Equine Emergency Medicine

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Equine Emergency Medicine

• Dr. John Henton

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Equine First Aid KitAs SuggestedBy Dr. John
Henton
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Bandage Material

• Telfa Pads (non-stick bandages like band-aids)
• 4x4 Gauze Pads
• Elasticon Bandage 3 inch (adhesive stretch
  bandage expensive)
• Best available for may wounds and good for
  pressure over vessels
• Ace Bandage
• Clean leg wraps (Derby or Polo Wraps)
• Vet Wrap (only over adequate padding!!! NEVER
  DIRECTLY OVER LEG

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First Aid Kit

• White tape (Many uses) 2-3" CAN MAKE 1-2" out of
  wider tape
• Sheet Cottons
• Clean leg quilts (Padding for wrapping legs over
  lacerations)
• Army Combine (Large clean bulky bandage)
• Roll gauze or Kling Wrap, (Hold bandages in
  place)
• Duct Tape (Bandage Foot, water proof leg
  bandages)

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Medications

• Disinfectant Soap (Chlorohexadine, Povidone
  Iodine, etc.)
• Water Soluble antibiotic ointment Silver
  sulfadiazine
• Antibiotic powder
• Panalog Ointment (retards proud flesh)
• KY Jelly (protects wound while shaving edges)
• Eye Wash
• Flouro-strips (used to determine if eye has
  corneal ulcer)

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Medications

• Non Steroid containing eye ointment
• Rompun Pain relief for colic and tranquilizer
  for other times
• Banamine Good injectable non-steroidal
  inflammatory agent, colic ??
• Bute Paste
• Epsom Salts
• Safety razor or clippers
• only with veterinarians approval

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Equipment

• Digital thermometer (mercury type will break in
  hot weather)
• Scissors
• Humane Twitch
• Splint for leg (Plastic PVC pipe cut in ½)14-16"
  long 28" long)
• Medi boot for hoof (especially good for horses
  that pulled shoes)

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What is aTrue Emergency?

• Definition
• Veterinary Medical Emergency
• A medical condition which warrants
• medical treatment immediately

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What Can I Do?
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True Emergencies

• Dystocia
• Laceration with blood loss
• Colic
• Laminitis
• Choke
• Long bone fractures

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Dystocia
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Dystocia

• Determine presentation
• Correct presentation
• Immediate help is essential
• If can not correct position - walk to delay labor

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Laceration with Blood Loss
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Laceration with Blood Loss
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Laceration with Blood Loss

• Apply pressure directly on wound
• Clean compress
• Elasticon, ace bandage, etc.
• Keep horse quiet until help arrivesdon't walk to
  barn, it will increase bleeding
• Do not apply ointments or powders
• Do not try to clean prior to bandage will
  increase bleeding

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Laceration with Blood Loss
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Laceration with Blood Loss
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Laceration with Blood Loss

• If bleeding continues, put more bandage on top of
  first bandage
• Do not removethe first bandage!!

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Laceration with Blood Loss

• Tourniquet
• Pressure on vessels above or below the wound

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Colic
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Colic

• Prevent self injury
• Evaluate clinical signs
• Temperature
• Pulse
• Respiration
• Color of gums

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Colic

• Remove all feed
• Walk if necessary, only to prevent rolling
• Administer drugs only after talking with your
  Veterinarian
• Rompun
• Banamine-may mask clinical signs
• Dipyrone

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Traditional ExaminationBy Veterinarian

• Determine P.R.
• Assess cardiovascular output
• Determine intestinal sounds
• Rectal examinations if possible
• Pass stomach tube
• Access gastric reflex

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Traditional Treatment

• Mineral oil
• if no gastric reflex
• Analgesics
• IV fluids
• Surgical correction

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Laminitis
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Laminitis

• Definition An inflammatory process of the
  laminae of the hoof. Many times caused by
  endotoxin, fever, trauma etc. Separation of bony
  structures from hoof may occur.

