Horse Lovers First Aid Handbook Proudly brought to you by Debbie Summerhayes HorseLoversOnly.com
As a Horse Owner you already know this part For animals that are as big as they are and who display such remarkable athleticism, sometimes at the most inconvenient times, it s amazing how accident-prone horses can be. The fence with the sharp piece of wire or nail sticking out in a spot that they shouldn t be able to reach, and you can rely on your horse to find it. Regardless of their speed, they never seem to be fast enough to get out of the way of a well-aimed kick. Regularly you go to get your horse ready for a relaxed ride, only to discover a nasty gaping wound, swollen knee, puffy eye, or a haematoma the size of a grapefruit. There go all your plans for the afternoon, and it s either spent patching them, or the expensive option of calling the vet. While it s up to each individual horse owner to ensure the paddock or stabling is as safe as it can be, most horses somehow still manage to do some damage on a fairly regular basis. And if you are lucky enough to have a Houdini or a klutz, then it s particularly important to make sure your first aid kit is always well stocked. The margins in this manual have been deliberately left wide and with lots of space so you can add your own notes about what has worked best in each situation for your horse. They are each individuals and so while the remedies here work on most, in most cases, there will always be the exception that needs to be treated differently. Only by keeping a record will you be able to readily know this information which can make a huge difference to the treatment provided by your vet or farrier. Disclaimer The information provided in this handbook is solely the views and opinions of the author, unless otherwise stated. The author accepts no responsibility for the way this information is used by readers. This information is provided to help resolve minor injuries, not to replace veterinary advice. Please contact your vet if your horse has an injury or appears to be behaving in any unusual manner. HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 2 of 17
Table of Contents Contents First Line Treatment, before further assessment:... 4 Wounds:... 5 Bruises and Swelling Treatment:... 7 Bites and Swelling Treatment:... 8 Hoof Puncture Treatment:... 9 Seedy Toe... 11 Tick Treatment... 12 Colds and Runny Noses... 12 Other Useful Hints... 13 First Aid Kit Shopping List... 15 HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 3 of 17
First Line Treatment, before further assessment: Rescue Remedy /Bush flower Emergency Essence drops (for any kind of trauma or shock) Works for both you and your horse Homeopathic Apis (for insect bites and stings) Also works for both of you Antibacterial hand wash Open Cut Treatment: Check the wound for debris, use tweezers to pick any pieces out, then flush the wound well with one of the cleaning washes. A spray bottle or large syringe can be useful here to get the cleaning flush done properly. Cleaning options: Use one of the options listed, and make enough to clean and disinfect the wound thoroughly. Let the area dry prior to applying ointment and or bandages. Betadine Dilute to look like weak tea and use for washing wounds Hydrogen Peroxide 3% solution (dilute 20ml HP to 80ml clean water for cleaning puncture wounds) Colloidal Silver (antibacterial for internal and external use) Natural salt to make a wound cleaning solution add ½ tablespoon to 1 litre of water Disposable gloves Washing cloths or gauze sponges for cleaning wounds Various sized syringes (for wound/eye irrigation) Spray bottle Clean towel Tweezers HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 4 of 17
Wounds: Deeper cuts may require vet attention for debriding (cleaning the surface of dead tissue) or stitching prior to ointment application and bandaging. If you have any concerns with the wound, or if it smells bad, then definitely call your vet. Simple small cuts respond well to Aloe Vera gel straight on with no covering. It forms a natural skin that sooths and heals. May not be quite as good on deeper wounds, as it tends to heal across the surface, and can mend the surface too quickly, before the inside is healed. This can lead to the wound getting infected and breaking open again later. A mix of 50/50 calendula ointment and honey forms a gentle wound cover that doesn t melt off quite as quickly as straight honey does, and lets the wound heal from the inside out. Honey by itself is great wound healer. Manuka honey is the top of the range to use, but any natural honey that s not heat treated will work too. If the wound is large enough to require bandaging, or needs protection from flies while it heals, apply the ointment that you ve chosen from the list below, then one of the wound covers, gauze or bandaid. After that add some thick padding, eg cotton wool to make sure the bandage doesn t cause pressure spots, and bandage with vet wrap, or Elastoplast. Generally if you ve got to the wound quickly and done a good job of cleaning and bandaging, then it s better to leave the bandage in place for a couple of days at a time to give it time to work on the healing process undisturbed. Make sure to check the bandages twice daily though, and if they ve slipped at all, then take them off and redo them. Colloidal Silver is good to add to their feed while they are mending, it helps to raise their immunity, and acts as an antibacterial booster. 60-100ml twice per day in their feed will help promote the healing and reduce infection. HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 5 of 17
