Equine Emergency
Care – What do to
before the vet
arrives?
September 7, 2011
WHAT
WOULD
YOU DO???
DON’T PANIC!!!
N.A.H.M.S. – The Big Three
 Injury, Wounds, Trauma
 Colic
 Lameness
Deciding when to call the
vet
1. CRITICAL – Call vet immediately
 Non-weight bearing lameness (i.e., fracture)
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Acute laminitis
Sudden/severe inability to breathe
Persistent bleeding from orifice or wound
Severe/persistent colicky behavior
Severe neurological symptoms
Blindness, eye trauma
Trauma near vital structures
High fever or heat stroke
Deciding when to call the
vet
2. URGENT – Call vet same or next day
 Low-grade fever
 Sudden onset of weight-bearing lameness
 Superficial trauma away from vital
structures
 Signs of less-severe colic
 Chronic laminitis flare-ups
 Chronic inflammatory respiratory disease
flare-ups
Deciding when to call the
vet
3. ELECTIVE – Request appointment
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Intermittent/slight lameness
Persistent skin problems
Slight eye discharge (no pain/vision loss)
Reduced appetite
Difficulty chewing
Nasal discharge (no fever or labored breathing)
4. PREVENTIVE – Regular visits
 Vaccinations, dental care, gen’l physical exams, etc.
But how do you KNOW??
 Know normal from abnormal
 Powers of observation!
 Basic Physical Examination
 Vital signs
 In combination with outward appearance
 Hands on
 Hands off
 Prevention is the best preparation!!
Recognize Signs of Distress
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Decreased appetite
Lethargic
Lying down longer than normal
Single animal off by itself
Sudden lameness
Squinting, tearing, or holding eye closed
Fever (greater than 102 degrees F)
Purple or red gum color
Is it an emergency?
 If your horse can find a way to get in
trouble, it will!
 Assess and describe situation
 Location & severity of injury
Preparation
 Walk your horse’s environment
 Every time you enter it’s stall/field
 Make it routine
 Plan ahead –
know closest
vet hospital and
how you’ll get
there
Barn Injury Safety Tour
 Entrance
 Door must open fully
 Non-poisonous shrubs at entrance
 Doors at least 4 feet wide, 8 feet high
 Aisles
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Ceilings at least 8 feet (12 feet better)
Floors with traction – dry or wet
Walls tidy and free of clutter
Recessed doors
Lights out of the way/covered
Free of wasp nests
Barn Aisle
Which one would you prefer?
If only…
Barn Injury Safety Tour
 Stalls
 Wide doors
 Latches flush with doorframe
 Examine boards for rot, loose nails, chewed
spots
 Floor should promote drainage
 Bars in windows; windows made of
plexiglass
 Cast rail or groove (allows horse to get a
grip)
Barn Injury Safety Tour
 Wash Stalls
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All of stall requirements apply here, too!
Non-skid floors
Lights properly covered for use in wet areas
Electrical outlets covered
Keep equipment at a minimum
 Run-in sheds
 Ground subject to erosion
 Minimum 6-ft entrance for 2 horses
Barn Injury Safety Tour
 Pastures
 Examine fence lines for loose wires/broken
boards
 Repair immediately!
 Remove fallen
branches and
tree stumps
Essential First Aid Kit
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Gauze pads
Roll cotton
Brown gauze
Adhesive wrap
Leg wraps
Scissors
White tape
Duct Tape
Stethoscope
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Thermometer
Hoof pick
Eye wash
Antiseptic solution
Latex gloves
Flashlight and spare
battery
 Drugs?
Before the vet arrives…
 Vital signs
 Write them down!
 Handling the animal
 Catch and calm down the horse
 If possible, take to a safe place like a stall or
paddock
 Ask someone to help you
 Control bleeding
 Average horse has 12 gallons of blood!
 Shock when 10% blood volume lost
COMMON EMERGENCY
SITUATIONS
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Choke
Eye injuries
Colic
Sudden onset of severe lameness
Fever
Lacerations
CHOKE
CHOKE
 Esophageal obstruction (not windpipe)
 Not always an extreme emergency – a lot will
resolve on their own
 Usually occurs when horses eat too fast or
don’t chew their feed enough; therefore usually
occurs after or during a meal
 Call veterinarian if it does not resolve in 30min
Signs of choke…
 Standing quiet not eating or drinking
 Large amounts of green discharge w/
food particles mixed in it coming from the
nose
 Some horses will paw, cough or act very
distressed
What to do……
 Remove all feed from the
stall (water is okay)
 If you can see an area on the neck where
the blockage may be (always on the left)
you can gently massage it
 If it does not resolve the vet will sedate
the horse, pass a tube and try to flush the
feed down into the stomach
EYES
EYES
 EYES ARE ALWAYS AN EMERGENCY!
