Finally, be aware of situations that require an emergency vet visit even before the horse is showing obvious symptoms. These include:
- Horse got into the feed bin. Horses that have gotten access to grain/feeds can easily develop colic and laminitis as a result. Allow water but no eating until the vet gets there.
- Horse got loose and was eating in planted fields or nibbling on plants/shrubs in the garden. Unlimited access to fields of corn, oats, soybean, alfalfa, etc. can cause serious colic, and many ornamental plants are toxic. Don't give any food or water until the vet gets there. Check the plants to try to determine exactly what the horse was eating.
- Animal bites. Rabies is always a concern here. All animal bites should be reported. Even if a vaccinated pet bit your horse, your vet should treat the wound. Bite wounds can get nasty infections. Hose with cold water until the vet arrives.
- Snakebite. Poisonous snakebites can cause a lot of local tissue damage, and even nonpoisonous bites require tetanus update, possibly antibiotics. Keep the horse from moving around. Hose the area with cold water until the vet arrives.
- Horse trapped in a ravine or ditch, tangled in wire fencing, trapped in other type of fencing. Even if the horse doesn't appear to be injured, you need to get him checked by the vet for puncture wounds, internal injuries, fractures, etc. It's best to wait for the vet to get there before attempting to free the horse. Get as much help as possible for the rescue, including professional 911/Rescue staff. Never pull on the horse by the halter. Clear other animals from the area, and keep things quiet until help gets there. Talk to the horse quietly from a safe distance, but only if this seems to calm him.
You'll deal with emergencies a lot better if you organize ahead of time. So make a list of important contact phone numbers, including:
- Your vet
- Nearby friends who can come help
- Someone you designate to make decisions regarding care in the event you cannot be reached
- Police, fire and other emergency services if you don't have 911
- Nearest vet school or full-service equine clinic
- Friends with a trailer or commercial shippers if you don't own a trailer
- Equine insurance company if the horse is insured
- Your insurance company (in case a person is also hurt)
- Contact information for all owners if you board, as well as contact information for someone they designate to act on their behalf in approving treatment, etc. if they cannot be reached
Supply Checklist
- Flashlights (at least 2, the bigger the better)
- Extra batteries
- Wire cutters
- Pocketknife
- Heavy-duty scissors
- Shoe pullers
- Pliers
- Extra halter and lead rope
- Hoof pick
- Large-animal thermometer, equipped with a string and clip on the end for securing it to the horse's tail
- One or two hoof boots
- Cooler blanket
- Supply of ice or instant ice packs in the barn refrigerator
- Box of freezer-storage size zip closure plastic bags (for holding ice)
- Sheet cotton (for leg wrapping)
- Large gauze sponges
- Assorted sizes of Telfa pads
- Clean cotton stall bandages and outside wraps, stored in plastic bags
- Vetrap or other self-adhesive wrap, 4 to 6 rolls
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Tweezers
- Iodine-based surgical scrub
- Several pairs of surgical or exam gloves
- Antibiotic cream
- Large jar of petroleum jelly and tongue depressors to remove it from the jar
- Spiral or bound notebook with a clear plastic pen holder with several pens taped to the outside
Whenever possible, get home phone, work phone and mobile phone numbers. Take the time to sit down and enter this information into your computer and all your phones with memories. Also print out the information, put it in a plastic cover, post it next to your barn phone and also tape a copy to your first aid supply kit.
A "designated agent" is someone you, or one of your owners if you also board horses, have authorized to act on your behalf during an emergency if you cannot be reached. Since vets and veterinary hospitals may refuse to work on a horse without the owner's permission, it is important that you name your designated agent in writing.
This doesn't have to be anything fancy. It can just be a simple statement to the effect:
I, (your name), designate (their name) to make decisions regarding the medical care of horse(s) owned by me in the event of an emergency when I cannot be reached.
Both you and your designated agent should then sign the paper. A similar paper should be on file for all boarders' horses.
Choose your designated agent carefully because you will be legally responsible for the cost of any treatment that person authorizes on your behalf. If you want to put any restrictions on who you will allow to treat your horse, types of procedures or cost of procedures, you need to discuss this with your designated agent. It's also a good idea to make these notes on the bottom of the paper that names your designated agent.
The table on page 26 lists supplies you should keep on hand in a secure place. In addition, it's a good idea to always have a mobile phone and a watch with you at the barn. The mobility a phone offers you is indispensable when trying to juggle tending to the horse and calling all the necessary people. The watch is so that you can take your horse's vital signs.
The supplies on our checklist are bare minimums designed to cover the most common equine emergencies. The list will also keep you organized in dealing with illnesses. Anything you can prepare for in advance will allow you to deal effectively when an emergency does arrive, and that could save your horse's life.