Aloe Vera gel or fresh Aloe Vera (soothing for burns and wounds) Manuka Honey (for treating wounds, especially where proud flesh is evident) Calendula ointment (for treating wounds) Large Padded wound cover Large Silver infused bandaids Paraffin gauze or other non-stick wound cover Plain gauze dressing pads Absorbent pads (the type women use) and disposable nappies (for poultices) Large roll of cotton wool to pad wounds Vet wrap elastic bandage roll Elastoplast adhesive bandage roll Colloidal Silver (antibacterial for internal and external use) HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 6 of 17
Bruises and Swelling Treatment: If the skin is unbroken, then a wash with ACV will help to cool the area and take out soreness and bruising. Icing the area can also help with reducing the swelling. Arnica is brilliant to follow up with as it an anti-inflammatory and painrelieving agent. It helps disperse the blood from the area, reduces the pain, and promotes circulation. A dropper of liquid in the mouth, and or drops / ointment on the area. If the knock has been on a bony area then using comfrey ointment can help stimulate repair of the bones, and reduce the bone bruising. Apple Cider Vinegar (dilute quarter of a cup in 1 litre of water for a soothing external wash) Instant cold/hot pack Arnica ointment & drops (for bruising, hematomas and sprains) Comfrey ointment (for treating bone injuries) HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 7 of 17
Bites and Swelling Treatment: If the skin is unbroken, then a wash with ACV will help to cool the area and take out soreness and stinging. Apis homeopathics provide soothing relief for swelling, oedema, burning & stinging pains. Use for insect bites and stings. Apis Mel is from Honey Bees and is a perfect match for clearing the itching and swelling of insect bites, bee stings, wasp, hornet, mosquito, and other flying insects. Put a few drops of Apis onto the area that is swollen, and a dropper full onto the horses tongue. Apple Cider Vinegar (dilute quarter of a cup in 1 litre of water for a soothing external wash) Apis homeopathic drops (for insect bites and stings) HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 8 of 17
Hoof Puncture Treatment: 90% of lameness in horses will be from issues with their feet. This is a good place to start whenever your horse shows up lame. If your horse is severely lame, then ALWAYS call your vet. While you wait for them to arrive, it s a good idea to clean out the hoof, and give the feet a soak as this will help relieve the pain for the horse if the problem is in the hoof, and make it easier for your vet to diagnose as the hoof will be clean and softened so any areas of pain are easier to identify. Clean the foot out with your hoof pick, and use the hoof knife to scrape around any areas that aren t clean, to see if it s a surface crack or deeper. DON T under any circumstances cut deeply into any area of the sole (inside the white line) without expert guidance as the sole may be as thin as only 5mm thick, depending on the horse and the season. If you puncture through the hoof sole, you are in for a long and rocky road to recovery. Not all hoof punctures or bruises will be obvious, so a good first line of treatment to help diagnosis and relief is to soak the hoof with a mix of: ACV (2 dessertspoons), Copper Sulphate (1/2 a teaspoon) and Epsom salts (1/4 of a cup) mixed in 1 litre of lukewarm water. Put your soaking boot on the hoof they are lame in, or both feet is preferable if you have 2 boots, and soak for at least half an hour. If this helps with reducing the lameness then repeat twice a day for the next 3-5 days until all lameness is gone. If the foot does have a puncture hole in it, then after the vet has cleaned it out, the foot will need to be kept clean and dry. Use the Animalintex poultice and then fasten with either vet wrap or electrical tape. Make sure to only bandage around the hoof capsule with the tapes that go tight to keep the leg blood circulation going. The solid soaking boots can be useful here too to keep the foot totally clean between dressing changes. Hoof Soaking boot/s (for foot punctures or bruising) Hoof pick Hoof knife Apple Cider Vinegar Copper Sulphate (bright blue powder) Epsom Salts Animalintex poultice (for leg swellings or foot poultice) Vet wrap elastic bandage roll Electrical tape & duct tape HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 9 of 17
HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 10 of 17
Seedy Toe This is a common fungal based problem that is often indicated by low copper levels in the body. Generally seems to occur more on sandy soils, and when it s wet. After the farrier has cleaned the area out, then it s up to you to continue treatment between trims to ensure the area stays free of the fungus. At least once a week, use your hoof pick to clean the hoof out, and the hoof knife to pick out any remaining debris. Then apply a few drops of Thrush Buster into the hole, or around the edges of the area that s been cut back. Hold the foot up until it soaks in. DON T cut further into the hoof than your farrier has. He knows how far can be safely trimmed without causing injury. Hoof pick Hoof knife Thrush Buster (for seedy toe) HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 11 of 17
