Equine First Aid

[Demeter Carr]

I felt that it made more sense to split the students into two clinics, because I don't think that a big group would get as much hands on as they would in smaller groups.

Group B
@anna
@jennap
@daretodream
Rose Hoff
@samanthal

The number of students who had signed up for the vet clinic had surprised Demeter, to say the least, and rather than having a single clinic that took up one day, she decided to split the students into two groups and spread the course over two days, the first group had been with her the day before and now was the second group's turn. The woman gathered the boxes that contained the things she had got for the students - her way of rewarding their interest in learning how to take care of their horses - and then headed out to the yards. After putting the boxes on the ground by the semi-circle of barrel seats, she headed back into the barn to collect the mock first aid kits she had put together for the students and an actual kit for them to look through before they got started. She also brought out the items that she had collected from Monique the day before. A bit of stage make-up and tubes of fake blood that they could use to create wounds, lacerations and the sort. The woman then brought out Beauty, and the Academy horses she had borrowed for the clinics; Belarus and Guardian, all three horses were perfect for what she wanted as she knew that none of them would be fazed with students being artistic on them or mummifying them.

It wasn't much longer before the students started arriving and she smiled and greeted each of them, gesturing toward the barrels. "Find yourself a seat and we'll get started when everyone is here." She told each of them. Once the majority of the group had arrived, she decided to get started. "Welcome to my clinic." She said warmly. "For those of you who haven't meet me yet, I'm Dr Carr." She opened the boxes. "This is my way of saying thank you for showing initiative to be more knowledgeable about helping your horses." She handed each of the students a pen with horse on the top, a notebook and two vet books; Dr. Kellon's Guide to First Aid for Horses and Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook.

Once the things were handed out, she decided to get down to business and held up the first aid kit. "Your equine first aid kit should contain the following items: Thermometer. Stethoscope - To monitor heart rate. Your horse's heartbeat can be heard most clearly just behind the left elbow. It is also useful for listening for gut sounds. Flashlight. Electrolytes,powder and paste for dehydration. Neosporin - This should be applied twice daily to minor abrasions and in wounds that are superficial wounds (the skin edges cannot be moved separately). Diluted iodine solution - To flush out any full thickness wounds (the skin edges can be moved separately). Any wound that will be seen by a veterinarian within 4 hours of injury (8 hours for head injuries) should not have any other medications applied, but should simply be flushed with clear water or dilute iodine solution and covered to prevent drying. And Nolvasan, Furacin, Corona, Wound Powder - These antiseptic ointments or powders are to be applied to full thickness wounds (the skin edges can be moved separately) that will not be seen by a veterinarian within the first 4 to 8 hours. Hydrogen peroxide - Avoid use of peroxide in wounds as it will kill healthy tissue. The one exception would be contaminated sole wounds. Peroxide can be used to clean these out initially. It should not be placed into any other type of wound. A Knife for making splints, cutting bandaging materials, cutting your horse free from a tangled rope, etc. Use extreme care when using a knife around your horse. Wire cutters - In the event a horse has gotten tangled up in fence or wire. A Twitch - This tool can help calm and restrain your horse during painful procedures. Hoof pick To clean out the bottom of the foot to search for punctures, bruising, or other foot problems. Fly lotion - This can be used to keep flies and other insects from irritating and contaminating open wounds that cannot be bandaged. Apply the lotion directly around but not inside the wound. Ophthalmic Polysporin - For eye injuries. Bandaging Materials Cotton Padding, Telfas (non-stick gauze) Vetrap. Some Duct Tape. Elastoplast ,1-inch and 2 inch White Adhesive Tape, Saran Wrap, Cotton Leg Wraps
6-inch brown roll gauze, and Med-Rip bandage tape

Some additional items that always come in handy are: Latex gloves, 4-5 1 1/2"x18 ga needles, Irrigating syringe, Antibiotic spray, Safety pins, Zip Lock Bags, Epsom Salt, Betadine Solution, Catheter tip syringe, Betadine Scrub, Physiological Saline, Petroleum Jelly, and Blunt-nosed scissors.

