Veterinarian

when do you need to call a vet?

• Before you call the Vet
  It's important to gather as much information as possible to give to the vet when you call.

  • Vital signs - temperature, pulse and respiration.
  • The location and approximate nature of an injury.
  • The horse's demeanor, whether he seems depressed or agitated.
  • If the horse is lame, tell the vet which leg he is lame on, can he put any weight on the leg and when you first noticed the lameness.
  • Location of any swelling and whether there is heat present.

  Call the Vet Immediately
  The following situations, listed in no particular order, are considered serious and some are potentially life threatening. You should not hesitate to call the vet immediately if your horse has any of the following:

  • Any injury with profuse bleeding that won't stop.
  • Obvious or suspected fractures.
  • Any cut or injury that requires stitches
  • Sudden lameness, often accompanied by heat and swelling.
  • Respiratory distress. Obvious difficulty in breathing, noisy labored breathing.
  • Choking. obvious distress and choking, neck stretched out. Saliva and food particles may exit through nostrils.
  • Horse having seizures.
  • Watery diarrhea. If left untreated, the horse could become severely dehydrated.
  • Any apparent eye injury. Lack of treatment or incorrect treatment could mean loss of vision.
  • Learn to recognise the signs of colic. Can range from mild belly ache that will pass on its own to excrutiating pain caused by a twisted gut that will require surgery.
  • Abnormal vital signs, such as elevated pulse that does not return to normal at rest.
  • Temperature over 102 usually indicates an infection or disease process.
  • Pulse over 80 beats per minute is considered a sign of trouble in a non-exercising horse.
  • Elevated respiration rate in a resting horse can be caused by excitement, pain or infection.

  It should be noted that there are many other times when horses will need veterinary care, but in a non-emergency situation. Regular appointments should be made for things like on-again, off-again indeterminate lameness, horse losing condition, etc.

  The preceding list of emergency situations is not an exhaustive list. If, at any time, you have a concern about your horse's health you should feel comfortable calling your veterinarian and discussing the situation with him/her.

  Your vet may decide to have you monitor the situation, perhaps giving hydrotherapy to a hot, swollen leg, and call him/her again the next day if it doesn't seem any better. Or he/she might determine that the horse needs immediate care and schedule a visit there and then.

  Either way, it's worth calling the vet to put your mind at ease.

What to put in a Horse first aid kit?

Ace bandage or polo wrap	hoof file
leg quilts or cloth baby diapers	hydrogen peroxide
bandage scissors	instant ice, ice boot, or ice wrap
bucket	thermometer
3" wide cloth tape	mentholated ointment (fly repellent)
cotton rolls	vet wrap
Davis or easy boot	iodine solution
duct tape (emergency hoof wrap)	liniment (human and animal varieties)
electrical tape (holds on ice packs)	cell phone
gauze rolls	flashlight
heavy duty aluminum foil (hoof injury)	human first-aid kit
hoof nippers	electrolytes
Telfa pads