Paging Nurse Megan
When I first got a horse in my adult life it was very important to me to have a complete first aid kit. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, especially with baby Thoroughbreds, so I was sure to outfit myself fully and completely in case of any emergencies.
Somehow I was still unprepared when it came to most injuries and have since supplemented my original first aid kit with a LOT of things. Even after the extensive additions I've made I'm sure my list isn't as complete as it needs to be.
I started typing it out, organizing by type. The list got really long and I got bored. I could sit here and talk about the eight different kinds of sedative I have on hand now (from acepromazine to xylazine). Or that I have both kinds of betadine for all my surgical scrubbing needs. But instead I'll just talk about my top five necessities that I think you'd be crazy not to have on hand. I'm not including Splintex on this list because I've already declared my deep and unending love for it several times. It will be #1 on every medical list I ever write, forever.
STAYONS Poultice Leg Wraps
I also have a bucket of poultice, but when Runkle popped the splint from hell and his leg was being poulticed every day, I really needed a better way to do it. His hair was kinda falling off from being all crudded up with mud and I couldn't really expect the barn staff to sit there and scrub his leg for an hour to get every speck off.
The STAYONS poultice leg wraps totally fixed that problem. They are delightfully clean to apply and take a fraction of the time since all you have to do is wet the wrap and put it on the horses leg. No slathering, smoothing, or globbing. It's beautiful.
Epsom Salt Poultice (also sometimes call magnapaste)
A product I didn't know i needed until the vet prescribed it. If you have an idiot horse that likes to spring shoes and step on the jump clip, I highly recommend having magnapaste on hand. It's also good for abscesses. When you wrap your delinquent's hoof up just put some paste on a 4x4 square of gauze and over whatever hole you are trying to deal with. It's like epsom soaking for 24 hours* instead of 20 minutes.
*this is assuming your horse actually leaves a wrap on his hoof for 24 hours. Spoiler alert: he probably won't.
Animax (also sometimes called dermalone)
You'll need a script for this, but it's totally worth it. Let's say, you have a delicate flower. Probably a chestnut Thoroughbred. And there is a drop of moisture on a blade of grass. This drop of moisture transfers to your Thoroughbred's leg. Suddenly all their hair falls off and they have scratches (or mud fever, or skin scurf, or whatever you want to call it). Animax will clear that shit up before you can say delicate chestnut flower. Probably the single most useful thing I have in my box. I hide it as it's expensive and is useful for all the things.
The one danger with animax is it does contain steroids so be VERY CAREFUL using it if you are an FEI competitor. Because it will test. I'm assuming if you're an FEI competitor you know that. Since I'm a permanent cardholding member of The Crossrail Club this doesn't affect me.
Dr Teal's Epsom Salt Foaming Bath (in Lavender)
Sometimes you just can't with your horse. You find that the simplest injury has turned into a drastic catastrophe. What should have been a cut and dry puncture turns into cellulitis. A slight favoring of the hind leg turns into a strained suspensory that requires months of rest. Don't forget that you're basically a single parent when it comes to your horse and no matter what shenanigans they get up to, you have to take care of yourself.
I suggest a hot bath with this particular foaming potion because it smells nice, makes your skin feel really soft and is very relaxing. Plus you can get it almost anywhere and it's really cheap which is helpful when you just spent a months salary on vet bills.
Wyndridge Cider
While you're taking a bath I suggest an adult beverage. Were I writing this post in winter I would suggest a wine, preferably Spanish (tempranillo is great). But since it's summer I usually enjoy a nice cold cider as I'm not a huge beer drinker. This one is a local Pennsylvania craft cider and my absolute favorite.
Plus it has cute little fox on the bottle cap and it makes me happy.
So there you have it. This list is by no means exhaustive (I didn't get to mention Alushield, which is probably #6 on this five item list) but will definitely get you through some serious shit.
What are your necessities for your broken pony? Bonus points if it's cheap or really great bang for your buck!!
Somehow I was still unprepared when it came to most injuries and have since supplemented my original first aid kit with a LOT of things. Even after the extensive additions I've made I'm sure my list isn't as complete as it needs to be.
I started typing it out, organizing by type. The list got really long and I got bored. I could sit here and talk about the eight different kinds of sedative I have on hand now (from acepromazine to xylazine). Or that I have both kinds of betadine for all my surgical scrubbing needs. But instead I'll just talk about my top five necessities that I think you'd be crazy not to have on hand. I'm not including Splintex on this list because I've already declared my deep and unending love for it several times. It will be #1 on every medical list I ever write, forever.
STAYONS Poultice Leg Wraps
I also have a bucket of poultice, but when Runkle popped the splint from hell and his leg was being poulticed every day, I really needed a better way to do it. His hair was kinda falling off from being all crudded up with mud and I couldn't really expect the barn staff to sit there and scrub his leg for an hour to get every speck off.
The STAYONS poultice leg wraps totally fixed that problem. They are delightfully clean to apply and take a fraction of the time since all you have to do is wet the wrap and put it on the horses leg. No slathering, smoothing, or globbing. It's beautiful.
Epsom Salt Poultice (also sometimes call magnapaste)
A product I didn't know i needed until the vet prescribed it. If you have an idiot horse that likes to spring shoes and step on the jump clip, I highly recommend having magnapaste on hand. It's also good for abscesses. When you wrap your delinquent's hoof up just put some paste on a 4x4 square of gauze and over whatever hole you are trying to deal with. It's like epsom soaking for 24 hours* instead of 20 minutes.
