First aid for horses

But what if our beloved four-legged friend needs first aid? Putting our horse in the recovery position? Perform mouth to nostril resuscitation? Hardly.

And yet there are measures for first aid on horses that every horse lover should know and can easily perform. Colic in horses is the most common cause of death, and it is precisely here that first aid measures and the right colic horse home remedy pharmacy can save lives. The clinical picture is not really uniform, but if your horse shows discomfort and restlessness, you should take this seriously.

Signs of colic in horses are frequent looking around for the belly and a horse that constantly tries to roll over.

Your horse may sweat, breathe quickly or appear lethargic. If your horse has colic, be sure to call the vet. While you are waiting for the vet, you can administer first aid to the horse by gently walking it. This has an antispasmodic effect and at best reduces your horse's abdominal pain. If your horse apples, this is a good sign.

If your horse is sweating, a sweat blanket will protect him from getting cold. Under no circumstances should your horse eat or drink at this time. The horse pharmacy should also consist of small rations of schnapps. This is because in the case of mild colic, this home remedy can cause the symptoms to subside quickly. Other colic horse home remedies include plants that stimulate intestinal activity such as aniseed, fennel or caraway, or mucus-producing plants such as linseed, marshmallow or mallow. Another very dangerous disease is pharyngeal blockage. In this case, food gets stuck in the oesophagus, which can result in fatal pneumonia. If the horse is restless, sweats and lowers its throat when trying to gag, this often indicates such a blockage. Mouth blockage in horses First aid is characterised by trying to massage the food in the direction of the stomach while waiting for the vet. Have a clean bucket and hose ready, as the vet will need this if your horse constipation first aid is not enough.

If your horse has suffered an injury, a pressure dressing can be used as first aid for horses, just as it is for humans. Wound care for the legs is relatively easy, but it is more difficult if your horse has injured its shoulder. The horse first aid kit should contain a compression bandage that you can place on the wound without being unwound. A padding wadding surrounds the wounded area and a gauze bandage fixes the bandage. An elastic, self-adhesive bandage rounds off the horse's emergency first aid kit and prevents the bandage from slipping. A slight nosebleed in a horse is relatively common and is no reason to panic. As horse first aid, you should immobilise your horse. After a short time the bleeding should stop. If it does not, or if your horse is bleeding heavily from the nostrils, you should definitely call the vet. Again, administer first aid to the horse and calm your horse down so that the bleeding is not exacerbated by the excitement.

As you can see, first aid measures are very complex and vary depending on the clinical picture. It is important to always react calmly and level-headedly so that your horse does not panic. Horses perceive their human's feelings immediately and unfiltered, and you can signal to your four-legged friend through your calmness that he will soon be helped.

Furthermore, always keep your horse pharmacy up to date. Besides the utensils for wound care, you should not forget the household remedy schnapps. And if it is not colic on the horse, but another emergency, the schnapps can at least calm you down until the vet arrives.

Cheers then!