And in the fridge of any barn, you will find the following items, which I obviously don't have out here:
Tetanus Antitoxin, Tetanus Toxoid booster and Epinephrine. Be sure to check expiration date before you use them though. It is also good to keep on hand, frozen cooling packs, ice cubes and Styrofoam cups filled with water and frozen. These work great for applying cold therapy to areas which cannot easily be bandaged." The veterinarian pulled out each item as she spoke about it. "The kits that you will use today however, only have the bandages, vetwrap and tape in them." She handed out the kits to each of the students. "I want you to please split up into pairs and then we'll go and meet our patients."

When the students were paired up, she led them over to the yards where the mare and two geldings were waiting for them. "Our three equine assistants are; Beauty, a Thoroughbred who has become a permanent resident here. Belarus, a Drum Horse who belongs to the academy, and Guardian, a Percheron mix who refuses to go into retirement." The three horses had their halters on, but the lead ropes were lying on the ground on the other side of their gate. "I would each team to choose a horse that you want to spend your time with today and then we'll get started."

[Rose Hoff]

Rose had known that she'd sign up for this clinic since she'd heard about it. She'd been in both sessions of Equine Rehabilitation the past year and had loved it. She couldn't take the course again this year, but she'd certainly be attending Dr. Carr's clinic, which she thought would be very useful. She knew the generals of equine first aid, but had mostly just done what the vet told her to whenever she had to care for a hurt or sick horse. Now perhaps she'd be able to take action on her own, if necessary.

When she arrived, she took a seat on one of the barrels, liking the familiarity of it. When Dr. Carr started speaking, she listened carefully, wanting to catch everything. She was quite surprised by the woman's gifts to them, but she knew that all had an important purpose. As she was handed a pink horse pen and the rest of the supplies, she smiled and issued a quiet but warm "Thank you."

She listened carefully to the explanation of the equine first aid kit, trying to store away all of the new information to a place where she could remember it. Receiving a kit and thanking Dr. Carr again, Rose then got to work finding a partner. She would have preferred to have been paired up, but she simply asked the girl next to her if she would like to be her partner, and introduced herself. She didn't recognize her, so she could guess that the girl was a freshman. She was happy when the girl agreed, and listened to the introduction of the horses. She knew Beauty a little bit from being around the clinic, and wanted to work with her, so she asked, "How do you feel about working with Beauty?"

[Deleted]

Anna was quite excited for this clinic, as she was registered for Equine Rehabilitation, and was eager to meet her instructor and campus equine vet. She was looking forward to the course, and really hoped that she would be accepted, as she'd been informed that she'd have to apply, and registry alone would not confirm her placement in the course. Arriving at the Equine Clinic, Anna quickly found her way to the Rehabilitation Yards and Paddocks where she'd been told the clinic would be held.

As instructed, Anna found a spot on one of the barrels next to a girl with light blonde hair. She didn't recognize her, but then again, she didn't recognize many people in her new school yet. She was quite surprised by Dr. Carr's gifts for them, and when given a blue pen, notebook, and two other vet books, she smiled, "Thanks!" She hadn't expected anything, and the vet's generosity was already apparent.

Listening to the instruction of the equine first aid kit, she took in all the information, not really worried about remembering all of it. She just stored it away in her mind, knowing that it would come back to her when she needed it.After having received her own kit, Anna began to look around for a partner, and was very pleased when the girl next to her proposed that they be partners and introduced herself. "Thank you, I would love to. My name is Anna."

Anna would have been happy to work with any of the horses they were introduced to, and readily agreed when Rose suggested Beauty. She walked over to the fence that stood between them and Beauty, but didn't pick up the lead, as the mare seemed content to stand on her own. 

[Deleted]

Nina strolled along as to her next clinic, Equine First Aid, that she signed up for her summer activities. She decided she needed something to do over her summer break and why not spend it learning new things about what other than the majestic equines. She remembered the instructor of the clinic, Dr Carr, as she attended Equiine Rehabilition for her junior year, if she remembered correctly, and she enjoyed it as she got to spend time working with different personalities. Plus, the woman was pretty nice as she still knew what she was doing, after all she was informed that she was the large animal vet, so she obviously should know what she is doing to be teaching like this. Letting out a breathe, she paced herself a bit faster towards the direction of where the clinic was located while tying her quite long, brown hair into a ponytail.

