoordination or stumbling.

Know Her Vital Signs

Become familiar with your horses normal vital signs so you and your veterinarian have a baseline for later comparison. Normal ranges for an adult horse at rest are:

Heart and pulse rate: 3042 beats per minute

Rectal temperature: 99.5 to 101.5 degrees fahrenheit

Respiratory rate: 1220 breaths per minute

Pulse and Respiration

A horses pulse can be felt on one of several of her arteries. Easy-to-find arteries are found on the inside edge of her lower jaw and on an inner front leg, both just above and just below her knee. Locate one of the arteries with the flat side of your fingertips. When you can consistently feel the pulse beat, count all beats for thirty seconds (youll need a stopwatch or the second hand on a clock or a wristwatch). Double this count to calculate the number of beats per minute.

Determine your horses respiration rate by watching her rib cage, flank, or nostrils for respiratory movements or by holding your hand near her nostrils and feeling her exhalations. Count the visible respiratory movements, or count the exhalations that you feel at her nostrils, for thirty seconds (again, youll need a stopwatch or the second hand on a clock or a wristwatch). Because breathing consists of inhalations and exhalations, count the exhalation only, not both; then double the respiratory count to calculate the number of breaths per minute.

Temperature

To take your horses rectal temperature, use a veterinary thermometer; the thermometer should have a loop on one end through which you can attach a string. The string allows you to easily access and remove the thermometer.

Shake down a mercury thermometer so that it reads approximately 96 degrees Fahrenheit (or clear a digital thermometer).

Lubricate the thermometer with petroleum jelly.

Stand beside the horses hip, as close as possible. Pull her tail to the side, and gently insert the thermometer into her rectum until only the loop and string are visible. If the thermometer does not easily slide into the rectum, change its angle slightly and carefully rotate it during insertion.