First-aid skills can make life or death difference

By Dr. Joe Stricklin
Colorado State University

By understanding equine first aid and mastering a few skills, horse owners can be prepared for an emergency and may make a life-or-death difference in the outcome of some situations. In all first-aid situations, it is critical to consult with a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Being competent in equine first aid means being able to assess and stabilize the situation correctly until veterinary help is available; it does not mean treating the injuries yourself and ignoring professional help. For example, a 1-inch laceration over the dorsal fetlock of the forelimb may appear to be an injury you can treat yourself. If that laceration actually went into the joint, however, the joint can become infected, which can be fatal to the horse.

The first rule of administering successful first aid is to remain calm. It's important that you think clearly so that you can do the best job possible in stabilizing the horse.

Once you are calm, assess the situation and the resources that are immediately available to you. Decide on a plan of action and carry it out in a logical order, using all of the available resources. In short, become a "MacGyver."

When approaching the situation, it's good to think about what is called the ABCDs of equine first aid--airway, breathing, circulation and disability. Running through this simple checklist can help you calm the horse and assess first aid situations while you're reaching your veterinarian.

Airway

First, check to be sure that the horse's air supply is not disrupted by trauma. The air supply can be disrupted or cut off if the horse has crushed nasal bones or a crushed trachea. The air supply also can be disrupted by foreign objects or swelling that restricts the trachea, such as strangles, abscess in the throat or snakebite to the face.

Horses may need a small hose placed in their nostril to keep it open if their facial area is swelling, such as swelling brought on by a snakebite.

Breathing

Check to see if the horse's breathing is distressed. A very slow respiration is normal; horses usually take 10 to 30 breaths per minute. Occasionally, horses will pant to cool themselves, taking up to 110 breaths per minute.

If you suspect that the horse is heat stressed, move it into shade and run cold water over its back. If the horse's breathing is distressed in spite of the airway being clear, check for wounds to its chest. You can also consider giving the horse oxygen, if it is available, by placing an air hose in or near its nostril.

Circulation

Next, check for profuse bleeding. If the horse has a laceration, stop the bleeding with clean materials such as gauze, shirts, towels or sheets and applying pressure. If the wound is extremely dirty, clean it with running water before applying the bandage.

Do not apply ointments to the wound without a veterinarian's approval; ointments may cause further complications. Avoid a tourniquet unless necessary.

Have a veterinarian assess the wounds as soon as possible; some lacerations can lead to life-threatening infections or disabilities.

If flaps of skin are torn from the body, wrap the horse's body in a clean sheet to hold the skin in place.

Disability

Injuries such as fractures or intestinal or neurological concerns fall into the classification of a disability. If the horse may have a bone fracture, keep the horse still. Allowing the horse to walk on a fracture may further damage the bone, making it irreparable. Control any bleeding by using bandages, pillows, sheets or even clean shirts. Call a veterinarian to get his or her recommendations for moving the horse if it must be transported and for supporting the broken limb or other broken bones.

Joe Stricklin, DVM, is head of the equine ambulatory unit through the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the Clinical Sciences Department. His special interests are equine sports medicine, equine lameness and equine dentistry. He is a 1980 graduate of Texas A&M and worked in private practice for 19 years before coming to CSU.