Making a Vet Kit

Hey guys! I am posting this thread primarily to gather thoughts on what your Ideal Vet Kits are, what you always have on hand, and to get together and put together a list of what all horse owners should have around the ol' tack room in case your horse gets ill or acts a fool and gets hurt ;)

What is a Vet Kit? Usually a trunk sized container with different compartments where you store your medicinal stuff for when your horse may get an injury or infection.

I was absolutely startled when my friend was purchasing her first horse, and bought saddles, bridles, brushes, and other riding/grooming stuff, but didn't buy so much as one vet wrap, or bottle of Iodine. The day she brought her horse home, she noticed she had a nail stuck in the sole of her hoof.. and couldn't do anything about it since she had no supplies. She did all she could do, and pulled the nail, then proceeded to... put the horse's foot down in the dirt. The next morning the horse had a fever and was very sick. She had an infection from the open sore in the sole, and cost her a lot of money in vet bills. Why? All because she didnt have Iodine, gauze, and vet wrap. An 8 dollar investment.. and she could have avoided the 200 dollar vet bills. Nice.

Since i know people who are new to horse ownership may visit the forums, i would love to have a list of items that should be in a vet kit. If there are any added suggestions, please post, and i will add it to the list! (and put your user name by it, since it was your idea :)) If you have a question as to why something is on the list, post, and i will explain why i recommend getting it (since some of these things are going to seem really off the wall. I will try to put *'s by the ones that are bizarre, and at the very bottom of the post have a "key" of sorts, that says why i believe they are needed.

Onto the list!

Thermometer
Vet Wrap
Gauze rolls
Non-stick gauze pads
Rubber Gloves
Betadine Scrub (Iodine, for washing)
Betadine Solution (Iodine, for soaking)*
Triple Antibiotic (Neosporin)
Alcohol
Hydrogen Peroxide
SWAT
Bute (Must be purchased from Vet)
Desatin**
Diapers***
Aspirin
Powder Electrolytes
Mortar and Pestle/Pill Crusher
Cotton Swabs
Bandage Scissors
Scissors
Stiff Plastic Grooming Brush (all plastic)
Small Rubber Soaking Bucket
Epsom Salts
Wonder Dust
Terramyacine ****
Pillow Wraps
Normal Wraps
Thin Polo Wraps
Duct Tape (Comes in handier than ya think!)
Bigeloil *****
Bot Knife
Clean Stainless Steel Hoof pick
Ichthamol ******
Fura Septin *******
A jug of purified or distilled water
Spray bottle of purified or distilled water
Mineral Oil ********
Anti-bacterial Soap (recommended by barnrat)
Vaseline (recommended by kristy)


* (Betadine Solution) I highly recommend offloading some of the Betadine Solution into a little squeezie bottle, or a spray bottle, i have needed it in the past to squirt on the frog, and this way you will waste less.

** (Desatin) Found at any human stores, its used to treat diaper rash in babies, but also works well when mixed with Swat.

*** (Diapers) These work awesome if the horse has a problem on the bottom of the foot, like an abscess or a cut. When the horse's foot is in it, it offers extra padding so ensure the horse will be comfortable. Of course, you will need to use vet wrap to make sure its on securely.

**** (Terramyacine) Sold at many tack stores, this is a little tube of gooey medicine that has the same texture as triple antibiotic. Its sold over the counter, and it is really essential to have around if your horse gets a weepy, gunky, or irritated eye.

***** (Bigeloil) Sold at many tack stores, this is the horse's equivalent to Ben Gay, or Icy Hot. It is in liquid form, and is used to apply to sore muscle spots on the horse.

****** (Ichthamol) Sold at many tack stores, GREAT medication/salve that is primarily used on abscesses.

******* (Fura Septin) Sold at many tack stores, it is used to prevent bacteria infections on surface wounds or burns. I prefer triple antibiotic, but this works just as well, and comes in a larger container!

******** (Mineral Oil) Found at many human stores, we have had to use this in the past with horses that weren't defecating, when ingested it helps loosen the stool if there is a blockage. This has also been used when a horse was choking, to help the item the horse was choking on slide down its throat.

-Skippy

Great idea for a thread skippy!!!! I have studied the list and printed it off so i can show mum what we need to buy lol.

At our barn we have everything that we need and when we run out (before we can get to the store and buy some more) we are always welcome to Borrow or use someone elses.

I did not see anti-bacterial soup on your list but that comes in handy when cleaning the wounds.

I usually use hydrogen peroxide, or iodine when cleaning a wound, but i will add it to the list! =)

Thanks guys!

Vaseline..

I needed it the other day but didn't have it.
A nail in the hoof and didn't call the vet then? That, to me, is more ignorant that not having a few supplies at that moment.

Thanks Kristy! Vaseline is wonderful to have around for general lubrication and whatnot. I use that, or Lubricating Jelly (like KY) when i need to take a horse's temperature and whatnot. Its also great on chapped skin.

Sunscreen is also good to have around during the summer months for those of us with horses with pink noses ^^

If its ok, i am going to sticky thing thread for a little bit since i think it is a good reference for people to have when shopping for veterinary items for their horse =) People browsing the forums could get some use of this :)

...

We also keep Corona ointment on hand for nasty fly bites or for small scrapes. The horses don't mind it and it doesn't stink either.

I didn't see Scarlet oil on the list, we always use this if one of our horses has a cut, and it works great even if the wound is serious.

Nappy rash cream(the kind you use on babies) is cheap, easy to get hold of and is really good for girth gall, greasy heal and other rubs and rashes. :)