Upon arrival, she noticed there were already two girls that were already present before her. She guessed she wasn't late as she didn't hear her interrupt Dr Carr during a speech, as that would be awkward and rude. As directed, she took a seat on one of the free barrels as she gave a grin in greeting towards the dark hair girl she was sitting next to as she doesn't remember meeting her yet. She faced Dr. Carr as the woman began speaking and started off handing out some gifts. Recieving a purple horse pen, notebook, and two vet books, she gave a light smile towards Dr. Carr, "Thank you." She gave a nod of her head along with her response to the woman's generosity. She ran a finger along the cover of the notebook and the horse on the pen before giving her attention back to the instructor as she continued to speak.

She already knew most of the things in a first aid kit, but as Dr. Carr continued listing the items, she learned a few items that were also found in the kits she never knew that were also good to have. She got curious, as well as excited, to what they were going to do today as the woman started to hand out the kits they will be using today. Although she also got nervous as she heard the woman ask them to split into pairs. She glanced around as she wondered who she should partner up with as she didn't want someone to partner up with her and have it be awkward the whole time. Though she was a sincere person so she really didn't mind who she would be partnered up with as along as her partner does their own share of the work, or maybe she could just work by herself.

Following Dr. Carr's lead, she observed each of the three horses as she would enjoy working with either one of them. She noticed how a pair of girls already decided on working with Beauty, so that horse wasn't an option anymore. It was just the two horses left. She walked over to the fence as she neared Belarus, the drum horse, and gave the horse a gentle look so the horse wouldn't get a wrong first impression when she gets started on working with the equine.

[Deleted]

Luka slung his pre-packed backpack over his shoulder and headed towards the equine clinic, which was just across the road from where he 'worked', at the small animal clinic. While he liked to think that he knew the basics of first aid, he knew that there was always more to learn, and after a bit of fighting with himself, he had signed up for the clinic.

As he approached the equine clinic, which he had never had much to do with, apart from getting Xheva's leg splinted when the mare had broken it, he looked around, not seeing anyone in the front. Looping around the barn, he found the small group that he guessed was the rest of the clinic. He smiled a greeting and took a seat on one of the barrels, leaning his backpack against the barrel. When Dr. Carr started the clinic, he listened intently, taking one of each of the items that were passed around. He flipped open the notebook and started taking down notes, nodding slightly to himself as he got each point.

When the clinic was released to choose a partner and a horse, he carried his notebook, pen, and first aid kit over to where a girl was standing by Belarus' yard, "Would you mind if I partnered up with you?" He glanced up at the large bay horse as he awaited her answer, hoping that it would be in the positive.

[Demeter Carr]

Demeter was pleased with how attentive the students were and noted the ones who were writing furiously as she spoke.

Once they had chosen their horse,  she continued the lesson part of the clinic. "A few things that are important to remember when you are around horses, their vitals. The normal body temperature of a mature horse at rest is 99 to 101 degrees F. The heart and pulse rate of a normal mature horses is 28 to 40 beats per minute. For newborn foals it will be 80 to 120.beats per minute, weanlings are at 60 to 80 beats per minute and yearlings, 40 to 60 beats per minute. Your horse should be calm, rested and relaxed to obtain an accurate heart rate. To find their pulse, press your fingers against an artery. There are several locations where an artery can be felt: the back edge of lower jaw, the inner surface of the groove under the jaw, the inside the elbow, up and forward against the chest wall, under the tail, close to the body and the inside or outside pastern.

To check skin pliability for dehydration. Pinch a fold of skin on the neck and release it. It should quickly return to its original position. If the horse is dehydrated, the skin returns slowly and tends to stay in a fold. Their mucous membranes:
Gums, inside lips of a mare's vulva and nostrils should be pink. A fire engine red colour usually denotes illness. Anaemia causes a pale colour. Lack of circulation causes a bluish-purple colour.

And lastly the quantity and condition of circulating blood: Rate of capillary refill (the rate blood returns to an area) indicates the quantity and condition of the circulating blood. Capillary refill can suggest anemia, colic, congestion and shock. You can determine capillary refill time by pressing your thumb on the horse's gum and releasing it. It should take about two seconds for the blood and normal color to return to the area. Longer capillary refill times can be indicators of dehydration or a circulatory problem." She smiled, knowing that it was a lot of information to remember in such a short time, but as they didn't have any actual life and death situations on hand she wasn't too worried if they couldn't remember it all, it wasn't like she was going to make then take and exam at the end of the day.