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Clinical Signs

• Reluctant to move, especially on turns
• Increased digital pulses
• May involve all four feet

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Early Treatment

• Do not force exercise
• Apply frog pressure
• Apply support to sole
• Stand in sand

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Veterinary Treatment

• Frog pressure
• Mineral oil
• Anti-endotoxics
• Banamine
• Analgesics
• Bute
• Banamine
• DMSO
• Orally or IV

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Esophageal Choke
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Clinical Signs

• Nervous
• Retching
• Food material out of nose

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Early Treatment

• Keep head down
• Decreases aspiration
• Walk

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Veterinary Therapy

• Tranquilize Rompun
• Lowers head
• Pass stomach tube
• Flush out obstruction or move obstruction to
  stomach
• Muscle relaxants
• Antibiotics
• Treat possible aspiration pneumonia

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Non Weight Bearing LamenessLongbone Fracture
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Non Weight Bearing LamenessLongbone Fracture

• Do not move
• Stabilize
• Splint
• Robert Jones bandage
• Very large protective bandage
• Prevent bone fragments from penetrating skin
• Increases prognosis
• Greatly decreases infection

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Veterinary Therapy

• Radiograph
• Determine blood supply of distal extremity
• Determine if fracture repair practical or possible

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Problems That Are Not A Veterinary Medical
Emergency, But Do Require Veterinary Attention
Within 2-4 Hours
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Problems That Require Veterinary Attention, But
Are Not Urgent Emergencies

• Laceration
• Not bleeding
• Non weight bearing lameness
• Eye problems
• Retained placenta
• Sick foals
• Grain intoxication
• High fever
• Other

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Lacerations Without Significant Blood Loss
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Lacerations Without Significant Blood Loss

• Clean area with mild soap
• Run cold water on wound
• Apply bandage if possible
• Clean compress
• NO ointments or lotions
• Wounds on legs need immediate care bandage to
  allow potential suturing of the laceration
• Swelling will occur quickly

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Non Weight Bearing Lameness
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Non Weight Bearing Lameness

• Usually involves one foot/ leg
• Most likely cause is subsolar abscess

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Subsolar AbscessClinical Signs

• Increased digital pulse
• Area of sensitivity in sole
• Check coronary band for lesion

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Treatment

• Establish drainage
• Draw out infection
• Soak in Epsom salt water
• Drawing agents
• Magnapaste
• Ichthammol
• Keep Clean
• Bandage until defect closed

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Subsolar Abscess

• Drawing agents
• Soaking in Epsom Salts

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Subsolar Abscess

• Bandage with drawing agents
• Magna paste
• Icthamol

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Subsolar Abscess

• Quittor Bandage
• Wheat bran/ Epsom Salt
• Poultice

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Subsolar Abscess

• Keep foot covered until defect is closed

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Eye Problems
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Clinical Signs

• Squinting
• Tearing
• Swelling

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Corneal Laceration/ Ulceration

• Painful
• Sensitive
• Graying of the cornea

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Stain with Fluorescein

• Area of cornea injured will retain green stain

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Treatment

• Early treatment essential
• Flush
• Antibiotic ointment
• No steroids
• Retards healing
• Increase possibility of fungal infections

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Recurrent Uveitis(Moon Blindness)

• Painful eye
• Small pupil
• Eye may become swollen

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Retained Placenta
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Retained Placenta

• Should be passed in 3 hours if retained greater
  then 3 hours call Veterinarian DAY OR NIGHT
• Treatment oxytocin
• IM or as IV drip
• Uterine treatment
• Laminitis prevention

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Sick Foals
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Sick Foals

• Look at mare's udder
• If foal off feed, mare will drip milk have
  enlarged udder
• Normal temperature 100-102.5F
• Swollen joints
• Early - septicemia
• Diarrhea
• Foal heat diarrhea is normal
• Rotavirus
• Status of foal may change quickly

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High Fever
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High Fever

• Infection
• Need to determine cause
• May lead to laminitis
• Antipyretic drugs
• Bute
• Dipyrone
• Banamine

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Grain Overload
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Grain Overload

• Needs treatment soon
• Mineral oil
• Laminitis protection
• Anti-endotoxic drugs
• Colic - soon
• Laminitis - 1-3 days

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Injection Sites