If youre worried that your horse isnt feeling well, your first step in being proactive is to check his temperature for signs of a fever. You can purchase a horse-sized mercury thermometer. Digital thermometers also work, but may be less accurate if you dont insert them far enough into the rectum.

Nothing is worse than trying to hunt down supplies when your horse is ill or injured. Added stress and aggravation is something you don’t need at this point. So a little pre-planning on your part—assembling your own first-aid kit—will make handling these emergencies go more smoothly. The most common first-aid situations with horses are: (1) injuries of all sorts, (2) respiratory or other infectious diseases, and (3) colic. Your first-aid kit contents should reflect these situations.

Storage
Before we delve into the types of supplies you’ll want to include, give some thought to how you’ll store your supplies. The best approach is to store your first-aid supplies separately from other supplies—such as grooming tools or medical supplies—and yet all together in one place. They will stay cleaner and be easier to find. An inexpensive plastic storage bin with a lid is a good choice. A covered toolbox also makes a good first-aid kit, and many prefer the handle for quickly taking it into the field, and for toting along to rides or shows.

The Fabulous Five
Following is a list of the five most important items you should include in your first-aid kit.

1. Thermometer. This should be item #1 for your first-aid kit. Any time your horse is off feed, looking droopy, or acting out of sorts, the first thing you should do is take his temperature. Even if your horse has obvious symptoms, such as a cough or diarrhea, one of the first things your veterinarian will need to know is if your horse has a fever.

Traditional mercury thermometers for horses are 5 inches long, have a heavy plastic screw-top case, and a loop at the end. A heavy string or tape can be run through the loop and secured to an alligator clip or clothespin. This is clamped to the tail hairs while the thermometer is "cooking," to prevent it from falling and breaking if the horse forces it out. Digital thermometers can also work, but cost at least 4 times as much and may not be long enough to get an accurate reading on a large horse.

2. "Sharps." There are several small sharp implements you should store in your first-aid kit. First, you’ll need scissors to trim back long hairs overlying wounds and to trim bandaging materials to fit. Then, heavy shears (medium-weight garden shears are good) or a knife strong enough to cut through a halter, cross-ties, leg straps, or blankets should be handy—in the event your horse gets tangled or hung up. Also, if your barn doesn’t keep shoeing equipment available, a sturdy pair of pliers comes in handy for pulling off loose or sprung shoes.

3. Wound wash. Gentle washing is the first step in removing surface contamination (dirt, plant material, hair, bedding, etc.) from a wound and reducing the number of bacteria on its surface. Unless there is heavy bleeding that needs to be stopped first, wounds with obviously visible contamination should be cleaned by directing a stream of water above the wound and allowing it to run over the surface. Never direct water under pressure, even light hose pressure, straight onto a wound. This can actually drive debris or contaminants deeper into the wound or cut.

The initial water cleaning may result in a little bleeding. If this isn’t heavy, it’s to be expected from loosening surface clots. Ignore this and proceed to cleansing. Betadine scrub, or another wound-disinfecting scrub made with povidone ("tamed") iodine is a good choice, although some horses may be sensitive to it. A 2% chlorhexidine-based scrub is well tolerated even by sensitive-skinned horses. These surgical scrubs are widely available in farm supply stores or on the Internet.

It’s best to leave the removal of materials deeply embedded in a wound to your veterinarian, to avoid triggering heavy bleeding. If you don’t have gloves, wash your hands with the surgical scrub, including under your fingernails, for a good five minutes before touching the wound. For the initial cleansing, use either gauze sponges or just your hands to gently work up a lather on the wound. Use very light pressure only. Leave the lathered scrub on the wound for 5 to 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Never use cotton balls or roll cotton to clean a wound. This leaves fibers behind, embedded in the tissues. These will irritate and impair healing.

