Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] What is your Equine First Aid kit?

msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Mounted search and rescue

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
  • To: "'Mounted search and rescue'" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] What is your Equine First Aid kit?
  • Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:39:56 -0500

You should check your local scope of practice laws when considering what you
are going to do in the field. Some states, like Texas and Florida have very
restrictive scope of practice laws. Work with your regular vet to determine
what you can and should do in the field.

In most cases what works for people works for horses-- control bleeding,
close the wound temporarily with sterile dressings and bandage. Wound
cleaning with potable water is usually sufficient in the field.
Reconstruction of soft tissue after a wire cut or a deep wound precludes
sutures until the multiple layers can be done in order, usually a vet job
at base camp or the barn. Suspected leg fractures can be splinted but x-rays
are needed in most cases to determine the seriousness of the injury.

My personal vet practice always has a vet on call to respond out. The back
up is another member's vet or we can call on the field services of the vet
school as the ultimate backup. One of our more active members is a farrier.


Many states require you to implement ICS/NIMS on every mission, even
training. This requires the logistics section to have a medical support
plan and resources for both the humans and the search animals. If you are
in an OSHA state it can cost you big if you have a lost days injury and no
plan was in place. And even in a non-OSHA state the general welfare clause
allows the feds to investigate any lost days incident.

Interestingly, today the local trauma center presented a briefing on a study
underway to determine if field IV's are needed for penetrating wounds and
heavy loss of blood (about 7% of combat wounds and 1% of civilian trauma).
The study seems to indicate that adding massive amounts of non-blood
products is detrimental to resuscitations. It is based on about 3000 combat
casualties in Iraq. It is now being evaluated in several trauma centers as
the sample population was combat fit before the trauma and most stateside
incidents won't be combat fit before the car crash.

Irv Lichtenstein

-----Original Message-----
From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Lila Corey
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 7:43 PM
To: Mounted search and rescue
Subject: Re: [MSAR] What is your Equine First Aid kit?





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page