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Emergency Home Medical Kit

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T O P I C R E V I E W
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 21 2016 : 8:06:03 PM Okay, folks, what should be in an emergency cow care kit? Can we create a list? I wanted a separate topic so it would be easily found again.And, what are your favorites/brands/links to products? Electrolytes/Drench Calcium *Tubing
12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 29 2016 : 1:39:29 PM And, MaryJane is so right about having your trailer in the ready position at all times. We were using our trailer as a temporary shelter as we have moved our cows around. At the time of Clover's emergency, the trailer was out in the muddy field and impossible to get out. Nick was amazing and drove back to their farm to get their trailer to use for Clover. That was my mistake and cost Clover several more minutes of waiting. The very next day, however, Ethan pulled the trailer out of our field (it had dried just enough for Ethan to carefully maneuver in 4WD) and it now sits in the ready position for any animal emergency. Ethan and my father-in-law created a shelter with pallets and leftover metal sheeting from our barn ... looks darling, actually! And now all animals have shelter AND our trailer is ready for use. Don't make the same mistake as we did no matter how short you might be on shelters. Also, have at least two thermometers in the emergency kit ... again, in the middle of an emergency is not the time to be trying to replace thermometer batteries or have one thermometer decide to not work.
txbikergirl	Posted - Mar 27 2016 : 07:08:00 AM that photo is devastating mary jane. i am so sorry. i am glad it all worked out for clover, but what a trial for y'all.
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 26 2016 : 10:28:49 PM And I will never forget what Clover's eyes looked like! Bloat is awful.
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 26 2016 : 10:27:42 PM Again, it was amazing to have MaryJane and Nick helping us that night. Without them, I am certain Clover would be dead. To be honest, I have no idea where that hose came from. As I was racing into the garage with instructions from MJ to get a hose, I had no idea what to get. I remember praying out loud, "Please God help me find a hose! I need a hose!" I firmly believe I was led directly to this hunk of hose stashed on a shelf in the garage. I didn't even have to look! I need to ask my hubby if he knows what it came from. Answered prayer and part of Clover's miracle. I will take a photo of it tomorrow.
maryjane	Posted - Mar 24 2016 : 12:15:00 PM In the name of education, here's a pic of Rosetta's eye that was red and bulging from the pressure behind it caused by free-gas bloat.
txbikergirl	Posted - Mar 24 2016 : 11:51:30 AM wow, such an experience. i am appreciating the education i am deriving from it, but boy does it freak me out. i am just so glad everything came out all right for clover. nothing can replace good neighbors to help and good vets.
maryjane	Posted - Mar 24 2016 : 08:43:34 AM The hose you found Charlene worked perfect because it was reinforced. I was nervous about her biting through it but I doubt she could because it was reinforced. She tried. She was really chewing on it. You might tell us where you bought it and why you happened to have that type of hose. Pics of it would be helpful? Unless you've framed it and hung in on your wall:) The only change I would make to it and what I did to the hose I have ready is to sand and smooth the edge that goes down the throat. A cut edge can be sharp. As Nick was pushing it in, I kept feeling her neck to made sure it was headed to the stomach. I made the mistake of racing out of here without my list of emergency cell phone numbers and the supplies I have ready in my milking parlor. I have a bloat kit hanging on the wall of my milking parlor. It contains a stainless steel tube that goes down first and then the tubing goes in through that. I also have some of the little bottles of anti-foaming fluid you pour down the tube. And I have a stainless steel trocar (not screw type) but even though I've watched a couple videos I wouldn't feel confident using it. If I can get a tube down, that would be my preference. And I need to ask a vet about the calcium/electrolyte thing that happened secondary to Clover. When we arrived at WSU, Dr. Bredenberg said a couple of times that they didn't want to put anything in her stomach (like electrolytes) because of the bloat. Hence, the CMPK IV. When you're treating for milk fever, it's unlikely that you've also just "pumped the stomach." So I wouldn't be confident about shoving a big capful of gel tube of CMPK down her throat afterward. The doc said several times when we arrived that they might have to repopulate Clover's rumen with rumen juices from a donor cow. When she arrived, her body temp was dangerously low and she had zero rumen contractions. (I've read that lack of rumen contractions in and of itself can kill a cow.) I think the most important thing you can have ready is an established relationship with a vet and a trailer ready to go. If you recall, once we drug Clover into the back of our trailer, I called Dr. O'Connell again to ask her, "Now, what happens if she rolls onto her side while we drive." She said, "Stack hay bales around her." Duh, right? I think those phone calls I kept making were essential. I remember calling Dr. Bredenburg once the tube was down (and gas and rumen juices were flowing out and her stomach was clearly going down--she was dangerously bloated because her eyes looked like Rosetta's--pupils rolled down with only the whites showing that were bright red with no longer even a hint of white and bugged out as if they were going to pop out of her head from internal pressure) to ask how long I should leave the tube in. When I saw Clover's eyes start to look like eyes again, I breathed a sigh of relief as we were tubing her. Pressure subsiding I thought.