"Now we get to talk about the fun stuff, wounds!" She walked to the yard where her Black Tobiano gelding was dozing. "In the bucket that's on this side of your patient's yard, you will find some stage make-up and tubes of blood, not real blood but stage blood." She picked up the bucket that was on the outside of Tau's yard. She had spent the last couple of weeks prepping gelding for this. "The first wound that we will talk about are LACERATIONS: This is Deep Cut in Skin Versus a Full Skin Thickness Cut. Cuts which do not penetrate the skin all the way cannot have the edges of the wound separated. You cannot pull the edges of the wound apart because the skin is still connected at the base of the wound. How deep can a partial thickness be? If the skin is thick it may be 1/4 to 3/8's inch deep. In areas where the skin is thin it may be less. All this kind of would would need, it to be cleaned out and covered in wound powder. The horse's stall would need to be thoroughly cleaned out, but you wouldn't need to bandage the wound.

Next we have; NON-PENETRATING CUTS: Like lacerations you will need to clean the wound with soap and water and apply a nitrofurazone based spray twice a day. Ointments are okay but will not last as long. A bandage may be applied to areas like the leg where the wound would be subjected to dirt. These wounds do not require suturing, but should be examined carefully to be sure there are no punctures." She opened her hand to offer Tau some treats as the gelding nosed her hand. "Then, you have; FULL SKIN THICKNESS WOUNDS: Suturing of this type of wound depends on several factors. Age of the wound, location, contamination, blunt trauma. Contaminated or blunt trauma wounds are often safer left open and cared for properly than when sutured. Open wounds which will not receive medical attention for several hours should be flushed out with clean water and bandaged using an antibacterial cream such as Neosporin. If suturing is required flushing and bandaging the wound will help minimize infection.

Then PUNCTURES: Puncture wounds can be deceiving. Frequently they appear to be minor wounds. Depending on the depth and contamination they can rapidly become infected. Pain and swelling within the first 24 to 72 hours after the accident are good indicators that there is a problem. Punctures seal up rapidly so the infection has no place to go and spreads to surrounding tissue. Have your Vet examine the wound if you have any doubt as to how deep the puncture is or if it is draining well.

And lastly, BRUISING and CONTUSIONS: A hard blow that does not break the skin can be treated with ice compresses for a minimum of 30 minutes and oral bute (consult your Vet before using) to limit swelling and pain."

Rubbing the gelding's forehead, she pulled a bandage out of the mock kit that she was holding. "Now, this is how you apply a bandage on a horse. Make sure the wound has been properly cleaned, rinsed and dressed according to your veterinarian’s recommendations. Use a thickness of an inch or more of soft, clean padding to protect the leg beneath the bandage. Apply padding so it lies flat and wrinkle-free against the skin. Start the wrap at the inside of the cannon bone above the fetlock joint. Do not begin or end over joints - as movement will tend to loosen the bandage and cause it to come unwrapped. Wrap the leg from front to back, outside to inside (counter-clockwise on left legs, clockwise on right). Wrap in a spiral pattern, working down the leg and up again, overlapping the preceding layer by 50 percent. Use smooth, uniform pressure on the support bandage to compress the padding. Make sure no lumps or ridges form beneath the bandage. Be careful not to wrap the legs too tightly, creating pressure points. Avoid applying bandages too loosely. If loose bandages slip, they will not provide proper support and may endanger the horse." She swiftly bandaged Tau's leg as she spoke, demonstrating her words, though she didn't bother to use padding under the bandage, as she just didn't have the time. She unwound the bandage and rolled it up as she turned to face the teenagers and wiggled her eyebrows. "You can decide between yourselves what kind of wounds you want to do, or you can do all of them. Feel free to test each other by one of you drawing on the horse and the other trying to work out what kind of wound it is and the best way of treating it."

[Rose Hoff]

Rose listened carefully to the vet's next stream of information, amazed by how she just listed off the information with barely a thought. Rose knew some of it from some of her books she owned, but she still jotted down the essentials and new details in her new notebook, knowing that it may come in handy. A lot of times reading her own notes was easier than reading out of a book, and she was sure that if she ever needed it, the notebook would be a good resource.

Watching Dr. Carr bandage the leg, Rose noted that it was very similar to when she wrapped with polo wraps, and that she should basically follow the same rules when it came to wrapping. When she'd finished speaking and prompted them to work, Rose fetched the bucket from near Beauty's fence and returned to Anna. "Would you like to start with bandaging and then we can move on to guessing wounds and treatments?" It seemed like a good place to start, and Rose opened her vet kit to retrieve the items they would need for bandaging.