Tick Treatment Use a cotton bud to apply Tea Tree Oil to the head of the tick and it will drop off, and the area will be well disinfected. Tea Tree oil Colds and Runny Noses A runny nose is usually a sign of a low immune system, and a good immune booster is colloidal silver. 60-100ml twice per day in their feed will help promote the healing and reduce infection. Keep a record of their temperature and heart rate while they have any cold symptoms. If the temperature goes above 39 o C then it s time to call the vet. If the heart rate when they are resting is greater than 50 beats per minute then it s time to call the vet. Colloidal Silver (antibacterial for internal and external use) HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 12 of 17
Other Useful Hints If you have a horse with a white nose that gets sunburned, Filtabac is a good sunscreen for horses. Filtabac ointment (antibacterial sunscreen for white noses) When flys are an issue around wounds, a fly repellent ointment is useful to have on hand. Put around the wound, not on it. Fly Repellent ointment (to put around open wounds) When you call the vet, one of the first things they will want to know is what is their temperature and heart rate, and are they normal for your horse. A digital thermometer that reads quickly is good. To read the temperature, gently lift the tail and insert the thermometer into the anus around 2cm. Wait until it beeps and take it out to read. Make sure to keep your legs out of the way if your horse decides they don t like this the first time. A stethoscope is used by placing on the ribs on the near (left) side of the horse, just behind the front leg. Listen to the number of beats for 15 seconds, then multiply by 4 to get a rate per minute. Digital thermometer (one with a 10 second reading time) Stethoscope Other useful equipment. Space blanket (handy if you re travelling) Blunt nose bandage scissors (for trimming hair around a wound, cutting bandages etc) Pen, pencil & notebook (for recording vital info and times until the vet arrives) Your Vet s phone numbers (listed so others using your kit can easily find) Record of your Horse s normal vital signs (Heart rate, respiration, temperature) Torch manual charging or with fresh batteries And Finally A plastic container with a lid to hold the first aid kit contents - this can also double as a dispensary tray (lid) and clean bucket (for washing solution). HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 13 of 17
Remember to replace what you use from the kit, and check expiry dates on any items that have them. If you must borrow something from the kit, ensure it goes back, or there will be a time that you will regret it during an emergency. HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 14 of 17
First Aid Kit Shopping List Chemist Rescue Remedy /Bush flower Emergency Essence drops (for any kind of trauma or shock) Works for both you and your horse Homeopathic Apis (for insect bites and stings) Also works for both Antibacterial hand wash Betadine Dilute to look like weak tea and use for washing wounds Hydrogen Peroxide 3% solution (dilute 20ml HP to 80ml clean water for cleaning puncture wounds) Colloidal Silver (antibacterial for internal and external use) Epsom Salts Large Padded wound cover Large Silver infused bandaids Paraffin gauze or other non-stick wound cover Plain gauze dressing pads Digital thermometer Stethoscope Scalpel Blunt nose bandage scissors Instant cold/hot pack Calendula ointment (for wounds) Comfrey ointment (for treating bone injuries) Tea Tree oil (for ticks) Supermarket Natural salt to make a wound cleaning solution add ½ tablespoon to 1 litre of water Pure Honey (must not be heat treated), or High Grade Manuka Honey Absorbent pads (the type women use) and disposable nappies (for poultices) Washing cloths or gauze sponges for cleaning wounds Clean towel Disposable gloves Tweezers Spray bottle Pen, pencil & notebook (for recording vital info and times until the vet arrives) Electrical tape & duct tape Torch manual charging or with fresh batteries A plastic container with a lid to hold the first aid kit contents - this can also double as a dispensary tray (lid) and clean bucket (for washing solution). HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 15 of 17
Produce Store Vet wrap elastic bandage roll Elasto-plast adhesive bandage roll Animalintex poultice (for leg swellings or foot poultice) Large roll of cotton wool to pad wounds Various sized syringes (for wound/eye irrigation) Hoof Soaking boot/s (for foot punctures or bruising) Hoof pick Hoof knife Copper Sulphate (bright blue powder) Filtabac ointment (antibacterial sunscreen for wounds and white noses) Thrush Buster (for seedy toe) Fly Repellent ointment (to put around open wounds) Camping Store Space blanket (handy if you re travelling) Keep in Your First Aid Kit Your Vet s phone numbers (listed so others using your kit can easily find) Record of your Horse s normal vital signs (Heart rate, respiration, temperature) HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 16 of 17
Extra Notes HorseLoversOnly.com Horse Care from the Hoof Up Page 17 of 17