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 23 2016 : 10:34:08 AM Great list Sydney. Thank you!
Sydney2015	Posted - Mar 23 2016 : 09:19:52 AM For a 4-H project once, I made a horse first aid kit. I honestly don't remember where I got most of it, here's what I have: antibacterial soap stethoscope(I've used mine a lot) cotton swabs in a waterproof container Tweezers Hydrogen peroxide Isyprocol alchohol Thermometer Notebook with vet's numbers in it Vet wrap(lots of it) Scissors Various sizes of gauze Hoof knife Hoof nippers Hoof pick(mainly for horses) Various sizes of syringes Rolled cotton Anti-fungal spray/rub Various sizes of needles We are running low on a few things and have to go stock up, there are some things I hardly ever use and others I use all the time.(sorry if something is spelled wrong, I'm in a hurry)
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 22 2016 : 10:29:55 AM Where is the best place to get all of this supplies? Any ideas, anyone? Hamby Dairy Supplies Also, I was reading that a disposable screw-type trochar was a preferred type as it kept the rumen right next to the side of the cow so the risk of abdominal contamination from the rumen contents was significantly lower. Thoughts? MaryJane, do you think the tubing was enough for Clover? In hindsight would a trochar have eased her bloat faster? Less or more stress on her? The tubing seemed quick, but you knew exactly how to feed it down her throat and keep it in the right place. You and Nick were a great team. I'm just thinking how to be better prepared in the future.
txbikergirl	Posted - Mar 22 2016 : 05:56:40 AM thanks ladies, i was just starting to add to my meager supply list in preparation for calving and just getting ahead of the animal game general. this helps tremendously!
CloversMum	Posted - Mar 21 2016 : 10:21:30 PM Here's a list with a brief explanation that I found: Suggested items for a Livestock First Aid Kit The kit should be easy to find, carry, and remain clean and dry even in barn, truck, or livestock trailer environment. Plastic totes, tackle boxes, or plastic tool boxes can be found in many outlets and could provide a convenient and inexpensive carrier for first aid kit. It is wise to tape important names and phone numbers on the side of the kit. These important numbers can be found quickly or by others even if the primary animal caretaker isn’t present. Heavy duty scissors Flashlight Halter and rope Needle nosed pliers Wire cutters (animal with leg in wire) Disposable gloves 4X4 gauze sponges Skin cleanser Several small bottles of sterile saline Water soluble ointment Frothy Bloat treatment Screw type bloat trochar Several rolls of vet type wrap, 1 “medical tape, duct tape Fly repellant Several large syringes (35-60 cc) Small child’s disposable diaper or some rolled cotton Antibiotic eye ointment Thermometer 1 bottle of Calcium borogluconate or 1 oral calcium gel Key phone numbers taped on side of First Aid Kit Optional Items: OB chains and handles, water based lubricant Small amount of epinephrine Few needles and small sized syringes Mineral oil Hoof nippers and knife Small sharps container