Entering Beauty's yard, Rose greeted the mare first, petting her and moving to her other side so that Anna could bandage the side nearer to the gate. Bending so that she squatted without her knees touching the ground, Rose took a little piece of padding and pressed it to Beauty's leg. The wrapping went well once she wrapped over the padding, which was tricky to keep in place at first. It reminded Rose of trying to keep the quilt in place when wrapping for travel. 

[Deleted]

Anna kept curt notes in her notebook as the vet explained about vitals and various wounds. She knew the basics of it all, and but she darted down little details that she hadn't known. She admired the vet's ability to explain so much information in so much detail, and she hoped that she would be able to do the same in whatever profession she ended up pursuing. After watching the bandaging demonstration, Anna turned to Rose and listened to the girl's suggestion, nodding in agreement. 

Taking the supplies she'd need for bandaging out of her kit, she followed Rose into Beauty's yard and greeted the mare before curiously pinching the skin on the mare's neck. Sure enough, it sprung back into place. It was a useful tip, though Anna was still curious as to what it would look like if a horse were dehydrated. Perhaps she would be able to find a photo online when she got back to her room.

Bending across from Rose next to Beauty's other leg, Anna placed her piece of padding against the leg and wrapped over it, carefully but swiftly. When she finished she looked it over and was pleased by how neat it was. She regularly wrapped Essie rather than using boots, and the skill had come in handy for this as well. Next they would take turns creating pretend wounds, which she wasn't looking forward to, especially since she was rather lacking in artistic ability.

[Deleted]

Nina looked over to the boy who asked to be partnered up with her. She gave a soft smile in greeting towards him. "Not at all." She responded to his question as she guessed she will be working with a partner rather than herself for the clinic. She was kind of glad she wouldn't be doing this alone, but she hopes that this boy will be the kind of person who does their share of the work and won't let her do all of it. "I'm Nina, by the way." She added, keeping her reassuring smile as she listened to Dr Carr speak about the horse's vitals, keeping some basic notes of the information in her new notebook as the woman insisted that these were good things to remember.

She watched the veterinarian showed them how to bandage the wounds and also asked them to make pretend wounds themselves with the stage make-up and stage blood. When it was the time to set to work to try one of the techniques, she walked over and grabbed the bucket that was over to the side of Belarus' yard as she greeted the Drum Horse. "Do you want to experiment on the heart and pulse, mostly the horse's vitals?" She asked as she hoped the boy didn't mind with starting with that first.

She stepped up to the gelding and rubbed his nose as she pressed her fingers against the back edge of his lower jaw. She was glad to have worn her watch today as she quietly counted the beats until the minute has passed. She then ran a hand through the horse's neck. "You're definatly quite relaxed." She gave a grin as she let her partner have a chance as she decided to try out the dehydration test. Pinching the fold of skin on the gelding's neck, she gave a tiny grin as it sprung back to its original position. She then checked the gums as she pressed her thumb on the horse's gums as she observed the color go back to normal within the two seconds mentioned, giving a small smile.

[Deleted]

Luka's grin broke though as the girl assented, glad that she wasn't the type to work alone, because he knew he would prefer working with a partner. As she introduced herself, Luka nodded, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nina. My name is Luka." When Dr. Carr started talking about a horse's vitals, however, he stopped talking, focusing only on the veterinarian and what she was saying.

After Dr. Carr had released them to start work with their 'patients', Luka let himself into the large gelding's yard, letting Nina grab the bucket as he waited his turn to let the gelding get to know his scent. As Nina asked about starting with the gelding's vitals, he nodded, "That sounds good." He knew where the veins in a small animal were, so he hoped that he would be okay with finding the gelding's pulse as well. As Nina started counting Belarus' pulse from the gelding's neck, he knelt carefully and found the point inside of the elbow. Sitting quietly, he counted, rising a few seconds after Nina and nodded, "We're not worrying him in the slightest."

After the girl had moved, he stepped up to the gelding's neck and felt for the pulse that should be located there, nodding as he found it and counting the pulse there as well. As he got the same number as before, he smiled, stepping back to watch Nina doing the capillary refill test for a moment before he reconsidered what to, "Would you like me to draw some injuries for you to wrap, and you could do the same?"