 Cloudy
 Squinting
 Excessive tearing
 Lacerations
What to do…
 Try to prevent them from rubbing the eye
 DO NOT USE ANY OLD EYE
OINTMENTS IN AN EYE THAT A VET
HAS NOT SEEN (an inappropriate
ointment can do more damage than
good and some old ointment can be
contaminated with bacteria)
COLIC
SIGNS OF COLIC
 MILD – off feed, quiet, occasional flank
watching, laying down more than normal
 MODERATE – the above + pawing, rolling,
getting up and down a lot, standing in a
stretched position, sweating
 SEVERE – the above + trying to go down
even when being walked and hard to get up
once down
WHAT TO DO…..
If possible take the horse’s TPR
Call your veterinarian
Take away any feed
If the horse is rolling walk it to prevent it from
doing so – if it is laying quietly that is okay
 If you do have Banamine and choose to give it
before the vet arrives do not be fooled by the fact
that it will make them feel better while it is in their
system although the cause of the discomfort has
not been eliminated
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SUDDEN ONSET OF
SEVERE LAMENESS
Any lameness in which the horse is
reluctant to move or put weight on the leg
or is significantly lame at the walk
What could it be????
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Abscess
Penetrating wound to the sole
Cellulitis
Fracture
Joint or tendon sheath infection
What to do…..
 Call your veterinarian
 Don’t move the horse if there is a chance
that it may be fracture
 If there is a nail in the foot DO NOT TAKE
IT OUT UNTIL THE VET ARRIVES!!!!!
 If the horse appears distressed give them
some hay
 If there are any open wounds address
them as you would a laceration – clean
and wrap while you wait for the vet
Hoof Abscess
 Can be as lame as a horse with
a fracture
 A pus pocket develops in the sole of the
hoof and can become very painful in a
very short period of time
 Generally the abscess will drain and the
problem resolves uneventfully
 Probably the most common cause of
acute onset of severe lameness
Penetrating Wound to Sole
 IE – a nail in the hoof
 Pick out the foot and
thoroughly examine the
foot for a foreign body
 DO NOT TAKE OUT A NAIL
BEFORE THE VET GETS THERE!!!!
 It is very important to take an x-ray with
the nail in the foot to determine what
structures it may have penetrated and
therefore what the treatment and the
prognosis will be
Cellulitis
 Bacterial infection of the skin and
subcutaneous tissues that can enter from
the smallest nick and lead to a very
swollen leg very quickly
 It generally responds well to antibiotic
and diuretic therapy
 The leg can be VERY swollen - so much
so that the skin can crack and seep fluid
 Can often be very painful to touch
FRACTURE
FRACTURE
 Some are more obvious
than others….
 Closed vs. Open
 DO NOT MOVE THE HORSE until the vet
arrives and can apply an appropriate splint
to the area
 Many horses can be saved with
surgical repair but it can be very
costly and there can be
complication
 There are also many fractures that
cannot be repaired due to the fact
that they have to stand on their feet
during the healing process
 Fractures such as coffin bone
fractures and splint bone fracture
generally do well and do not need
to be surgically repaired
FEVER
 Any horse that is off feed should have its
temperature taken because most horses
with a fever do not have an appetite
 It is wise to have a vet come out and see if
they can find a cause for the fever
 Banamine or bute can help decrease a
fever
 Having a high fever is not good for the
horse’s body in general
LACERATIONS
What to do….
 Call the vet  Depending on the location,
size and timing (<8hr) of it it may need to be
sutured
 If there is a significant amount of bleeding
apply a bandage and pressure if the horse
allows you to
 Keep the horse still – it will also help with
controlling the bleeding
 If it is a puncture wound talk to the vet
before removing the item
 If the bleeding is under control and the
wound is contaminated with dirt or manure
you can gently lavage the wound with warm
water (sterile saline is ideal) – DILUTION IS
THE SOLUTION TO POLLUTION!!!
 DO NOT apply ointments
or sprays while you are
waiting
OTHER EMERGENCIES
 Hives – generally respond well to
corticosteroids
 Down horse – i.e. elderly horses that slip
on the ice in winter
 Trapped horse/ trailer accident –
sedation can be a key to the best
outcome