Cowboy Bob's Questions and Answers – page 280 – What should we do in case of colic on a trip?

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QUESTION:

We are going on vacation with our horses of a couple of weeks. We are bringing bute and banamine, I am not sure I know exactly where to give the shot of banamine should we have a horse that colics while camping. Do have any pictures? I saw the one where you suggest the upper part of the neck, is that area in the triangle or…?

Any help would be appreciated.

K. G.

ANSWER:

On the website illustration, the place you give shots is the area marked in green. There’s a long dimple — perhaps “valley” is a better word — that runs just below the mane; that’s where you want to give the shot. (Take a look at the photos in Q&A 194 – http://www.lemen.com/qa194.html.) If you’re still in doubt, why not just ask the vet to give you the pain-killers in paste or powder form?

If you have reason to suspect that your horse may be liable to colic, an even more important part of your equine medicine kit would be a gallon of veterinary mineral oil and a naso-gastric tube for pouring the stuff into your horse. (Your vet can give you a quick lesson in how to do it.) If your horse colics, the most important thing you can do is keep it up and walking.

Here are some other items you’ll want to have in that first aid kit:

A roll or two of self adhesive leg wrap
Tweezers or a pair of forceps
Scissors
Antiseptic wound wash
Triple antibiotic cream
Gauze pads
Cotton padding
Bandage tape
Clean towels
Epsom salts
One or more hoof boots — or an old truck innertube for making an improvised boot
Electrolyte paste or powder
A pillow and an old broom handle, cut in half, for use as a splint. (Wrap the pillow as tightly as possible around the leg and hold it in place with leg wrap. Then put the splints on both sides of the leg and wrap them with more leg wrap. The pillow gives some support at the same time that it prevents the wrap from cutting off circulation.)
A card with contact information for your veterinarian, and perhaps vets in the area where you’ll be traveling
And I like to have a roll of good ol’ duct tape for those times when nothing else seems to hold stuff in place!

Pack those items in a good waterproof and crash-resistant container. Your vet may have some other suggestions for items to include. You may also want to throw in an equine first aid book — your local feed store or tack shop probably has one.

Here’s a tip I picked up from Dr. Bruce Oscarson of Osceola, Minn.: “Don’t panic! Most injuries are NOT life-threatening to the horse.” Do not risk injuring a human in the course of trying to help a horse.

I hope you have a wonderful trip — and don’t need to use a single bit of my advice!

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