*this is assuming your horse actually leaves a wrap on his hoof for 24 hours. Spoiler alert: he probably won't.
Animax (also sometimes called dermalone)
You'll need a script for this, but it's totally worth it. Let's say, you have a delicate flower. Probably a chestnut Thoroughbred. And there is a drop of moisture on a blade of grass. This drop of moisture transfers to your Thoroughbred's leg. Suddenly all their hair falls off and they have scratches (or mud fever, or skin scurf, or whatever you want to call it). Animax will clear that shit up before you can say delicate chestnut flower. Probably the single most useful thing I have in my box. I hide it as it's expensive and is useful for all the things.
The one danger with animax is it does contain steroids so be VERY CAREFUL using it if you are an FEI competitor. Because it will test. I'm assuming if you're an FEI competitor you know that. Since I'm a permanent cardholding member of The Crossrail Club this doesn't affect me.
Dr Teal's Epsom Salt Foaming Bath (in Lavender)
Sometimes you just can't with your horse. You find that the simplest injury has turned into a drastic catastrophe. What should have been a cut and dry puncture turns into cellulitis. A slight favoring of the hind leg turns into a strained suspensory that requires months of rest. Don't forget that you're basically a single parent when it comes to your horse and no matter what shenanigans they get up to, you have to take care of yourself.
I suggest a hot bath with this particular foaming potion because it smells nice, makes your skin feel really soft and is very relaxing. Plus you can get it almost anywhere and it's really cheap which is helpful when you just spent a months salary on vet bills.
Wyndridge Cider
While you're taking a bath I suggest an adult beverage. Were I writing this post in winter I would suggest a wine, preferably Spanish (tempranillo is great). But since it's summer I usually enjoy a nice cold cider as I'm not a huge beer drinker. This one is a local Pennsylvania craft cider and my absolute favorite.
Plus it has cute little fox on the bottle cap and it makes me happy.
So there you have it. This list is by no means exhaustive (I didn't get to mention Alushield, which is probably #6 on this five item list) but will definitely get you through some serious shit.
What are your necessities for your broken pony? Bonus points if it's cheap or really great bang for your buck!!
This isn't necessarily for injuries, but I swear by blue Dawn dish soap because it's great for everyday use: preventing that weird sweaty leg gunk that appears in the summer, works wonders for whitening any blazes/stripes/socks/stockings, and I also use it to clean my open-fronts. I've read that you can bathe your horse's full body using blue Dawn, but I haven't tried that yet...I mostly just use it on legs and for spot cleaning. I figure, if Dawn can remove oil from ducklings, using it to clear up horse skin crud shouldn't be an issue. Plus, you can get a sh*t ton of it for like, $2 at your local Wal-Mart.
ReplyDeleteoooo thats actually good to know. i have used dishsoap before but I was always worried it was too caustic so it's good to know the blue stuff might be helpful. and $2 ALMOST fits in my budget :P
DeleteYour list cracked me up. Although I don't see myself joining the chestnut tb sensitive flower club anytime soon, these are still super helpful products to know about!
ReplyDeletebut why not this is such a fun club to be a part of don't i sound happy??? RIGHT???
Deletehey runkle was bay, and i initially got the animax for him. so no one is safe. (or maybe no thoroughbred is safe..)
animax is the TRUTH. also cellulitis is the new black. and maybe i need those poultice wraps in my life. maybe the cider too, now that i think about it....
ReplyDeletethe poultice wraps are so great. like its way more expensive than bucket poultice but omg so easy to put on and take off...
Deletehaha love this list, especially the bubble bath and cider! I also keep a bottle of Ivory liquid soap on hand. It's great for washing cuts/scrapes/injuries (my vet actually recommends it in lieu of betadine scrub since it doesn't kill off new tissue) AND it also whitens white socks. Ivory soap was what I used to wash Dino's legs daily during the Scratches From Hell episode. I also like Banixx or Vetricyn wound spray - disinfects without gunky ointments that can trap dirt and keep skin from breathing. OH AND! Bickmore Gall Salve. That stuff is MIRACULOUS for healing spur rubs, girth rubs, boot rubs, muzzle rubs, really any kind of rub, without having to give your horse a week off to let the hair grow back.
ReplyDeletei am interested in the gall salve. like, a lot.
DeleteNever thought I'd be laughing at a vet supplies list. Love it.
ReplyDeletei only laugh to keep from crying
DeleteAnimax is on my list too. The one my vet gives me has a third name that I am blanking on at the moment though... Why can't it have on name?!
ReplyDeleteGood call on the adult beverage too.
is it dermalone? it does have like 50 names.
DeleteAh! No! But close. Derma-Vet
DeleteAdult beverages have solved many issues for me
ReplyDeleteI use the Dr Teal's foaming bath too, but I also pour in a ton of extra straight epsom salt. So good.
ReplyDeleteAs a chestnut delicate flower owner ...Animax = life! Lol there are a lot of names. Also a big fan of Ivory and/or an ivory/betedine mix depending on what I am using it for.
ReplyDeleteI need to explore animax... that green goop as I affectionately refer to it is my fav so I don't have to deal with soaking!
ReplyDelete