4. Topicals for wounds. Wounds heal best in a warm, moist environment. Simply covering a wound is a good way to fight dehydration of the tissues and trap body heat. (This is why our own cuts heal much faster underneath a Band-Aid.) If you do choose to put a medication on the wound, what you use is largely a matter of choice. A layer of petroleum jelly on the wound-surface side of the first layer of bandaging works great in preventing the bandage from sticking to the wound. Others prefer antibiotic wound creams or herbal-based products such as Aloe. If you use a Vaseline-impregnated wound dressing under a bandage, no other topical is needed.

On the other hand, superficial abrasions that ooze but do not go completely through all skin layers may be best handled by a spray that will seal the tissues and protect them from insects. Sprays based on aluminum, gentian violet, and scarlet red oil serve this purpose well. If you have a large open wound that can’t be bandaged, consult with your veterinarian for the best approach.

One human product that comes in very handy with painful wounds—both blocking pain and disinfecting—is Bactine. You can use it to desensitize tender wounds before working on them, or saturate sticking bandages before removing them. It can also

be used as the sole dressing on superficial wounds and immediately eases the pain of sunburn on pink-skinned horses.

Bandage Removal Tips

In the early stages of wound healing, the tissue is inflamed and very sensitive. Traction on the wound during bandage removal is often painful. To make this easier on the horse (and you), cut open the bandage using a pair of scissors or a knife (be careful!). Cut a vertical line through the bandage and open it up to remove it, the same way a cast is removed. But before removal, saturate the area over the wound well with very cold water for both ease in loosening and to provide a numbing effect.

5. Bandaging materials. As noted above, whenever possible, injuries should be bandaged to keep them in a warm and moist environment and enhance healing. For the outer layer of bandage material, a self-adherent bandage such as Vetrap or Co-Ban, Co-Flex, is ideal. These materials "breathe" better than standard standing stall wraps/polos, and allow you to fine tune the pressure applied by the bandage. Best of all, they are disposable. You can use a pair of scissors or a knife (be careful!) to cut a vertical line through the bandage and open it up to remove it, the same way a cast is removed. Keep 4 to 6 rolls of Vetrap in your first-aid kit. You won’t use that much at one time, but you may not be able to replace what you use overnight so it’s good to have several days’ supply on hand.

A layer between your outermost self-adhesive wrap and the wound dressing itself is not absolutely necessary but it’s advisable to help absorb drainage and to pad the wound, protecting it from bumps. Gamgee is a favorite for this. It is a 2-layered material, with a center of highly absorbent cotton wool and a synthetic outer surface that will resist sticking to the wound. Keep at least one roll (12 feet) on hand. Gamgee can also be used to pack hoof abscesses.

For the early stages of healing of open wounds—when there is a high volume of drainage—a more reliably non-stick, non-adherent dressing is advisable for the layer immediately over the wound. Without this, wound drainage may dry out between bandage changes and stick to even something like Gamgee. As already mentioned, Vaseline-impregnated gauze is ideal for this and can be found pre-packaged in various sizes and under several brand names. An antibacterial compound is often incorporated in the bandage. This is a human product, so check your local drugstore. You can also shop online using the search term "non-adherent dressing."

As the amount of drainage lessens, you can switch to dry non-stick/non-adherent wound pads. As with the petroleum gauze bandages, there are several brands available with considerable price variation so it pays to shop around. In general, these dry non-adherent pads will cost only about 10% as much as the Vaseline wound pads. Once drainage has ceased, or an open wound has granulated over to a smooth bed, this additional layer can be eliminated and the wound wrapped with only Gamgee.

Final Tips
Store contents inside your kit in heavy-duty zip-close bags. This makes it much easier to keep opened and partially used products clean.

Customize the contents of your first-aid kit to your individual needs. Is your horse prone to thrush? Stock a thrush medication. Does he lose shoes easily? Keep a boot. Is he sensitive to insect irritation of the eyes? Keep an eye wash and any medication your veterinarian recommends.

First-aid books are often recommended for inclusion in your kit. This is a good idea, but read it before you need it!

After your kit is assembled, seal it by encircling the container with a brightly colored tape. This will make you think twice before dipping into it for non-emergency use. The broken tape will also remind you that the kit has been used and you need to restock.