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FIRST AID OF COMMON EQUINE EMERGENCIES What you SHOULD have in your first aid kit: Þ Rectal thermometer Þ Water-soluble antibiotic salve Þ Phenylbutazone (bute) paste, powder, or Þ 4 rolls of 4-inch Vetrap tablets, to be used AFTER conferring Þ Iodine surgical scrub with your veterinarian Þ Tube of KY Jelly Þ Hair clippers Þ Twitch Þ 4 rolls of 6-inch gauze Þ Stethoscope Þ 2 1-pound rolls of 10 or 12-inch cotton Þ Blunt tipped scissors What you SHOULD NOT have in your first aid kit: Þ Banamine Þ Injectable drugs Þ Tranquilizers Þ Antibiotics What you should know before something happens: Know how to get in touch with your veterinarian in emergency situations. A good question to ask you veterinarian is whether or not they cover emergencies and if they make provisions when he/she is not around. Know how to take temperature, heart and respiration rates, and know what to look for when checking mucous membranes for color and capillary refill time. Also, know what the normal ranges are for these parameters in general and know what they are for your particular horse, by taking them during times of rest, at different times of day, in different weather (cold and hot temperatures), etc. to give you the best average of what is normal for your horse. Temperature range for an adult horse is from 99.5-101.5 and up to 102 in foals. A horse’s temperature can vary throughout the day, generally lower in the morning and higher in the evening. To take a horse’s temperature: If using a mercury thermometer, make sure you shake it down first. Then lubricate the end with KY Jelly, Vaseline, or saliva. Glass thermometers have a hole in the end allowing for the attachment of a string to the thermometer with a clip at the other end of the string, which allows you to clip it to the tail hairs to help prevent “losing” the thermometer. Gently insert the thermometer into the rectum and wait up to 3 minutes to get a reading. Digital rectal thermometers will beep when ready. If you are unsure about the reading, shake down the thermometer and repeat. Heart rates in adult horses range from 30 - 50 beats per minute. Taking a horse’s pulse: Locate the facial artery just below the horse’s mandible. Place two fingers on it and count the number of times you feel the pulse for 15 seconds. Multiply the number by 4 and you will get beats per minute. For example, you count 8 beats in the 15-second time period, 8 X 4 = 32. The horse’s heart rate is 32 beats per minute. Respiration rates in adult horses range from 10 - 25 breaths per minute. Taking respiration rates: This should be done when the horse is calm. You can record the rate of breathing by observing the abdomen or the nostrils. If you place your hand near the nostrils to feel the breaths in order to count them, be aware that your rate may be off if the horse is sniffing your hand. Count the breaths for 15 seconds and multiply by 4 to get the breaths per minute. Capillary Refill Time (CRT) is the time it takes for blood to fill back into the capillaries after some pressure has been applied. It should be less than 3 seconds. Taking CRT: Lift the horse’s lip and note the color of his gums. They should be pink and moist. Press your finger on the gums for a few seconds and release. Count how long between the release time and when the pink color returns. Know how to apply a proper, non-binding pressure bandage.